Dunemann signs Knights coaching deal
Emma Greenwood
Thursday, October 8, 2009
© The Cairns Post
THE Northern Pride is on the lookout for a new coach after Andrew Dunemann's move to the Newcastle Knights next season.
Dunemann’s loss is bittersweet for the Pride, which is thrilled for its coach but disappointed to lose the man who has taken the club to the cusp of a Queensland Cup rugby league title in just two seasons.
Pictures: Northern Pride 2009
A former NRL and English Super League player with clubs including the Cowboys, South Sydney, Canberra and Leeds, Dunemann has worked wonders in his first senior coaching position, taking the Pride to third place last season
before leading it to last month’s Queensland Cup grand final.
The 33-year-old received a call "out of the blue" from Knights coach Rick Stone and was offered a job on the Newcastle coaching staff after meeting him in Brisbane last week.
"I was surprised. I don’t know him or anything like that, it was very unexpected," Dunemann said of the approach from Stone, a former Queensland Cup coach at Burleigh who took over the Knights’ top job from Brian Smith late this season.
"It’s going to be pretty exciting. They’re going to need an assistant (to do) a fair bit," Dunemann said.
"
(Stone) has his own ideas that are not negotiable, and that’s the way it should be, but to be developed, you really need to have a hands-on position, and it will be that."
Dunemann re-signed as Pride coach last month but had an NRL get-out clause in his contract.
Regardless of his ambition at the elite level, he said the decision to leave was not easy.
"It’s definitely a tough decision to walk away from here but if you want to get to where you want to be, it’s probably the next step for me."
Dunemann becomes the sixth Pride member to be promoted to NRL level in just two seasons.
Five players – Brett Anderson, Chris Sheppard, Greg Byrnes, Luke Harlen and Tom Humble – have either played NRL games or joined senior NRL programs since the inception of the club while Dunemann graduates from the coaching ranks.
Foundation Pride coach Adrian Lam linked with the Sydney Roosters as an assistant before the club’s first game.
The search for a new coach has already started with chief executive Denis Keeffe saying the club was likely to continue its tradition of promoting fresh talent.
Dunemann leaves the Pride in a strong position for 2010, though, after the signing of several players, including Melbourne Storm squad member Brett Anderson and Titans back Brenton Bowen.
"Whoever comes in to do my role, they’ve been blessed with a great set-up, a great club, a great group of players as well," he said.
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/10/08/68635_local-sport-news.html
