Phil Gould believes South Sydney Rabbitohs should consider Brian McDermott as their new head coach after he met with the former Leeds Rhinos boss for an in-depth chat.
Gould, who is the General Manager of the Canterbury Bulldogs, was left impressed by McDermott following their meeting and believes he could be the perfect fit for one of the NRL’s top jobs.
A name familiar to many Super League fans, Gould famously tipped Penrith Panthers would be able to ‘declare at half-time’ ahead of their 2023 World Club Challenge game against St Helens, before the Panthers went on to lose, forcing Gould to eat humble pie and change his attitude towards Super League.
And that experience and meeting with McDermott seems to have done just that, with Gould suggesting McDermott, who is the current assistant coach at Newcastle Knights, could help ‘drive culture’ at the Rabbitohs.
Brian McDermott a candidate for South Sydney Rabbitohs?
Speaking on the Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus podcast, Gould went into detail on why he thinks Souths should consider hiring McDermott following the sacking of Jason Demetriou.
“He was brilliant,” said Gould of McDermott. “He reached out to me wanting to talk footy.
“He is very impressive and the reason I took the time to do it was because Andrew Johns told me he’s made a big difference at Newcastle.
“He came there last year when they had that big run into the finals. They speak very highly of him at Newcastle.
“Not that I’m telling Souths how to suck eggs – but on the conversation I had with him, I was very impressed with him. His thoughts on football, he has done a lot, he has achieved a lot … he’s had success coaching in the Super League.
“There’s a bloke who could be available to any of the clubs that might be looking for a new coach. I probably shouldn’t have spoken about it, but I’m glad I did.
“He looked like a bloke who would certainly drive culture and his ideas on rugby league I really enjoyed.”
Brian McDermott’s coaching history
McDermott started his coaching career at Harlequins, becoming head coach in 2006 before he was appointed in the main seat at Leeds Rhinos in 2011.
At Leeds, McDermott won four Super League titles and two Challenge Cups before he was sacked in 2018 and took over at Toronto Wolfpack the following season.
Despite leading the Wolfpack to promotion, McDermott was again left without a job when the club departed Super League in 2020 due to financial problems.
His last role as a head coach was at Featherstone Rovers in 2022, where he was again sacked as the club fell short of promotion.
Since the start of 2023, McDermott has been one of the assistant coaches at Newcastle Knights, earning a strong reputation down under, with Gould and rugby league great Andrew Johns the latest to sing his praises as he edges closer to a top job in Australia.
