After stepping away from Whitehaven because of the demands of work and travel, Anthony Murray had no intention of becoming a head coach again so quickly – until Swinton Lions came calling.

IT’S BEEN a whirlwind few months for Anthony Murray.

Having resigned as head coach of Whitehaven in early March, Murray joined Swinton Lions as an assistant coach to Paul Wood, but just weeks later found himself in charge and guided the club to their first win of the season against Midlands Hurricanes.

His decision to leave Haven did come as a surprise to many, with the former Leigh and Barrow hooker only signing a three-year deal in October 2024, but a promotion in his working life and the long commute to Cumbria made the position untenable.

“I was really struggling with the commute,” Murray told Rugby League World.

“I had done two years at Workington and then I was 15 months into my three-year deal at Whitehaven.

“My position changed in my working life. I was moved up tp operations manager so there was more accountability at work which, with travelling on top of that, was too much.

“I was doing around 960 miles a week and I couldn’t sustain it. I absolutely loved it at Whitehaven, though.

“When I took over there, I had one player on the books. I left the club with a 24-man squad with at least 20 of those being Cumbrian-based.

“I really enjoyed my time there.

“I’d done 14 years as a head coach in the Championship and League One, and I wanted to keep my hand in the game with something a bit closer to home.

“Paul Wood then offered me an opportunity to assist him at Swinton and then, when he decided to resign and I was asked to take over, I accepted it.”

It was a decision that took the 48-year-old by surprise, but which worked wonders for the club, with the Lions picking up their first competition point of the season with a draw against Keighley Cougars in just Murray’s second game in charge. That was followed by convincing wins over Midlands and Murray’s former club Whitehaven.

“It did take me by surprise a little bit because I didn’t come here with the intention of being the head coach,” added Murray, who enjoyed being around former Challenge Cup winner Wood, even if it was only for less than a month.

“But, for his own reasons, Paul decided to step down and I was asked if I would take over.

“I said: ‘Why not?’ Swinton are a big club and it was a chance to coach again at this level.

“Paul is a great bloke, a good coach and a good person. I really enjoyed my time working with him.

“He gave me some really good insights into when he was a player as well.

“We had conversations about his experiences with different coaches and he was really interesting to listen to.

“It’s really intriguing to learn about people’s different philosophies around coaching.”

Murray’s first couple of months in charge have been somewhat of a challenge, but he has started to make his mark on the squad by bringing in players such as Patrick Ah Van, with whom he has a history, in order to enhance the development of the youthful Swinton squad.

“I have really enjoyed my time so far at the Lions,” Murray continued.

“I took over in difficult circumstances. We had a really tough start to the season with how league and cup fixtures ended up.

“We had a really difficult opening but in the games against Salford [a 10-20 defeat in Murray’s first game], Keighley and Midlands, we have seen some real improvement.

“It was really good to get the win against a Midlands side that is riding high. And it highlighted the capability within the squad that when we work on some areas that we need to be better in, it pays off.

“We managed to be more than competitive against Midlands and get a good result.

“So I would say things are going okay at the moment. We are training well and I’ve brought in a few additions with experience such as Josh Eaves and Patrick Ah Van.

“I’ve also brought in Jordy Gibson who I know well from my time at North Wales Crusaders, just like Patrick (Ah Van).

“I just thought it was vital to bring in some experience to add to the young team that we have got and that experience has been really valuable over the past few weeks.”

So what does Murray believe the Lions can go on to achieve this year?

“It’s just about taking each game as it comes and keep improving and being as competitive as we can be.

“We need to make sure that when we do play teams that are in and around us at League One level that we get points from those games.

“And then when we play teams that were in the Championship before, we need to make sure we can work on some improvements on past games that we have played against them.

“It’s about us working hard as a group and keeping improving each week. We want to put a team out there that gives their all each week.”

Of course, Murray is head coach of Swinton, who were a League One side in 2025 and who were elevated into a merged Championship competition for 2026.

On the topic of the merger, Murray is uncertain about whether it will be a positive for rugby league in the northern hemisphere.

“I’m still sort of undecided about it all, in all honesty,” the 48-year-old confessed.

“What is good is that you are getting regular fixtures each week which is a massive plus compared to the issues in League One.

“Your fixtures are regular and you get consistency around playing each week.

“There are obviously some clubs that have been struggling financially which no one wants to see either.

“The majority of clubs are struggling financially so I think it’s important clubs don’t put themselves at risk.

“Whichever club we talk about, they have to be sustainable and stay within their budget.

“What has been quite interesting for me is that a lot of teams seem to be loaning different players each week on one-week loans.

“That needs to be looked at and we need to assess how much of that we allow to continue. I’ve had to use it myself once or twice when I’ve had injuries.

“But I do personally try and keep selection within my squad rather than bringing loans in each week.

“I do understand why some clubs do it as well in terms of finances and squad depth.

“There is quite a lot to pick over and we need to get the right outcome for everyone.”

One item of interest has been the potential development in 2027 of Championship clubs being affiliated with Super League teams.

Much like the ‘feeder’ system in the NRL with a highly competitive reserves grade, plans have been tabled for something similar to that in the northern hemisphere from next season.

And Murray would be a fan of such a system.

“I’m definitely a fan of it. I think what I’d be in favour of is when a club has an affiliation with one particular club.

“We used to have dual-registration so we would have a partner club and I’ve done it myself in the past with North Wales Crusaders.

“We had dual-registration agreements with Widnes Vikings, Salford Red Devils and Warrington Wolves.

“I think it can really help because when I was at North Wales, we didn’t have anywhere to train.

“The agreement not only gave me players but it gave me facilities. It gave me a gym, a wrestle area and a field to train on and I could utilise players from those three clubs when they needed game time.

“I think it does work a lot better that way when they have an affiliation and players go back and forth with one club.

“You get consistency from one player coming into your team as well because they feel part of the club they continue to go on loan to.

“I’m definitely in favour of such a system.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 521 (June 2026)