Rugby League – New Zealand Warriors interim coach Todd Payten signs three-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys

New Zealand Warriors interim head coach Todd Payten will be announced as the new North Queensland Cowboys head coach.

Premiership-winning coach Paul Green resigned from the Cowboys in July and, according to The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield, Payten will be named his replacement this week.

Rothfield reported that the three-year contract will be worth approximately $ 1.5 million.

Read more: Chris Rattue – Why the impending loss of Todd Payten could be a disaster for the Warriors

Payten has served as the Warriors’ interim head coach since Stephen Kearney was fired in June, and will remain in his place until the end of the season, when Nathan Brown will take over the reins full-time on a three-year contract.

Since then, Payten has proven his mettle as the NRL coach: The Warriors have won four of their last five meetings, losing only in that span to the Penrith Panthers.

In July, Payten revealed that he had turned down an offer from the Warriors to become their full-time head coach, saying he wanted to work in Australia given that his wife’s father had just started chemotherapy.

“They offered me the job and I told the club that I would turn it down,” Payten told NRL 360.

“It’s not an easy decision, something I suffered from for a few days, but in the end, it was the first time that I put my family first in the decision. It just wasn’t the right time.”

Payten served as Green’s assistant coach during the Cowboys’ premier campaign in 2015.

Speaking about the Fox League, the great Ben Ikin of the Brisbane Broncos said the appointment was “well deserved.”

“He gave his interview, then backed it up with a stellar performance as a coach,” Ikin said Sunday.

“The Warriors are the story of the year: they are currently in ninth position with 14 points, they still have a chance to play final football, if you can believe it.

“Todd Payten has raised his hand as the coach of the future; it’s good to see him get a chance.”

Four months after flying from New Zealand, Payten was reunited with his family on the Central Coast on Saturday.

“They came out of quarantine this morning at 10 am,” Payten said, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

“It was a great day. We hadn’t seen each other for 120 days on the dot.”

After the Warriors clinched a 36-6 win over the Newcastle Knights on Saturday, many rugby league commentators pleaded with Payten for a shot at one of the vacant coaching positions.

Rugby league great Mark Geyer tweeted: “Surely Payten gets the Cowboys concert? What he’s done with the Warriors is nothing short of miraculous.”

AAP sportswriter Pam Whaley posted: “Have you ever seen a better audition for an NRL coaching job than Todd Payten offers us right now? Managing men alone is extraordinary.”

Payten’s immediate task remains to try to lead the Warriors to the playoffs, with the club within four points of eighth-ranked Cronulla Sharks with four games remaining.