Meanwhile, Stephen Kearney is almost certain to move to Auckland from Sydney and into a full-time role with the New Zealand Rugby League in the coming weeks. The Kiwis coach announced on Friday his resignation from Parramatta after less than two years in the coaching hot seat. He oversaw his final game in charge last night and NZRL boss Jim Doyle confirmed yesterday that talks with Kearney about becoming a full-time employee were already at an advanced stage.
There is also a strong chance, Doyle added, that the Kiwis coach will relocate from Australia to New Zealand. ''There is a very high possibility of that,'' Doyle said of Kearney agreeing to a full-time role. ''What I would say is that in every dark cloud there is a silver lining.
''Obviously, there is not enough work there to be just a full-time coach of the Kiwis.
''But as we continuously grow the game, having Stephen engaging with our Kiwis and future Kiwis could only be a good thing.''
Doyle suggested that as well as coaching the national side, Kearney could be used as a mentor for the country's best coaching talent and would spend more time identifying future stars and persuading them to pull on the black jersey.
''We talked to Stephen when he was working at the Melbourne Storm … about potentially becoming a full-time member of the New Zealand Rugby League,'' Doyle said. ''I'm not talking about sitting here doing nothing until the Test matches but being someone who engages all the time.
''We will certainly - and we already have been because this is not something we are reacting to - be having discussions with Stephen,'' Doyle added.
