HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS’ process to pick Luke Robinson’s successor as coach is gathering pace.
And while ‘director for change’ Ralph Rimmer acknowledges that successive Super League wins, at Wigan Warriors then at home to York Knights, have made the immediate outlook rosier, he says cementing an appointment sooner rather than later is the aim as the club look to long-term development on and off the pitch.
Huddersfield want that appointment to be for a significant period as they drive forward plans to both reach the Grand Final and be in a new stadium by 2030.
Rimmer, a former chief executive of both the Giants and the Rugby Football League who was brought back onto the board by owner-chairman Ken Davy in December after conducting a three-month review of the club’s operations, is part of the group sifting through applications.
Liam Finn, who was Robinson’s assistant and has been looking after the team alongside director of rugby Andy Kelly, will come into consideration, having played his part in lifting Huddersfield, who were bottom of the 14-team table after losing all five of their opening league games under Robinson, to eleventh.
Having been knocked out of the Challenge Cup, the quarter-finals of which are looming, the Giants are next in action on Friday, April 17 against Leeds Rhinos at the Accu Stadium, which they will leave at the end of this season to play at an alternative venue, most likely, according to Rimmer, The Shay in Halifax, until the proposed new ground becomes a reality.
Whether the coaching appointment is made by the time Leeds visit depends on the successful applicant.
“We don’t want to wait too long, but it’s hard to set out a timescale,” explained Rimmer. “If it’s someone from around the corner, things are probably going to be in place quicker than if it’s someone from overseas.
“What’s crucial is that we make the right decision for the club as we move forward, because we have genuine ambitions in many areas, and a lot of work is being done behind the scenes on realising those objectives and goals.
“We need a coach who embraces those ambitions, can meet them, and is committed to staying the course, because stability is important.”