Brett Kimmorley will remain at the Wests Tigers next season but in a new role with the premiership-winning halfback being appointed the club’s inaugural NRLW coach.
The Raiders have also announced their very first NRLW coach, while the Broncos have added a new face to their coaching staff.
TIGERS HANG ONTO KIMMORLEY IN NEW ROLE
Brett Kimmorley will be staying on with the Tigers next season despite being overlooked as head coach or assistant for the NRL side.
Instead, he has been appointed head coach of the NRLW side, which will join the competition in 2023.
It’s a move that makes sense given Kimmorley coached the Tigers’ Harvey Norman Women’s side to a premiership before becoming interim NRL coach after Michael Maguire was sacked.
Kimmorley, who said he is “honoured” to accept the new role, was thrown into a tough situation after Maguire’s exit, winning just one of twelve games as the Tigers collected the wooden spoon.
He initially joined the club at the start of the year as a pathways coaching manager and after taking on multiple opportunities since then, the Tigers knew he had to be retained.
“Brett has shown in a short space of time with us just how capable he is,” CEO Justin Pascoe said.
“Anyone who can take on and perform three different roles in as many months, is both versatile and committed.
“He has been professional and diligent with everything asked of him during a difficult season, and we are delighted that he will lead Wests Tigers into its very first NRLW season.”
RAIDERS APPOINT INAUGURAL NRLW COACH
The Raiders have announced Darrin Borthwick will lead the club’s inaugural NRLW side next season.
Borthwick joins the Raiders from the Eels, where he as an assistant coach to Dean Widders for their NRLW team. He also juggled that with being head coach of Mounties in the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership.
Prior to the Eels, Borthwick worked with the Roosters and Warriors’ NRLW sides.
The Raiders are one of four new teams joining the competition next year along with the Tigers, Sharks and Cowboys.
Borthwick will be on the look out for local talent to build his squad on.
“I’m really excited about getting out to the regional areas and finding the next big talent. We are in a position where we will have to recruit from outside but I guess if I’m using players outside of the Raiders in the women’s space I’m looking for the next Isabelle Kelly or Jess Sergis,” he said via a club statement.
“I’m excited about that because you just don’t know what’s out there. I’ve got to work hard to get out to those areas and these players have got a pathway now. That’s the exciting part for me, getting out there and looking for the next big thing that will pull on a Raiders jersey.”
BRONCOS ADD TO COACHING STAFF
The Broncos have appointed former Manly Sea Eagles hooker Matt Ballin as an assistant coach for the 2023 season.
Ballin and former Titans coach John Cartwright will assist under-pressure head coach Kevin Walters, according to the Courier Mail.
The 38-year-old replaces former assistant Terry Matterson who Walters sacked after Brisbane failed to play finals despite sitting fourth after Round 19.
Ballin played 220 NRL games during his ten-year career and 217 of those games were with the Sea Eagles where he won premierships in 2008 and 2011.
Ballin retired in 2017 and first started at the Broncos as a development coach.
Brisbane chief executive Dave Donaghy believes Ballin has all the makings to one day become an NRL head coach.
“Matt’s impressed everyone at the club since he arrived and he’s been a great support to Kev in that time,” Donaghy told the Courier Mail.
“He came highly regarded from Manly from his time working with Des (Hasler) and I’d absolutely put him in that category of younger assistant coaches with the potential to be a first-grade coach in the future.”
However Ballin hasn’t just had an effect on the club’s executives, 2022 Wally Lewis Medal winner Patrick Carrigan spoke very highly of the former Manly hooker.
“He’s a super smart guy,” Carrigan said.
“The way he sees the game and communicates, not only tactically with the players in the spine but also with the forwards is pretty cool.
“He was definitely good for me this year in terms of picking his brain. He’s someone who encourages you to put in the work at training and use your skills as a player.
“He’s built a lot of relationships with the work he did with the Queensland Cup boys this year. He’s only been at the club for on year but he’s awesome.”
