Nathan Brown has been officially named as NZ Warriors head coach on a three-year deal, starting in 2021, with Phil Gould also joining in a consultant role.
On Saturday, the Warriors confirmed the widely speculated appointments of Brown and Gould, with the former replacing Stephen Kearney, who was sacked in June after a run of poor results.
In the days after Kearney's dismissal, Brown was widely tipped to take over, after working at the Auckland-based NRL club as a consultant before the coronavirus pandemic, but he ruled himself out of contention, saying the "role doesn't fit at this stage".
After a long chat with Warriors chief executive Cameron George, Brown has had a change of heart and accepted a deal, less than a week after current interim Todd Payten rejected the role.
"We couldn't be more delighted to have Nathan as our new head coach," says George.
"He has had an extensive involvement in the game as both a first-grade player and then as a coach in the NRL and the Super League.
"He already has a relationship with our players, football staff and our club after being with us as a coaching consultant working with our hookers this season.
"Nathan's a terrific person who brings tremendous qualities to the role in every sense."
Brown brings plenty of high-level head coaching experience to the Warriors, filling various roles since 2002, when he took over St George Illawarra Dragons.
He held that roll until 2008, before moving to the UK, where he had stints with Huddersfield Giants and St Helens, where he won the Super League title in 2014.
In 2016, he took over Newcastle Knights, tasked with rebuilding the club after Wayne Bennett's messy departure.
He was sacked at the end of the 2019 season and replaced by Adam O'Brien.
"I'm a career coach. I just love coaching and this job with the Warriors is a fantastic opportunity," says Brown.
"I spent time in Auckland during the preseason and was really impressed with the whole set-up, the players and the staff throughout the organisation.
"The Warriors are hugely important to the competition. We've seen that this year with the sacrifices they've made to keep the NRL going. I can't wait to get stuck in."
Gould also brings plenty of experience dating back to 1976, when he played with Penrith Panthers.
He has more than 250 games of head-coaching experience, while also serving as Penrith Panthers general manager.
"There's no question this is an exciting challenge," says Gould.
"The owners Mark [Robinson] and Rob [Croot] and Cameron have a real passion for rugby league and they're highly motivated to build the Warriors into a powerful club over the coming years.
"A strong Warriors club is a great asset to the NRL, not to mention its importance to the continued development of international rugby league, which I know is a priority for Peter V'Landys and the ARL Commission."
George said Gould will provide advice and guidance in key strategic areas designed to build the Vodafone Warriors' trans-Tasman commercial and general profile.
"This appointment is exceptionally significant and critical to the future of our business as a whole and equally to the game in general both in New Zealand and in Australia," says George.
"Phil is held in the highest regard as a rugby league expert both on and off the park.
"He has an extensive and successful coaching history and is highly sought after in the media through his roles with Channel 9 and other organisations. He also achieved so much in rebuilding the Penrith Panthers to where they are right now.
"He'll play a huge role in helping to take us to a new level as a club."
Friday's 26-22 win over the Sea Eagles saw the Warriors claim back-to-back wins for the first time since May 2019, after last weekend's win over the Wests Tigers.
Join us at 8pm Friday for live updates of the NZ Warriors v Penirth Panthers NRL clash
