Raiders like look of Ando
In the picture
the Raiders may give former Kangaroos and premiership-winning coach Chris Anderson, who had a stint at a Welsh rugby union club, a chance to return from the rugby league coaching wilderness.
Photo: Getty Images
CANBERRA may provide the opportunity Chris Anderson has been seeking to resurrect his NRL coaching career after Raiders chairman John McIntyre yesterday instructed the club's management to strongly consider him.
McIntyre, Canberra chief executive Simon Hawkins and general manager Don Furner met to discuss coaching possibilities for next year as the Raiders began to prepare for life after Matthew Elliott, who will finish as coach at the end of this season.
Elliott agreed to terms with Penrith on Sunday to take over from John Lang next season.
McIntyre, one of the most experienced administrators in the game, yesterday said he had enormous respect for Anderson, who has not coached in the NRL since an acrimonious split with Cronulla at the end of the 2003 season.
"We came up with a few names at the meeting and I mentioned Chris Anderson," McIntyre said. "If he told us he was available, he would definitely be interviewed. He would be seriously considered for the job because he is a proven winner."
Anderson recently applied for the Newcastle job that is still vacant from the end of this season, but the Knights did not consider him, apparently because of the perception that he can be divisive.
Asked if he was worried about that perception, McIntyre replied: "I'm not concerned by that sort of talk at all. I'm going on results and Anderson won premierships with the Bulldogs and Melbourne and he was very successful as Australian coach as well.
"I always remember what he did with the Bulldogs in 1995. The Super League war was on and four of his players defected to Parramatta in the middle of the season. It could have ruined the team's premiership campaign, but instead they went on to win the competition. I just thought it was an outstanding performance by a coach to handle that sort of adversity and still win. It really impressed me."
Anderson is a self-described career coach whose last job was with Welsh rugby union club Newport Gwent Dragons in 2004. A source last night said Anderson would be interested to hear from the Raiders.
McIntyre added that if former Canberra assistant coach Terry Matterson were available, he would be worth considering as well, but Matterson, who finished at the Raiders at the end of last season, has only just begun a two-year contract as coach of English club Castleford.
"Terry left here on very good terms and if he was available he would be a chance," McIntyre said. "But he is in England coaching, so I don't know if he could become available."
Elliott's assistant, David Furner, also has support within the club, while former Canberra and Brisbane star Kevin Walters yesterday confirmed that he would be applying for the Raiders job. John Lang, who will finish as Penrith coach at the end of this season to make way for Elliott, yesterday was philosophical about the club's decision not to offer him a new deal.
"There's an old saying, where there's smoke there's fire," he said. "I've been getting a few blokes ringing me up and asking me about my job and I hadn't heard anything from the club, so, no, I wasn't shocked."
Yet Lang made it clear he was unhappy CEO Glenn Matthews had not told him first before the club signed another coach, as the pair had agreed if it ever came to that. "I was [disappointed]," Lang said. "I told him so."
But Lang said he would not hold a grudge. Matthews said he fully understood why Lang was upset and that this experience had taught the CEO that he had probably been "commercially naive" in making such an agreement.
Lang said he was available to coach again next year, but that he would not be applying for jobs.
"I've been in this [NRL] game for 13 years," Lang said. "So I think if anybody's interested I'm sure they would be able to get hold of my number."
Meanwhile, Newcastle officials have received a number of new applications for the vacant 2007 coaching job from Great Britain and New Zealand as well as Australia.
Of the possible candidates in Super League, former Warriors coach Daniel Anderson is contracted to St Helens until the end of next season but wants to return to the NRL in 2008, while fellow Australian Ian Millward has two more years at Wigan.
"Daniel isn't looking to come back until 2008 but the way things are going clubs will be making those appointments in March or April," Anderson's agent Jim Banaghan said.
Elsewhere, Souths' Beau Champion has pleaded guilty to a grade-one careless high tackle charge but will miss suspension, while Manly's Travis Burns faces a one-match ban for a dangerous throw.
