Tommy Makinson’s player/coach role Down Under revealed following Super League departure
Tommy Makinson in action for Catalans Dragons in 2026
Five-time Super League champion Tommy Makinson has moved Down Under to join amateur side Coffs Harbour Comets in a player/coach role following his retirement from professional rugby league.
St Helens legend Makinson rounded off his professional career with a two-year stint in France, donning a shirt for Catalans Dragons.
He announced his retirement shortly before the end of the season just gone and after his final game against Wigan Warriors, revealed he would head to Australia ahead of 2027 to begin his post-playing career.
A month on, the 35-year-old’s destination Down Under has been confirmed: with Coffs Harbour announcing his arrival as a player/coach on a two-year deal.
Tommy Makinson’s player/coach role Down Under revealed following Super League departure
Winger Makinson will now ply his trade in Group 2 of the New South Wales Rugby League competition, joining a Comets side which reached the semi-finals of the competition this year, being narrowly beaten 26-24 by Macksville Sea Eagles.
There is already a healthy contingent of British players within the Comets’ ranks, and Makinson now adds to that, with his appointment was announced by his new club via social media.
Posting the news on their Instagram account, @coffsharbourcometsrlfc, it was revealed he will partner with Macauley Dawson as captain-coaches.
Dawson had been in sole charge since taking the helm midway through the 2026 campaign, but will now get the support of one of the British game’s most decorated players in recent times.
2018 Golden Boot winner Makinson scored 13 tries and kicked 20 goals across 12 appearances for England, featuring in the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
That adds to 379 professional career appearances at club level, with 336 of those coming in a Saints shirt.
Born in Ince-in-Makerfield, the stalwart scored 231 tries at club level as well as kicking 290 goals, with a sole drop goal also on his record.
Accordingly, Makinson’s professional career points tally ended at 1,597, with 12 tries scored in 18 appearances across all competitions for French outfit in 2026 as he brought the curtain down.