Warriors reportedly snare Cowboys’ Payten

AUCKLAND: The New Zealand Warriors have reportedly signed Cowboys assistant coach Todd Payten.

The 2005 premiership winning Wests Tigers forward is expected to join the Aucklandbased club, according to a report on Nine .com.au.

Payten’s signing comes as the Warriors look to replace assistant coach Andrew McFadden, who will leave the club at the end of the season to return to Australia with his family.

Payten has served as an assistant coach at both North Queensland and Wests Tigers and will team up together with Warriors head coach Stephen Kearney and his fellow assistants Stacey Jones and Tony Iro.

The 39yearold has reportedly agreed to terms and an announcement from the club is expected in the coming days.

Warriors coach Stephen Kearney confirmed on Tuesday the club had found a replacement for McFadden but refused to reveal who, when asked if sacked Panthers coach Anthony Griffin was a contender.

‘‘No, I can’t [consider Griffin]. That role’s been filled,’’ Kearney said.

Payten is understood to have a strong relationship with McFadden from their playing days in Canberra and is highly regarded as an emerging first grade coach.

The 39yearold’s playing career began in 1996 with the Raiders, before stints with the Roosters and Wests Tigers until his retirement in 2011.

The following season he enjoyed immediate success as a head coach after steering the joint venture club’s under20s team to a NYC title win.

He coached the side again in 2013 before being promoted to an assistant role under former Tigers NRL head coach Michael Potter in 2014.

Payten was previously linked to a move to the Warriors coaching staff in 2014, before he accepted a job as head coach of the Cowboys NYC side and assistant to NRL head coach Paul Green. He was a member of the coaching staff for the Cowboys’ 2015 NRL grand final win over Brisbane. — NZME