Lee Briers’ England return confirmed as he discusses ‘tough decision’ to leave Brisbane Broncos

Brisbane Broncos have confirmed highly-rated assistant coach Lee Briers will head back home to England at the end of the season.

The 46-year-old has earned plenty of plaudits Down Under since arriving in Brisbane ahead of the 2023 campaign, helping guide the Broncos to the NRL Grand Final alongside head coach Kevin Walters last year, with his role being focused on their attack and player development.

It was reported by Rugby League Live earlier this month that Briers had held talks with St Helens about a potential return to his hometown club for next year to work alongside head coach Paul Wellens, although nothing has yet been confirmed by the club.

Briers, who made more than 400 appearances for Warrington Wolves and won 20 caps for Wales during a stellar playing career, became an assistant coach at Warrington after hanging up his boots and even spent time as an assistant to Matt Peet at Wigan before heading to Brisbane.

On leaving the Broncos, Briers said: “It’s been a really tough decision to head back home but firstly I want to thank Kev and the Broncos for giving me this opportunity – it’s not often that you get an English coach coming over and plying his trade in the NRL, so massive thanks to Kev and (CEO) Dave (Donaghy) and the club for taking a chance on me.

“I’m sad to be going but our family had to deal with some loss last year and the time is right now to go back home – we still have our daughter living in the UK and we do miss her, so the time is right to go back.

“We are forever grateful and we’ll look back on these two years as one of the best experiences of our lives.

“It’s been a joy to watch everybody grow at the club and this is really just the start of a very long and successful time for the Broncos – everyone is connected and pushing in the same direction – and I’m really looking forward to the next few months of football and finishing on a high with this team.

“The run to the Grand Final last year was an obvious highlight so far but for me personally the big thing has been the way the players and coaching staff and the people at the club have received me – l’ve made a lot of life-long friends.

“When you’ve been involved in sport as long as I have, it’s not so much about the winning and the losing but about the memories and the friendships that you make, and I can certainly say with my hand on my heart that I’ve made some absolute friends for life here at the Broncos.

“The difference from Australia to the UK in rugby league is that here the game is on a global scale, so the pressure that comes with that is much higher and you’ve got to keep the players grounded. Kev’s got a really good angle on that with his man management, and that aspect stands out as the thing l’ve learnt a lot about that while l’ve been here at the club.”

TRANSFER NEWS ON LRL

👉 Two Super League clubs named in bidding war for Canberra Raiders’ Jordan Rapana
👉 Wakefield Trinity pursuit of Hull FC’s Jake Trueman explained including Lachlan Lam factor
👉 Leigh Leopards coach makes Lachlan Lam admission and addresses transfer speculation

Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters pays tribute to departing Lee Briers

Brisbane head coach Kevin Walters paid tribute to the departing Briers, saying he and his family will ‘always’ be welcomed back at Suncorp Stadium.

“We brought Lee here to the club because he has a great football brain and he knows what it takes to be part of a winning team,” Walters said.

“He has bought into what we are building here at the Broncos and played a really important role as a leader and mentor over the past few seasons.

“Lee and his family have also taken the opportunity to experience the Queensland lifestyle and enjoy what our state has to offer – he has a great attitude and is always fun to be around, with a list of good stories as long as your arm.

“We are looking forward to some more success with Lee over the next few months before he departs, and he will always be welcomed back here at the Broncos.”

READ NEXT: Analysing how St Helens will use Tristan Sailor with tactical insight, stats breakdown