Ahead of his first full season as an NRL coach Andrew McFadden has wasted no time in ensuring he has the right people around him at the Warriors in 2015.
Earlier this week the club announced that former NRL assistant and NYC head coach Tony Iro would return to work under McFadden next year, before confirming Wests Tigers Holden Cup mentor Andrew Webster would also join the new-look coaching setup.
"I couldn't be happier with the calibre of the assistant coaches we've been able to secure for the next two seasons. Andrew and Tony are going to invaluable with the support they'll give me and the squad generally," McFadden said.
After leaving the club at the end of 2012 – following a stint as the acting first-grade head coach – Iro emerged as a natural fit for the organisation and has been involved with the club in various roles since 2005.
But perhaps the biggest benefit of Iro coming on board is the knowledge of local players which he brings with him, having worked with several of the current squad in his 2008-09 NYC teams and more recently through his role as New Zealand Rugby League general manager of high performance.
"Tony is an ideal choice, just the sort of person I need," McFadden said.
"He has the depth of coaching experience I was after and he also has so much knowledge about the club and about the players here, most of whom he has worked with."
Webster, who played in the lower grades with Balmain and Parramatta, is highly-regarded and this year guided the Tigers' Holden Cup side to the finals in addition to working alongside the NRL coaching staff.
"For such a young coach [Webster] has packed in lots of experience in Australia, England and the United States [where he was a player/coach for the Connecticut Wildcats]," McFadden said.
"I first became aware of him when I was coaching at Les Catalans in France. He was with Hull Kingston Rovers then and I've kept an eye on him since.
"Through his background he'll bring a strong base of technical and analytical skills to our team."
Warriors general manager of football Dean Bell said the new acquisitions would bring a mix of experience and knowledge into 2015.
"Cappy [McFadden] was keen to have a balance of an experienced voice and a younger coach as his assistants. Tony and Andrew will complement each other perfectly," Bell said.
"Andrew is well regarded as a young coach on the way up, [and] Tony has vast experience both as a player at the highest level and in coaching positions with the Warriors.
"He has a great affinity with the club and he's familiar with most of our players, having helped to develop and coach them in the time he was with us previously.
"He's a perfect fit for us, giving Cappy the experienced coaching support he was looking for."
Iro and Webster join outgoing NRL chief operating officer Jim Doyle – who will take over as Warriors CEO in November – as new additions to the club's off-field staff.
