7 former Super League stars you had no idea were coaching Down Under
From left to right: Terry Campese (Hull KR), Ben Barba (St Helens) and Sam Williams (Wakefield Trinity)
Super League players of yesteryear are often remembered as just that, but plenty of them remain in the game beyond the day they hang their boots up: and we don’t even know about it.
You may have assumed some of these had retired for good or quietly faded into the distance, but here are seven former Super League stars you had no idea were coaching…
Roy Asotasi – Balmain Tigers (SG Ball)
Veteran Samoa and New Zealand international Asotasi played more than 200 NRL games before rounding off his career in Super League, donning a shirt 59 times for Warrington between 2014 and 2015.
Ahead of 2026, he has been appointed as the head coach of Balmain Tigers’ under-19s, who compete in the SG Ball Cup. His new side forms part of Wests Tigers’ development pathway.
Ben Barba – Souths Sharks
2018 Man of Steel Barba enjoyed an unforgettable stint in Super League with St Helens, representing them on 34 occasions across all competitions and averaging a try a game in the process.
He spent 2025 donning a shirt as a player for Souths Sharks in Mackay’s NQBE A-Grade competition, and having hung up his boots on the back of a title-winning campaign, has now taken over as their head coach.
Terry Campese – Townsville Blackhawks
Kangaroos and Italy international Campese featured in Super League for Hull KR between 2015 and 2016, joining the Robins on the back of a decade-long NRL career spent entirely with Canberra Raiders.
He has been in charge of Queensland Cup outfit Townsville Blackhawks since the start of the 2024 campaign, and recently saw the news that he’d remain in situ for 2026 confirmed.
Todd Carney – Gold Coast Titans (Pathway)
Controversial former NRL and Super League bad boy Carney represented Catalans, Salford and Hull KR in the British game between 2015 and 2018 as he brought the curtain down on his playing career.
The Kangaroos and New South Wales representative was handed a part-time role by the Titans on a consultancy basis for 2025, and 12 months on, the NRL outfit have moved to offer him a permanent deal.
He is now a Specialist Coach, with his role expanding to see him guide the club’s youngsters in their development both on and off the field.
Tyrone McCarthy – Western Suburbs Magpies
Warrington-born Ireland international McCarthy spent the bulk of his playing career in the UK, and racked up well over 100 appearances at Super League level.
He has held numerous coaching roles Down Under since retiring back in 2021, and ahead of the 2026 campaign has landed the head coach role at New South Wales Cup outfit Western Suburbs Magpies.
The Magpies are the feeder side for NRL outfit Wests Tigers, so he and Asotasi now work for the same club at different levels of the pathway.
Adam Quinlan – Queanbeyan Roos
Former St Helens and Hull KR man Quinlan featured 50 times in Super League during a playing career which also saw him amass 29 NRL appearances across two stints with St George Illawarra Dragons.
Ahead of the 2026 campaign, he has taken on the role of head coach at Queanbeyan Roos, who compete in the Canberra Raiders Cup.
Sam Williams – Northern Pride
Quinlan’s appointment leads nicely onto our last little profile in the shape of ex-Catalans and Wakefield half-back Williams, who had been captain-coach of Queanbeyan Roos until the end of last season.
At the end of 2025, he landed the job as head coach of Queensland Cup outfit Northern Pride for 2026, so Quinlan was his replacement.
Boasting three stints at Canberra Raiders on his CV along with one at St George, Williams made a total of 107 NRL appearances during his playing career as well as 34 in Super League between Trinity and the Dragons.
Williams’ contract with the Pride runs for two years, with his side acting as a feeder for NRL club North Queensland Cowboys