An old friend who practices in the dark arts on the side of the players and coaches reached out to me today and told me an interesting story. I thought some of you here might be interested in hearing it.
But if it is too long:
Long story short - If any of this is at all true... It was
Nathan Brown who Ownership wanted the whole time, they just forgot to check with him that it would be all good before pulling the trigger.
Full disclosure, none of the parties involved are a part of my friend's boss' stable of clients (He works for an Agency group in Sydney) and I obviously can not provide any verification. So, feel free to add this to the conspiracy theory file, use it for chip paper or force me to change my name to IronLionsMeow if it offends you that much.
But this does sound a lot like how the Warriors would do something...
End of September 2019 - Autex complete take over of Warriors.
New Owners assure Cameron George he is safe but instructs him to initiate a plan to restructure the football department with Peter O'Sullivan being the only one marked by Autex as "safe". Openly expresses severe doubt over
Kearney as a coach, which eventually was made public.
October 2019 - CG enlists PoS to come up with a plan to restructure the football department.
CG, having just given him a 3-year extension, insists
Kearney stays as Head Coach and be backed by ownership 100% but must reassign portfolios (attack, defence etc).
Brian Smith is recommended to be let go. As is Alex Corvo. Nathan Cayless requests a release.
Craig Twentyman is recommended to replace Corvo, seen as a better personality fit.
Justin Morgan is recommended to replace Cayless.
CD & PoS float dissolving GM of Football position, splitting the responsibilities between them, expanding their own portfolio's.
Early November 2019 - GM of Football plan is rejected but Ownership will allow CG & PoS to split responsibilities until a suitable replacement can be found. Ownership expresses a desire for a big name.
Kearney is reluctantly backed as Coach, as to show support in CG's role. But Ownership insists on bringing in outside help and will not guarantee him as safe until they see improvements on the field.
PoS suggests
Nathan Brown, who he knows very well.
Mid-November 2019 - Smith, Corvo are let go. Cayless granted his release.
Twentyman and Morgan are hired along with
Nathan Brown as a 'consultant'.
Brown's role was explained as helping in summer on the field and sporadically throughout the year.
Realising they did not have the squad to seriously compete it did not take long for the higher-ups to begin looking for advice on how to rebuild ala Newcastle. (How to get through disappointing seasons while rebuilding)
Brown makes a great impression on Warriors Ownership.
Pre Season 2020 - Portfolios are reassigned, all indications things are on the uptick. (What does that even mean at the Warriors?)
Round 1 - Ownership instructs PoS to sound out
Nathan Brown about taking over.
Round 2 - Brown is interested, Ownership wants to make a deal. COVID-19 spreads. Competition suspended. All plans are on hold.
Round's 3 through 5 - COVID buys
Kearney time. CG implores stability. Ownership becomes more vocal.
Round 6 - Loss to South's. Ownership loses patience and instructs CG to fire
Kearney and put Payten in as the interim. Wants CG to do it alone as he was his hire.
Ownership instructs CG to make deal with
Nathan Brown to take over immediately and approach Craig Bellamy's management to sound out interest in coming with him as GM of Football from 2021 or 2022.
Nathan Brown's personal situation has changed, he is no longer in a position to accept the role, this year or next. Bellamy's management declares zero interest in 2021 or 2022 and beyond.
Wayne Bennett's management is approached to sound out interest in a duel Head Coach/GM of Football role, with the intention to groom Payten for 2 seasons before handing over the reins and solely acting as GM.
Bennett's management declares no interest.
Job is put to "advertisement".
Several enquires are made by potential applicants, including one current NRL coach to better understand the club's plans but baulked when the club could not put forward certain candidates for the GM of Football role.
Geoff Toovey, The Walker Brothers, Anthony Griffin and Todd Payten were the only serious applicants. Shaun Wane was interested but withdrew due to COVID restrictions and also holding the England RL job.
Not exactly what Ownership dreamed of. If they couldn't land a Supercoach they still really wanted Brown.
Unsure what to do, it was during an exploratory conversation in late June about the job with one of the Walker Bro's, where they suggested if the Warriors had a Supercoach lined up for 2022 they could come coach for just one season. Aiming to reinstil confidence in individuals, give the team an identity and then hand off to a Bellamy or Bennett type.
Being further impressed by Payten in the interim, this gives CG the idea of working a similar deal but with Todd for 1 year before bringing Brown in for 2 years to complete a 3-year rebuild to appease Ownership before handing back to Payten.
By now Phil Gould is in talks with Ownership to fill a Directorship role but a very hands-on one, especially in junior pathways. A role that may preclude the need to hire a full-time GM of Football.
The coaching plan is put to Ownership, who approve. Then Todd Payten &
Nathan Brown. Payten really wants to be a first-grade coach but not under these conditions. He was very torn about what to do and was close to committing. Then Cowboys job became available and is talked out of taking the Warriors job by both his wife and agent. He ultimately wasn't comfortable with waiting for that long, given the instability of the club. Brown, however, was very interested in this plan, especially if Gus becomes involved.
Payten rejects the Warriors on Monday the 27th of July.
Not long after, Brown reveals his situation has definitely changed and is likely to now be available for the job after all.
Payten pre-records an interview the following week talking about the future and still being keen to take the job, knowing he had already rejected it. Attack of conscience and does his live interview on NRL 360 announcing his rejection.
The Warriors are actually a long way down the road with Brown by now and momentum is building for Gus Gould to take a role similar to John Hart's Director of Football during his time with the club.
August 2020 - Brown will be announced as Head Coach for the next 3 seasons from 2021-2023.
Gus Gould will most likely be announced as Director of Football, at a later date, once his role is 100% defined. When that happens it will be decided if a full-time GM of Football will be required or the responsibilities will continue to be split between CG and PoS under the guidance of Gus.
It reads like an episode of Shortland Street, so I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be correct.
Feel free to tear it apart if you have better information.
Edit - Oh, I forgot to add - Don't be surprised if Adam Elliot is signed as the "replacement" for Toby Rudolph in the next week or two.
Edit #2 - The Warriors are also secretly hoping Payten will miss out on the Cowboys job. Enabling them to be able to keep him for the last 12 months of his contract and find a way to convince him to stay beyond that while his family situation improves, hopefully. They think his ambition makes him a risk to any other head coach who hires him, making their chances of keeping him greater.
Edit #3 - The decision to pass on Geoff Toovey may have been informed by information given by a former NRL Coach & CEO with close ties to ownership. Apparently suggesting Toovey’s intense style wouldn’t suit the playing group long or short term.