Anyone need a job? Did you play rugby league back in the day? Did you coach the Mangere East Hawks Under 12's as well as the Richmond Rovers Premier Reserves? Well boom! Chuck ya name in the hat for the Kiwis coaching position and you'll be away laughing. Geez if I had ever ran it straight in a game of league I'd be apply, but I doubt I'd gain any respect of the players considering I'm as soft as a terrible apple.

I am really confused as to why there is so much dislike aimed at Stephen Kearney. Well, I'm not sure if it's as much dislike as it is a knee jerk reaction to the demolition of the Kiwis at the hands/paws? of the Kangaroos in the World Cup final. Kearney's contract funnily enough ended after the World Cup and they are now following the understandable process of advertising the Kiwis coaching position. This means that Kearney must reapply if he wishes to continue as the coach, while also seeing who else is out there on the market.

Truth is that there aren't many coaches who are on the market, let alone any bloke who is willing to put his balls on the line as the coach of a New Zealand team ... especially with the rabid nature of Kiwi sports fans. There is the possibility that a NRL coach could see himself helping out the Kiwis as their coach while also leads an NRL to an acceptable level. Let's be fair, this won't happen. If say Des Hasler were to become the Kiwis coach and the Bulldogs saw themselves loose six games, you can be certain that the Bulldogs bosses would give Hasler two options pretty quickly. In today's game, coaching both an NRL team and a national team isn't really possible.

TIm Sheens? The day I see a bloke coaching the Kangaroos one year and the Kiwis the next, I'll have to reconsider my life. Could another Aussie be the coach of the Kiwis? Yes, damn right he could. It's a professional sporting era but I still believe that in a sport like league which isn't globally recognised, it's best to have a homegrown coach. This way it is truly a battle of nations in every aspect, both on the field and in the coaches box. I'm not really sure which Aussie coach would put their hand up anyway? Maybe a guy like Neil Henry who is now an assistant coach with the Gold Coast Titans would be interested? But again, I'm not sure an Australian coach will last too long as the coach of the Kiwis.

There are a few up and coming coaches in Ricky Henry (Warriors) and David Kidwell (Storm) who are trooping away as assistants and are potential Kiwi coaches. I'm not sure that they are ready to lead a national team and they are better served continuing their growth as coaches - learning and preparing for a head coaching role in the future.

So, Stephen Kearney. I have absolutely no problems in Kearney remaining as the coach of the Kiwis. In fact I want him to be the Kiwi's coach. What people need to understand is that the Kiwis team that went to the World Cup were very young and raw. That is why I was so optimistic about their chances - they had a great opportunity to shake up the league world and start a new dynasty. Instead the Australians showed that they were far from ready to give up their position on top of the league world. The Kiwis have an opportunity to develop with this group of players playing more football together and continuing their development under Kearney. Imagine how awesome Shaun Johnson and Kieran Foran could be by the time of the next World Cup!? Yes players will be rotated in and out thanks to form and injury, but if there can continue to be a core group of 20 players who are able to train together and spend more time together, they will improve dramatically. Kearney needs to be present during this development or else we'll have to start all over again. I'm not willing to start over again.

Why New Zealand Rugby League couldn't just come out and confidently back Kearney to lead the Kiwis to the next World Cup I'm not sure. The more I think about it thought the more I am comfortable with their decision to advertise the position. I imagine Kearney will have to present his case which will be good as he has to provide a plan and outline how he and the Kiwis are going to succeed. He gets to assess his own performance and figure out what he can do differently, remember it was Kearney who started these camps in Australia during the season for Kiwi players. Great idea, now for more of that Mr Kearney.

Maybe he won't apply again? Ummmm