Warriors owner gives full backing to McFadden

  • 17/03/2016
Andrew McFadden (Photosport file)
Andrew McFadden (Photosport file)

By Chris Forster

Andrew McFadden will be the Warriors head coach for the rest of the NRL season according to club owner and chairman Eric Watson.

Watson is backing McFadden to lift the club out of a 10-match losing streak dating back to July last year.

Warriors owner gives full backing to McFadden

 

Eric Watson with Andrew McFadden and chief executive Jim Doyle

That includes the two opening games of the season against the Tigers in West Sydney and the Broncos in Brisbane this year.

"He's not going anywhere," Watson told Trackside Radio.

"He's got the capability and ability to be a great coach.

"It's early days in his career. We've invested a lot into the coaching team - into Andrew…he's got a good team around him."

Critics on both sides of the ditch claim McFadden is on thin ice unless he can lift the club out of the slump with the two big off-season signings Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

But Watson is the man who makes the calls at executive and board level.

"Everyone loves, in the Aussie media in particular, stories about sackings," Watson said.

"He needs some time. It's two games in there's a long way to go.

"He's got my full support. We have to be patient."

Watson is also cutting off talk about the return of former coach Ivan Cleary or rumours about hiring Geoff Toovey who's been without a job after getting the boot from Manly last year.

"There's a lot of people who would like to coach the Warriors," Watson said.

"We have the one there now who's most capable of taking us through to finals football."

Watson is also picking the Warriors to get on the board for 2016 and beat the Melbourne Storm at Mount Smart on Sunday afternoon.

Canberra-born McFadden was hired by Matthew Elliott as an assistant coach ahead of the 2013 season and took over the head coaching duties when Elliott was show the door in May of 2014.

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