Former Leeds coach lands new NRL role despite interest over England return

Former Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott has secured a new role in the NRL for 2026 after being appointed as an assistant coach to new Gold Coast Titans boss Josh Hannay.

McDermott has been working at Newcastle Knights for the last three years, and has earned rave reviews in coaching circles for the work he has done at the club.

However, there is a major coaching merry-go-round about to take place in the off-season this year Down Under. Justin Holbrook is firming up as the favourite to replace Adam O’Brien at the Knights, while the Titans are set to overhaul their whole backroom setup under Hannay, who has been appointed for 2026.

And Hannay has identified McDermott as a key appointment, with the former Leeds, London and Toronto coach set to be added to his staff at a time when he had been mooted as a possible coaching candidate for a role back home.

Love Rugby League understands that Bradford had sounded McDermott out about possible interest in their head coaching position after Brian Noble announced he would be stepping aside at the end of the season.

However, McDermott is keen to pursue his coaching career in Australia and the interest never materialised sufficiently to hold serious conversations about the role. Bradford are now in advanced discussions with other candidates about Noble’s successor ahead of their push to return to Super League in 2026.

As for McDermott, he will continue to build his CV in Australia after agreeing to join Hannay’s coaching staff at the Titans.

The likes of Jim Lenihan, who applied for the Castleford Tigers job, have left the club – while there are also big turnovers expected at places like the Dragons. One of their assistants was Ryan Carr, who will be the new man in the seat at the OneBore Stadium in 2026.

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