Elliott takes top job at Warriors

Former Canberra, Bradford and Penrith coach Matt Elliott has been named as the man to take over at the New Zealand Warriors.

Elliott has signed a two-year deal to become head coach at the Auckland-based club following the departure of Brian McClennan.

Former Leeds boss McClennan was sacked following a disastrous set of results, which contributed to the Warriors finishing 14th in the NRL ladder.

Elliott said he was delighted to be joining the club

“I’m elated to take up this role with the Vodafone Warriors,” he said.

“This is not just a job. It’s a unique opportunity to harness a big organisation with the potential to deliver sustained success.”

Before joining the Warriors Elliott had been assistant to Brian Smith at the Roosters until Smith was also shown the door.

“This is a massive opportunity for us all and I can’t wait to get on with it,” Elliott added.

Warriors club bosses yesterday spoke of their satisfaction at landing Elliott’s signature.

“We’ve learned so much through internal and external reviews we’ve been doing since July and even more throughout the process of appointing Matthew as our new coach,” said Warriors chief Wayne Scurrah. 

“It’s enabled us to benchmark ourselves against best-practice models in Australia.”