A surprise in the inbox but sacking was no real shock for Anderson
Brad Walter and Stathi Paxinos
September 28, 2010
PARRAMATTA coach Daniel Anderson learnt of his sacking by email but he was not shocked by the decision at Sunday night's emergency board meeting as plans are understood to have been in place for Stephen Kearney to replace him for more than a month.
Kearney is expected to be officially appointed to the job as soon as tonight, but sources close to Anderson believe an agreement was reached with the Storm assistant coach to take over the reins next season after Eels chief executive Paul Osborne travelled to Melbourne to meet him in early August.
Osborne and Parramatta chairman Roy Spagnolo also met Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper about the same time, without Anderson. The
Herald has been told that Anderson did not believe Cooper was the answer to the Eels' halfback problems but they proceeded to offer him a $3.2 million four-year deal to switch codes.
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Anderson was also not involved in the recruitment of dual international Timana Tahu this season or the decision to re-sign Eric Grothe on a two-year contract.
He is also understood to have wanted to recruit Anthony Watts but the North Queensland utility has signed with the Sydney Roosters instead.
After realising that Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk was not going to accept a massive offer to leave the Storm, Anderson wanted to sign an experienced playmaker such as Trent Barrett or Brett Kimmorley to mentor Daniel Mortimer but both retired. With Mortimer and Kris Keating as his halves, Matthew Keating at hooker and Jarryd Hayne as fullback, Anderson had young players in the key positions but he paid the price for overachieving the year before when the club made the grand final in his first season as coach.
The Eels finished 12th this year, the first full season that Anderson has coached at the top level since beginning his NRL career with the Warriors in 2001 that he has not featured in the finals.
Osborne confirmed Kearney was the top target. ''We're just looking at the different candidates available and seeing who best can meet the needs of the club,'' Osborne said.
''He [Kearney] is obviously coming from a very well structured organisation and has been an assistant coach under Craig Bellamy for a long time and worked very closely with Wayne Bennett so he's had some very good training. I'm sure if he gets the job he would do a terrific job.''
Storm chief executive Ron Gauci said he had not recently spoken with Kearney, who is coordinating New Zealand's tilt at next month's Four Nations tournament, about his future but the club would be willing to release him from his contract ''given he has been such a long serving loyal person at the club''.
''I can't see that we would stand in his way if the circumstances were right but we haven't been asked to do that,'' Gauci said.
''You would love to hold on to someone who has the potential to be a successful senior coach as Steve Kearney but we obviously need to be considerate of his own requirements.''
