Appointing a full-time Kangaroos coach should be rugby league’s way of fighting off the Wallabies, Socceroos and AFL’s advances.

After all, they have something the first two don’t – a history of world domination in their sport.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant’s vision of a full-time coach is smart idea. The new Kangaroos coach must be rugby league’s brand ambassador in this country if the NRL want to take the game forward.

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But let’s look at the wider picture here, not just for Australia, but for 10 or 20 years from now.

Imagine this, international rugby league coaches from all the major nations become true ambassadors for the game. They travel their country, promoting the Kangaroos, Kiwis or Lions at grassroots level, showing up at clinics alongside one of their marquee players and build the brand.

Working with development officers and talent agents, they introduce rugby league to the next Greg Inglis, Sam Tomkins or Shaun Johnson, giving kids a chance to meet their heroes before they try out AFL, soccer or rugby union. It’s the national emblem here which is important, rather than the Storm or Maroons.

Rugby league has a hidden diamond in the Kangaroos. They have a century of domination at Test level. They’ve more than a 85% winning rate over the past three decades and have won 10 of the 14 World Cups. Our youth need to know about their astonishing record. We could start by giving the Australian coach a new, wider remit.

New Zealand might be the number one ranked team at the moment, but the Australian rugby league team has ruled the roost for close to fifty years. If rugby league – and Australian sport – wanted to nominate their most prolific national team in history, the Kangaroos are surely there alongside the cricketers and maybe the netballers.

What better brand to use to grow the game than the Kangaroos?



The NRL have funds to pay their coach a good salary, reportedly as much as $300,000 a year. For the likes of New Zealand, England or France, getting access to funds won’t be easy.

Maybe the Rugby League International Federation could help fund these appointments? Or more third party backers could be enticed, like Russell Crowe or Marvin Koukash, to take a stake in the national side as well?

What about all the money made from broadcasting? Surely some can be put into the marquee team’s coaches.

Wayne Bennett disagrees, however if you appoint a part-time coach, you’ll only get a small chunk of his time and energy. How is that good for Australian rugby league?

It’s about time we changed how we promote the sport. Let’s go national, not via states or clubs. Let’s also hope John Grant gets his way.