HUNSLET team chief Kyle Trout says he wants to take a leaf out of Tony Smith’s coaching manual as he continues his bid to take the club forward after a difficult campaign.
Last season was a triumph, with Dean Muir, to whom Trout was an assistant, leading the way to an against-the-odds promotion through a lengthy play-off system after a fourth-place finish in League One.
But the transition has been tough, with Hunslet stuck at the bottom of the table and Muir departing in June, giving Trout the chance to step up after a short spell in interim charge with Michael Knowles, now his right-hand man.
The duo operate alongside Darren Higgins, the ex-Serbia national team coach who works as Rugby League development officer for the foundation of neighbouring club Leeds and became Hunslet’s director of rugby in January.
Former forward Trout, 37, who has a contract to 2026, is determined to repay the club’s faith and provide stability and an upturn in results.
And he is trying to distil lessons learned from a string of coaches into his own approach to the job, explaining: “I believe the best of them use psychological as well as traditional methods.
“I was lucky to play under some really good coaches, and I hit it off with Tony Smith at Hull KR. I want to be how Tony was with me; he tried to help me reach my potential as a person as well as a player.
“Obviously I want to create a successful team, and I can be quite direct sometimes, but hopefully in a constructive way.
“I also see the job as being the kind of mentor I think I probably needed when I was younger, someone to help players avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered.”
Trout, who has taken Hull FC hooker Will Hutchinson on loan, has seen positives in recent performances, and added: “I want us to make the most of the chance to challenge ourselves against good sides.”