![NEW COACH: Bulldogs assistant coach and former Maitland Pickers mentor Ron Griffiths has been appointed as Kurri Kurri's senior coach for 2017. NEW COACH: Bulldogs assistant coach and former Maitland Pickers mentor Ron Griffiths has been appointed as Kurri Kurri's senior coach for 2017.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/33FVAk7YxZ786YcQSXi4WkS/b7d8be42-8bd8-4255-bfc4-e5ad61ef4b8a.jpg/r0_0_1200_677_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Kurri Kurri Bulldogs have appointed assistant senior coach Ron Griffiths as coach for 2017.
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Bulldogs secretary Jeff Polglase confirmed Griffiths had been selected from four applicants including current senior coach Phil Williams.
Polglase said the coaching selection committee had decided Griffiths, who coached the Maitland Pickers in 2012 after moving from the Bulldogs, was the best applicant to take the Kurri Kurri forward.
He said Williams, who has steered the Bulldogs to fifth place and a likely finals berth this year, would remain in the top job and Griffiths would serve as his assistant.
“Both Phil and Ron were very professional in the way they took the decision and how to proceed for the rest of this season,” he said.
“After discussions we felt that both men should stay in their current roles.”
Griffiths said his focus was firmly on fulfilling his role as assistant to Williams until the Bulldogs campaign was over.
“We are on the verge of playing in the finals and going as far as we can in our focus.”
Kurri Kurri appointed Williams before the 2013 finals to replace playing coach George Ndaira who took the team to the grand final, which they lost to Western Suburbs, after a barnstorming finish to the season.
In strikingly similar circumstances, the Bulldogs are on the cusp of the finals after a mid-season resurgence in which they won five straight games which included beating last year’s grand finalists Lakes United (twice) and Macquarie Scorpions.
Polglase said the selection panel had been impressed with the professionalism of all four applicants, with former Pickers and Scorpions coach Noel Dent and Souths reserve coach and former Central Newcastle coach David Van Buuran also shortlisted.
Griffiths was full of praise for the foundation Williams had established at the club.
“The big for me is that I’m lucky to come in at the stage I am, with the foundation that Phil has put in place over the past three years,” he said.
Griffiths said while there was a strong foundation he planned to be active on the recruiting front.
“There are some areas there that I think we need to strengthen,” he said.
“At the end of the day you always have to be active recruiting as players will retire, some will move on in search of bigger challenges and be promoted to a higher level.”
Griffiths said it would be an honour to coach the Bulldogs, with its proud tradition and success and it was very much his football home.
“I went away for four years and coached elsewhere and the opportunity came up to assist Phil this year and I jumped at it.
“The growth has been phenomenal and I think it is right on the precipice now of achieving something special in Newcastle Rugby League.”
“The club and supporters expect results. I’m pretty sure they have produced the most internationals of any country rugby league club. It’s a high standard they’ve set and it’s something they measure their teams and coaches by.
The club is steeped in tradition, but since their triple premiership they haven’t got back to where they should be.
“It’s the stuff off the park which I think will hold them in good stead to achieve those results. That and the foundation the the coaching staff have set.”