Wright in charge of Kiwi Ferns

New Zealand Rugby League has appointed Kelvin Wright as the head coach of the Kiwi Ferns ahead of the Queen’s Birthday weekend National Women’s Tournament taking place June 2-4.

Since his coaching career began in 2011, Wright has had several coaching roles at New Zealand level including Junior Kiwis head coach, Junior Warriors head coach, Warriors assistant coach and Kiwis assistant coach.

Wright will lead the selection panel identifying the top 30 female players in New Zealand during this weekend’s National Women’s Tournament.

These players will contribute to the makeup of the Kiwi Ferns wider squad to be announced after the tournament final on June 4.

NZRL coaching manager Gary Peacham said he was ‘‘excited to see a coach of Kelvin’s ability put his hand up for the top job and is confident he can successfully lead the Kiwi Ferns programme’’.

With the level of talent available in New Zealand, Wright is welcoming of the new era women’s rugby league is entering and believes he can offer significant value to the team.

‘‘On a technical level, I’ll be challenging the players to improve in all areas to take our game to the next level.

‘‘We are very lucky to have a tremendous amount of Kiwi talent across New Zealand and Australia, who will be competing for spots in the squad.’’

As a part of the trans-tasman tripleheader taking place in Auckland on October 13, the Kiwi Ferns will play the Jillaroos ahead of the Kiwis v Kangaroos clash, in their first match since the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final in Brisbane.

For Wright, the road to the October test starts this weekend when the six teams, Counties Manukau Stingrays, Akarana Falcons, Wai-coa-bay Stallions, Canterbury, Wellington Orcas and the Auckland Vulcans descend on Cornwall Park.

‘‘I’ll be looking for speed, skill and players who compete on every play with a strong desire to win,’’ Wright said.

Following the tournament, Wright will support the NZRL in appointing the remainder of the Kiwi Ferns management team.