Bradford Bulls boss Kurt Haggerty has revealed he is interested in becoming one of England’s new assistant coaches for the upcoming World Cup.
The roles of the national team assistant are currently up in the air, with new boss Brian McDermott expected to make a decision as to who he will bring in to help guide England this Autumn.
St Helens assistant Lee Briers and Hull FC interim boss Andy Last had the role during the reign of Shaun Wane, but a new boss suggests there will be a complete overhaul of coaching staff, something that has peaked the interest of Haggerty.
Haggerty has experience at international level as a player, having played for Ireland at the 2013 World Cup.
The Bulls boss currently has plenty of his own struggles at club level, mainly due to the injury issues within the camp, but given that England won’t have any training sessions or meet-ups prior to landing in Australia, that shouldn’t really affect him.
Haggerty has worked with McDermott before, as the pair linked up at Toronto Wolfpack prior to their withrawal from Super League in 2020.
The pair keep in touch to this day, and it is a partnership that the 37-year old would love to rekindle, should he be given the chance.
“I’ve worked with Brian over at Toronto for nearly two years before the situation hit there financially,” Haggerty explained.
“He’s someone I respect highly, someone I’ve looked up to on my coaching journey and I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with him.
“If I got a phone call at some point then I’d be more than willing to sit down and give him any advice or help that I can give him in regards to preparation for the World Cup.”
That partnership has worked well for Haggerty, and has been fruitful as recently as this season, where the former Leeds boss helped him to recruit one of their newest signings.
“He does things on his own terms does Mac, so if he gives me a call, I’ll help him out,” the Bradford coach said.
“He helped me in regards to signing Phoenix Steinwede, he gave us a bit of insight there so he’s somebody I speak to.”
Steinwede’s time in West Yorkshire hasn’t gone to plan, given that he sustained a long-term injury, but the signs were promising in his little minutes on the field.
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