Cunningham slams Bennett hire

Keiron Cunningham has attacked the appointment of Wayne Bennett as England coach and says Brian McDermott would be the right man for the job.

Cunningham played 14 times for Great Britain from 1996 to 2006. The St Helens boss believes an English coach, either Leeds mentor McDermott or Wigan’s Shaun Wane, would be better suited for the national tea,.

“Brian Mac should be our front-runner and I find it baffling and shocking that he has had to cross the Atlantic to coach the United States of America when we are looking towards Australia for a new national coach,” Cunningham told the St Helens Reporter.

“I’ve nothing against Wayne Bennett – he is a great coach and players will jump at the chance to play under him – but Brian’s record speaks for itself and I feel he would be the right choice.

“Mac is one of the most experienced coaches in our competition. He’s won a treble in one of the best competitions in the world and we still need to go overseas to find a coach.

“I would look no further than Brian and then maybe Wigan’s Shaun Wane, provided they were interested in the job.”