Smith out, Stone in – Knights directors consider quick move on coaching job
DEPARTING Newcastle coach Brian Smith might be asked to step aside immediately or give greater control of the team to assistant Rick Stone at a meeting of the Knights board tomorrow night.
With Stone having already been pencilled in to take over next season when Smith leaves for Sydney Roosters, it is possible he will be immediately appointed to the job.
Brisbane’s on-field woes under new coach Ivan Henjak, who was assistant to Wayne Bennett before he quit to join St George Illawarra, have given some Knights directors cause for concern and they are open to the idea of giving Stone greater responsibility for the remainder of the season.
It is even possible that he could be installed as a caretaker to help the board assess whether he is the right man for the job in the long term.
With the Knights’ 2010 roster virtually decided, directors would like to be sure that Stone can get the best out of the players he will have at his disposal if he is given charge. The Herald was told that all options were likely to be discussed at the board meeting, which was due to decide on the process for appointing a new coach after Smith’s shock decision to leave a year before his contract expires to accept a four-year deal with the Roosters.
Among the possibilities is that he will be told to stand down immediately and Stone appointed to take over. Smith could also be asked to take a back seat to give Stone more responsibility with a view to him being given the job next season.
Stone, who is in his fourth season at the Knights, has a 20-year coaching resume, including three Queensland Cup premierships in 13 seasons with Burleigh. He is understood to have unanimous support among the nine directors on the Knights board and also from chief executive Steve Burraston.
Initially, it was intended that Smith would remain in charge until the end of the season but the fact the Knights have lost their two games since his departure was announced and are now teetering on the brink of dropping out of the top eight has some directors considering installing Stone for the rest of the season.
With Melbourne assistant coach Michael Maguire, Cronulla and NSW assistant Shane Flanagan and former Bulldogs premiership-winning mentor Steve Folkes among the applicants for the job, there is a view that Stone should be given the opportunity to show why he deserves the job before such highly-credentialled candidates are ruled out.
The board could also decide to approach other potential coaches, such as Wests Tigers mentor Tim Sheens, or advertise for more applicants before making a final decision at another meeting on August 26.
Burraston said last night that he had not been approached by any directors about replacing Smith immediately. ‘‘It’s a scheduled board meeting and will kick off proceedings for replacement - no other changes,’’ he said.
But even if no decision is made at tomorrow night’s meeting, Smith’s tenure is sure to come under further scrutiny should the Knights lose again to Parramatta on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Sydney Roosters chief executive Steve Noyce was yesterday forced to deny that the club was trying to convince Isaac de Gois to follow Smith to Sydney next season after a caller to SkY Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast reported seeing him at the Newcastle hooker’s house on Saturday.
Noyce, the former Wests Tigers chief executive, explained that he was with the joint venture club’s recruitment manager Warren McDonnell, who was picking up some tickets for the Roosters-Knights match from his son, Shannon, the Newcastle fullback who shares a house with de Gois.
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