Paul Wood resigns as Swinton Lions head coach with replacement named
Paul Wood in action for Warrington Wolves during his playing career
Former Super League stalwart Paul Wood has resigned as head coach of Championship outfit Swinton, with assistant Anthony Murray stepping up to replace him, the Lions have confirmed.
Warrington Wolves icon Wood racked up 364 appearances over the course of a playing career which spanned from 2000 t0 2018, including almost 300 in Super League.
A two-time England international and a one-time Great Britain representative, seven of those appearances came in a Swinton shirt.
And ahead of the 2025 campaign, he returned to take charge as the Lions’ head coach, guiding them to a third-place finish in League 1.
But having been thrust into an expanded Championship on the back of that, Swinton are yet to win a league game in 2026, with Wood resigning on the back of last weekend’s 74-6 thumping at Doncaster.
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Paul Wood resigns as Swinton Lions head coach with Anthony Murray named as replacement
Swinton announced Wood’s departure on Monday afternoon, and within a few hours, had confirmed the news that assistant Murray would be the man to replace him in the hotseat.
Murray began the year in charge of fellow Championship outfit Whitehaven, but departed the Cumbrian club earlier this month with travel and increased responsibilities in his day job cited as the main factors.
Residing in Wigan, Murray quickly found himself in a new role as one of Swinton’s assistants. But within just a few weeks, he has now landed a promotion into the head coach role.
His first game in charge is a big one, too, as the Lions make the short trip to local rivals Salford on Easter Sunday for a first derby since 2008!
As Murray’s appointment was announced, he said: “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to coach Swinton – a club with 160 years of proud tradition representing the heart and passion of rugby league in the Greater Manchester area.
“I’m looking forward to building a team that reflects the core values of this club which have stood since 1866, and one that the players, staff and supporters can be proud of.”
