Kiwi rugby league icon Sir Graham Lowe has defended NZ Warriors' decision to axe club stalwart Stephen Kearney as coach, after Friday's resounding 40-12 loss to South Sydney.
The Auckland-based NRL club dropped its bombshell on Saturday night, installing assistant coach Todd Payten at the helm for the rest of this season.
While Kearney's 32-win/46-loss/one-draw record over four seasons probably hasn't been good enough to keep him in the job, the timing of his exit has shocked fans, given the sacrifices he and his team have made to keep their campaign afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
"Like everyone, it was a surprise, but in some ways, it wasn't a surprise," Sir Graham has told Newshub. "I know [owners] Autex had high expectations and the mediocrity of some of the performances has to have had an affect.
"I admire the courage and I think fans will be happy in the end, because they won't accept the way it's been going.
"It's tough. No-one likes losing a job, especially when it's a nice guy like Stephen Kearney."
Ironically, the former NZ Kiwis captain and coach coached 79 games for the Warriors - the same number of games he played for the club from 1995-98.
During his coaching stint, he has lived apart from his Brisbane-based family and can at least now return to them for consolation.
The Warriors have had to face more challenges than any other NRL outfit during the COVID-19 lockdown, twice committing to stay in Australia to keep the competition format intact. Their squad has been racked by injury with no reinforcements readily available.
And with the announcement that games will return to clubs' home venues from next month, the Warriors will be the only team still playing on the road - without their own fans or families for support.
"It's been through more than any club has been asked to go through, but there's no other time," says the former Warriors owner. "They couldn't wait until the end of the year - they have to start looking for the replacement.
"It just has to be now."
Sir Graham is sure the loss to Souths was the final straw, although the end has been in sight for much longer.
"I don't think it was planned," he says. "They would have been unhappy with the way things were going and the COVID thing just added to everybody's stress.
"If I was in that position, I would have made the change. I know it would upset a lot of people, but it's not a popularity contest - we're trying to win the competition."
Earlier Sunday, Payten admitted the news had rocked players "like a death in the family" and tears were shed when Kearney addressed his team for the last time.
"You can understand the feeling of the players, because when you work with someone for a while, you get a fantastic close bond," says Lowe. "When that bond is broken, it takes a bit of recovering, but they'll get over it."
Lowe favours former Manly coach Geoff Toovey to take the reins. Toovey played under Lowe, when the Kiwi guided the Sea Eagles to the NRL playoffs in 1990 & 1991.
"They'll come up with the right decision, I'm sure, and that's why it had to be now. It will take a while to find the right person."
The Warriors must now bounce back from this announcement to face archrivals Melbourne Storm on Friday.
