Adam O’Brien has confirmed that he will leave the Knights at the end of this season after a termination settlement was agreed with the club.
The Newcastle coach fronted the media on Thursday morning to explain why he had decided on a dignified exit as pressure mounted over his position.
He said the speculation around his role had become too much of a “distraction” for his players and would have remained so early on next season unless the Knights got off to a hot start.
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“I’m good. It’s made easier because both parties agree it’s the right time,” O’Brien said.
“All coaches reflect on their seasons at the back end of the year and you start by reflecting, ‘Am I the right man to get the best out of my squad?”
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien looks on before the start of the round 24 match against the Cowboys. Getty
O’Brien said it had only been recently that he had started to think the answer to that question might be ‘no’, with his team’s recent thumping at the hands of fellow strugglers the Cowboys putting him in a particularly reflective mood.
He said at that point he realised he was “running out of speeches” to keep the squad motivated and “energised”.
The 38-4 loss to North Queensland occurred three weeks after the stuffing was knocked out of Newcastle’s season by a heartbreaking 20-15 loss to the Warriors, a result which was snatched from them on the full-time buzzer.
O’Brien said that loss had been a gut punch that had taken some of the spirit from the Knights playing group, which he said hadn’t been the same since.
The Warriors game was the third in an unbroken sequence of seven straight losses, resulting in O’Brien’s decision to approach Knights management with a proposal to end his time at the club despite having two years still to run on his contract.
“I approached the club,” he confirmed. “I think they understood once I explained and they were probably in agreeance.”
While agreeing that it had been hard to come to terms with the looming separation from a club that he loves, O’Brien said he would be “very present” for the next two weeks and aim to finish on a high note with away wins against the Sharks and Eels.
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He will then push the reset button, spend some much needed time with his family and figure out what’s next for his coaching career. While he was sure jobs would be presented to him, O’Brien said “I don’t want to be the lead singer for a while”, hinting that he’d be seeking an assistant coaching role.
O’Brien finished the press conference by reiterating his regret that he offended Knights fans earlier in the season when he hit out in a post-game press conference after his side was booed by some sections of the crowd.
The coach walked back his criticism in the days that followed and reflected on it again in Thursday’s press conference, paying tribute to the “supporters, not fans” who he said had been incredible for his whole family throughout his stint at the club.
O’Brien encouraged his successor, who is yet to be appointed, to embrace the community of Newcastle and to feel the love in return.
Current Knights assistant coach Blake Green is reportedly the frontrunner to take over from O’Brien next season and beyond, with former Titans coach and current Roosters assistant Justin Holbrook also said to be in the mix.
While that process will play out in the weeks that follow, Newcastle’s favourite son Andrew Johns said the club needed to focus on fixing its pathways to become a force again.
“The problem is not with the coaching,” Johns told Nine’s Freddy and The Eighth on Wednesday.
“The problem is, which I have been quite vocal about, the junior system and pathways. They can’t attract marquee players up there, so they have to build from within.
“I actually met with Chris [James, Knights GM of football operations] and (new CEO) Peter Parr about a month ago. They went through the junior system and what they’re implementing there.
“It all looks really good, but you can have the best boat in the world – you’ve got to have the best captain steering the ship.”