The NZ Warriors have confirmed head coach Nathan Brown has stepped down from his role, and assistant Stacey Jones will take over for the rest of the 2022 NRL season.
Brown's departure leaves Jones in charge of the last 11 rounds of their campaign, which begins with their clash against the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday.
Warriors CEO, Cameron George thanked Brown for his tenure at the club.
"Nathan told us he had made a personal decision that for family reasons he wouldn’t be able to relocate to New Zealand as originally planned for the long term," George said.
"We fully appreciate his position and the call he has made.
"Given those circumstances we agreed we needed to make an immediate change.
"It’s tough for everyone involved but, in the best interests of the club, we felt we had to goin a different direction now.
"Nathan has worked so hard for our club and we are extremely disappointed it has come to this. We’re truly grateful for what he has done and wish him and his family all the very best for the future."
Jones steps into the position after being involved with the club in both playing and coaching roles.
The club legend amassed a 261-game NRL career with the Warriors, spanning from 1995 to 2005, and again in 2009 after a two-year stint with Les Catalans in the Super League.
"Stacey’s love of the club and knowledge of it is unparalleled. He has been on the inside of it for close to 25 years," George said.
"We’ll be giving him, staff and players all the support possible for the rest of the season."
Jones returned as the club’s pathways manager in 2013 before coaching the Junior Warriors to the 2014 NYC premiership title.
He also guided the club’s New South Wales Cup side to the finals each season in 2015 and 2016, before being named as the assistant coach in 2017.
George said he would now work with owner Mark Robinson to appoint a new head coach.
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