Smith not ruling out return

Tony Smith hasn’t ruled out making a return to rugby league, having bowed out of his job at Warrington over the weekend.

Smith has been critical of the state of the game since announcing his departure, following eight years at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

He has previously been in charge of England, Leeds and Huddersfield having ended his playing career in the UK with Workington.

The Australian was given a magnificent send-off at Warrington on Saturday following their win against Hull KR, their tenth successive win.

Asked if he will be back, he said: “I don’t know. I need to freshen up a bit. There’d have to be some changes. There’d have to be some changes in how it’s run, the structure of it and possibly even some of the rules in the way it’s played.

“It’s not just me that’s feeling that way. Some of the desire, some of the attractiveness of the way we play nowadays. There’s certainly a concern over the development to the methods in which the game’s played.

“There’s a safety first and wear them down type element. I wouldn’t say it’s the most attractive style of rugby league that I’ve ever seen.

“So there’d have to be a few things that had to change before I jump into anything. After a bit of a break and a bit further down the track, I might find the hunger back there and the desire, but there’s a few other things I’d probably like to pursue before that happens.”

Warrington are yet to announce Smith’s replacement, with Canberra assistant Dean Pay and outgoing Bradford coach Geoff Toovey amongst the favourites.

It is understood that former Wigan boss Michael Maguire, who recently left Souths, has already turned down an offer to take over at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.