The off-season has already seen some big coaching changes with former Warrington Wolves boss Daryl Powell linking with Wakefield Trinity, whilst Danny Ward has just joined Hull KR, but one coaching appointment down under has seen a former St Helens and Bradford Bulls boss earn a new job.
Mick Potter, who most recently coached Canterbury Bulldogs in the NRL, has been handed a new role in which he will now mould the Bulldogs of the future. That’s because he’s stepped in to coach the Bulldogs New South Wales Cup side.
The move sees him shift from the men’s first team assistant coach to now taking on the role of developing the younger ranks at Belmore. Potter had been kept on by his replacement Cameron Ciraldo to act as assistant but he’ll now act as a head coach in his own right, just with the NSW Cup side.
Bulldogs General Manager Gus Gould confirmed the news, stating: “NSW Cup is the final testing ground from junior pathways into the NRL,” said General Manager of Football Phil Gould.
“There is no better man than Mick Potter to guide our young hopefuls through this process.”
Potter started out his coaching career in Super League with Catalans Dragons whom he led from 2006 to 2008 before linking up with St Helens, succeeding the great Daniel Anderson but ultimately failing to replicate his success.
He then moved onto Odsal to take up the role as Bradford Bulls’ head coach in which he helped the club perform brilliantly on the field in spite of far from ideal off-field circumstances.
That saw him earn an NRL gig with Wests whom he left after a couple of years and he’s since continued to coach in and around the league, now being granted this opportunity to help shape the youth and development team in the NSW Cup.
Between roles in the NRL he also coached Fiji who he led to the semi-finals of the 2017 World Cup where his side fell to eventual winners Australia, with a dominant Valentine Holmes registering six tries that day.
Canterbury Bulldogs’ CEO Aaron Warburton attested to Potter’s credentials: “Mick has done incredible service to our club on both the playing an coaching front.
“He did a terrific job with our NRL side during a time of need and has assisted Cameron [Ciraldo] tirelessly over the past year. In him, we have a coach with vast experience at all levels and a perfect fit to take the reigns with our reserve grade side.
“He is a true Bulldog, who can help instil the Bulldogs values at this level and help us take our development of future NRL players to a whole new level.”
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers secure two players as they step up recuitment
