Former Bradford Bulls and Wakefield Trinity star set to join rival club as Head Coach

Former Bradford Bulls and Wakefield Trinity star Ben Jeffries is the subject of a poaching raid in Australia according to reports.

Jeffries, who had an excellent stint in Super League, is currently set to take charge of North Queensland Cowboys Women in the 2024 season but he has become the target of Newcastle Knights Women.

They are hoping to coach the former halfback as Head Coach ahead of 2024 in a move that would not only strengthen them ahead of the new NRLW season but also damage one of their rivals significantly.

This comes from the Daily Telegraph but at present it is unknown if Jeffries will be tempted to make the to a different NRLW side.

Jeffries has been open about wanting to coach in Super League in the past and a successful stint in the NRLW would help that.

A veteran of 28 NRL games and 256 UK Super League appearances across 13 seasons, Jeffries has compiled an extensive coaching resume in both the women’s and men’s games upon his playing retirement.

After taking his maiden coaching job as Newcastle Knights SG Ball assistant coach in 2014, Jeffries has held various coaching roles including Cowboys NYC Assistant, Queensland Academy of Sport Women’s under 18s Head Coach, NRL Indigenous All Stars Women’s Head Coach, Queensland Women’s under 19s Head Coach and PNG Orchids Head Coach along with his most recent Cowboys roles as Men’s Elite Pathways Head Coach and Coaching Director of the Gold Stars.

In North Queensland’s plans for 2024, Jeffries was to be assisted by Alicia-Kate Hawke and Annan Whittington.

Hawke has spent a number of seasons with the St George Illawarra Dragons NRLW team both as an assistant coach and welfare manager. She also has experience in the NSW Women’s Origin pathways as a coach and led the Illawarra Steelers Harvey Norman Premiership side to within a game of the grand final earlier this season.

A home-grown North Queensland product, Whittington has a long coaching resume in schoolboys football throughout the state and has coached in the Cowboys system at academy level since 2019.

Whittington spent the previous two seasons as Jeffries’ main assistant in the Cowboys Young Guns program.