Super League coaching trio in line for shock Australia appointment for Ashes

Three leading Super League coaches have been touted as possible Australia assistant coaches to Kevin Walters for this year’s Ashes.

Walters is in the process of hiring his coaching and support staff for this year’s three-match series in England, but his first move has already been rejected by the NRL, with plans to bring Gorden Tallis into the camp thrown out.

Walters wanted to bring in the Brisbane Broncos legend as a cultural figurehead to help educate the Kangaroos players on what it means to represent their country.

However, those plans have been rejected by the NRL and now, Walters’ own preferences for assistant coaches are also in some jeopardy.

According to reports in Australia from the Sydney Morning Herald, he had been looking at the likes of Trent Barrett, Ben Te’o and even former St Helens coach Justin Holbrook as possible assistants.

But that trio are already affiliated to NRL clubs, with Barrett and Te’o at the Broncos and Holbrook with the Roosters.

That could open the door for Walters to work with a top Australian Super League coach – with three names in particular mooted.

Hull KR coach Willie Peters, Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur and Leigh Leopards’ Adrian Lam are all being touted as possible appointments for the series, which would be logistically wise as none would need to travel and could remain in England.

Lam was a long-time assistant of Mal Meninga during his time in charge of the Kangaroos, but it remains to be seen whether he would be interested in working with Walters.

A move to appoint either Arthur or Peters would also represent a major piece of news for Super League, with one of its leading coaches drafted into the world champions’ set-up.

The series begins in October, with Walters taking charge of the Kangaroos for the first time after being confirmed as Meninga’s successor.

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