Photo: Getty Images
CANBERRA may provide the opportunity Chris Anderson has been seeking to resurrect his NRL coaching career after Raiders chairman John McIntyre yesterday instructed the club's management to strongly consider him.
McIntyre, Canberra chief executive Simon Hawkins and general manager Don Furner met to discuss coaching possibilities for next year as the Raiders began to prepare for life after Matthew Elliott, who will finish as coach at the end of this season.
Elliott agreed to terms with Penrith on Sunday to take over from John Lang next season.
McIntyre, one of the most experienced administrators in the game, yesterday said he had enormous respect for Anderson, who has not coached in the NRL since an acrimonious split with Cronulla at the end of the 2003 season.
"We came up with a few names at the meeting and I mentioned Chris Anderson," McIntyre said. "If he told us he was available, he would definitely be interviewed. He would be seriously considered for the job because he is a proven winner."
Anderson recently applied for the Newcastle job that is still vacant from the end of this season, but the Knights did not consider him, apparently because of the perception that he can be divisive.
Asked if he was worried about that perception, McIntyre replied: "I'm not concerned by that sort of talk at all. I'm going on results and Anderson won premierships with the Bulldogs and Melbourne and he was very successful as Australian coach as well.
"I always remember what he did with the Bulldogs in 1995. The Super League war was on and four of his players defected to Parramatta in the middle of the season. It could have ruined the team's premiership campaign, but instead they went on to win the competition. I just thought it was an outstanding performance by a coach to handle that sort of adversity and still win. It really impressed me."
Anderson is a self-described career coach whose last job was with Welsh rugby union club Newport Gwent Dragons in 2004. A source last night said Anderson would be interested to hear from the Raiders.
McIntyre added that if former Canberra assistant coach Terry Matterson were available, he would be worth considering as well, but Matterson, who finished at the Raiders at the end of last season, has only just begun a two-year contract as coach of English club Castleford.
"Terry left here on very good terms and if he was available he would be a chance," McIntyre said. "But he is in England coaching, so I don't know if he could become available."
Elliott's assistant, David Furner, also has support within the club, while former Canberra and Brisbane star Kevin Walters yesterday confirmed that he would be applying for the Raiders job. John Lang, who will finish as Penrith coach at the end of this season to make way for Elliott, yesterday was philosophical about the club's decision not to offer him a new deal.
"There's an old saying, where there's smoke there's fire," he said. "I've been getting a few blokes ringing me up and asking me about my job and I hadn't heard anything from the club, so, no, I wasn't shocked."
Yet Lang made it clear he was unhappy CEO Glenn Matthews had not told him first before the club signed another coach, as the pair had agreed if it ever came to that. "I was [disappointed]," Lang said. "I told him so."
But Lang said he would not hold a grudge. Matthews said he fully understood why Lang was upset and that this experience had taught the CEO that he had probably been "commercially naive" in making such an agreement.
Lang said he was available to coach again next year, but that he would not be applying for jobs.
"I've been in this [NRL] game for 13 years," Lang said. "So I think if anybody's interested I'm sure they would be able to get hold of my number."
Meanwhile, Newcastle officials have received a number of new applications for the vacant 2007 coaching job from Great Britain and New Zealand as well as Australia.
Of the possible candidates in Super League, former Warriors coach Daniel Anderson is contracted to St Helens until the end of next season but wants to return to the NRL in 2008, while fellow Australian Ian Millward has two more years at Wigan.
"Daniel isn't looking to come back until 2008 but the way things are going clubs will be making those appointments in March or April," Anderson's agent Jim Banaghan said.
Elsewhere, Souths' Beau Champion has pleaded guilty to a grade-one careless high tackle charge but will miss suspension, while Manly's Travis Burns faces a one-match ban for a dangerous throw.
![TiTTieS_[CNTDN]](/data/avatars/m/5/5289.jpg?1151924577){kind=avatar}
