Where is the pathway for NZ coaches?

OPINION:

New Zealand Rugby League will head down the same dark path they did with David Kidwell if they restrict themselves to local coaches.

After the Kiwis’ embarrassing World Cup exit to Fiji, NZRL chief executive Alex Hayton confirmed Kidwell’s contract was up, adding that NZRL policy meant the coach had to be a New Zealander.

Thankfully that is being reviewed because we’re well past appointing coaches based on nationality.

The job should go to the person best suited to get the team out of this mess, even if they’re Australian.

The Kiwis have turned to Wayne Bennett for help before. The super coach is off contract with England after the World Cup.

Premiership-winning duo Des Hasler and Michael Maguire are both unemployed. The NZRL would be mad not to at least approach them.

Even Ricky Stuart is worth considering. Yes, that is how bad things are.

High-profile coaches are costly. Hayton says the NZRL cannot throw all their money at the Kiwis and ignore the grassroots.

But there doesn’t seem to be much of a pathway for aspiring coaches in this country.

Granted, apart from the Warriors and the Kiwis, all the elite coaching positions are in Australia and the UK.

But who are the local options with enough experience?

Apart from Stephen Kearney, who has enough woes at the Warriors, the only other New Zealander coaching in the NRL is his assistant Stacey Jones.

As one of the all-time great Kiwis, Jones would have no shortage of respect from the playing group.

But he is still developing his career. They need an experienced, savvy operator who can rebuild the team from the ground up.

The other obvious option is former coach Brian McClennan. McClennan has not coached at the top level since being sacked by the Warriors in 2012, which is a concern, but he knows what it takes to be successful with the Kiwis.

Perhaps ‘‘Bluey’s’’ biggest strength was that he developed a tight team culture.

Kidwell talks a big game in that regard, but on-field performance shows a different picture.

McClennan rose through local ranks, and honed his skills as a national assistant before proving himself on the big stage.

We have been waiting for the ‘‘next McClennan’’ for some time.