Sheens to sign new Tigers deal
By Margie McDonald
December 18, 2007 ANOTHER piece of the coaching puzzle will fall into place when Wests Tigers announce Tim Sheens will extend his time with the club until 2010.
Hot on the heels of Ricky Stuart announcing he will remain at Cronulla until 2011, Sheens putting pen to paper removes another high-quality coach from the market.
Up until last weekend, there were five coaches whose contracts were due to run out next season: Stuart, Sheens, Nathan Brown at St George Illawarra, Steve Folkes at the Bulldogs and Graham Murray at the North Queensland Cowboys.
Brown and Folkes are rumoured to be under pressure to perform over the first six to eight rounds of the season.
But the removal of talent such as Stuart, 2002 premiership winner with the Roosters and the Test coach, and Sheens, a four-time premiership winner with Canberra (1989, 90, 94) and with the Tigers (2005) might ease the pressure a little.
But former Warriors coach Daniel Anderson has made no secret of the fact he would like to coach in the NRL in 2009. His success in England with St Helens, where he has won the Challenge Cup, Super League grand finals and the World Club Challenge, will not have gone unnoticed.
Wests Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce would not confirm Sheens re-signing last night, but it is understood the deal has been done.
Despite the speculation over the future of several coaches, there will be no changes for the start of the 2008 season, in contrast to 2007 when seven clubs had a new man in charge: Canberra (Neil Henry), Sharks (Stuart), Newcastle (Brian Smith), Parramatta (Michael Hagan), Penrith (Matt Elliott), Souths (Jason Taylor) and Roosters (Chris Anderson).
Chris Anderson left the Roosters after a 56-0 hammering from Manly in round 17. Brad Fittler was appointed coach.
It was the second year in a row the Roosters sacked their coach, dropping Stuart in August 2006.
www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22940685-23214,00.html
