Cows may board the Wane train
England coach eyes Townsville gig
ENGLAND coach Shaun Wane has emerged as a frontline contender to replace Paul Green at the Cowboys after formally applying for the North Queensland job.
News Corp can reveal Wane’s resume has been sent to North Queensland’s board, with the British Test mentor keen to parlay his success in the northern hemisphere into launching his coaching career in the NRL.
Only a handful of Englishmen have taken the reins of an Australian premiership club in the last 50 years.
Tommy Bishop had five seasons at Cronulla in two stints from 1970, helping the Sharks to the 1973 decider before a comeback year in 1980, while Malcolm Reilly had four seasons at Newcastle, steering the Knights to the title in 1997.
Now Wane is ready to bring a British flavour to the NRL coaching brigade.
The 55-year-old succeeded Wayne Bennett as England coach this year but the coronavirus pandemic has put a halt to international football and Wane’s two-year plan to reinvigorate the British team.
Bennett successfully juggled twin roles in club and national coaching and there is no reason why Wane couldn‘t preside over England while making his mark in the NRL.
While the Cowboys will undertake a thorough process in deciding Green’s successor, Wane’s application is being taken seriously and he is likely to be shortlisted for a formal interview. He has also been linked with the New Zealand Warriors.
North Queensland powerbrokers have run the rule over Wane’s portfolio and are highly impressed with his decorated career in the Super League.
A former forward with Wigan, Leeds and Workington Town who played two Tests for Great Britain in 1985-86, Wane was appointed Wigan coach in 2011 and enjoyed outstanding success with the English powerhouse.
He steered Wigan to five grand finals, including three premierships in 2013, 2016 and 2018. When he left the Warriors, Wane had won 161 of 238 games for a 68 per cent win record, the type of success rate enjoyed by the likes of super coaches Bennett and Craig Bellamy in the NRL.
Wane took over at Wigan following the departure of current Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire, who went on to succeed in the NRL, winning a premiership at South Sydney in 2014.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook joined the Gold Coast this season after cutting his teeth in Super League, winning the grand final last year with St Helens.
Warriors interim coach Todd Payten is considered the favourite for the Cowboys job.