Brad Walter, Greg Prichard, Chris Barrett
April 27, 2011
Wanted man . . . Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens.
Photo: Peter Rae
WESTS TIGERS coach Tim Sheens has emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Matthew Elliott at Penrith next season, with the four-time premiership-winning mentor understood to be at the top of a hit list to be discussed at a Panthers board meeting today.
Penrith directors have been considering a new coach for more than a week after voting to sack Elliott on the morning of the April 17 clash with Melbourne but insist no decision has been made on his successor at the end of the season.
As revealed in Saturday's
Herald, former St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown, NSW Origin mentor Ricky Stuart and Elliott's assistant, Steve Georgallis, are the other leading contenders for the job.
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But the
Herald understands that Sheens is the No.1 target of Penrith officials hoping to persuade him to return to the club he played 166 first-grade games for between 1970 and 1982 and began his coaching career with after that, taking the Panthers to their first finals series, in 1985.
Despite the Tigers board endorsing a two-year contract extension for Sheens at a meeting on April 6, the Australian Test coach is yet to finalise his future, and it is understood he was unhappy with reports it was a done deal for him to remain at the club.
English club Widnes, who have been re-admitted to Super League next season, have also targeted Sheens, and he has been linked to the Wigan job made vacant by South Sydney's appointment of Michael Maguire, but the strength of the Australian dollar has made a move overseas less appealing for coaches and players.
Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys was aware of the interest in Sheens but remains confident the man who steered the joint venture to the 2005 premiership will remain at the helm until at least 2013.
''Given Tim's credentials, I am not surprised there is interest in other clubs in Super League and other clubs in the NRL,'' Humphreys said. ''I would expect any club looking for a coach would have him at the top of their list. But I am not concerned with who other clubs want as coach, my only concern is doing what is right for Tim and for us and every conversation I have had with him has been positive. He has invested a lot of himself in our club and I think he can see successful times ahead.''
Penrith chief executive Michael Leary said it was ''100 per cent'' that the club had not yet signed a coach for next year but added: ''The position will obviously be discussed at the meeting in the morning.''
Leary said the decision not to renew Elliott's contract was based on the board's assessment of his performance as coach since taking over from John Lang in 2007.
He said it was best for the club and Elliott that a decision was made early in the season, to give everyone involved plenty of time to make other arrangements for next year.
Asked if the club had a preference among the coaches in the mix for the job, he said: ''I can't say that, can I?''
Asked about Sheens, and whether he was a target, Leary replied: ''You know how many coaches have been linked to us. I'm not prepared to discuss any of those names.''
Brown has another year to run on his contract with Huddersfield but is expected to return home at the end of the Super League season after his wife, Tanya, gave birth to their fourth child, a boy, at the weekend.
Stuart is also looking to resume his NRL coaching career and it is understood Melbourne under-20s coach Dean Pay, who is off contract with the Storm at the end of the season, would be his assistant if he got the job.
Georgallis is also considered a serious option, and Elliott has given the former Magpies, Roosters and Wests Tigers utility his backing to step up to the head coaching job next season.
The Panthers financial situation, illustrated by the fact they do not have a full-time physiotherapist or strapper, may favour Georgallis, as he would be a cheaper appointment than the likes of Sheens and Stuart.
The
Herald has been told players have regularly had to strap themselves or be strapped by a teammate before training - a situation one club insider described as ''being like park football''. However, Panthers officials insist they could afford to pay as much for a top coach as most other NRL clubs.
