I honestly don't know but haven't been overly impressed with what I have seen, I think this season will tell us al we need to know.

I watched a POD a few months ago where Sam Tomkins stated that he thought Tommy could be a head coach already even before it was known that Briers was going. He couldn't have praised him any higher therefore, on the assumption that ST knows what he is talking about I am quite excited that Tommy has joined the coaching team.

Player of the year Cooper
Breakthrough player Byrne. Would be more than happy if Ellis or Mago got this accolade if Byrne doesn't "kick on".
Fans scapegoat - i don't entirely understand why Powell gets so much incessant stick. He is obviously well respected by his team mates and his coaches. I would like him to develop his kicking game and his general attacking threat because as an ex halfback I assume that he has these qualities but doesn't show them as often as I would like. Maybe with Tommy in the coaching setup we may see a more expansive game from Powell in 2023. I'd love him to be player of the year in 2023.

Good shout on Byrne.

I actually felt last year was his breakthrough season, however I do expect him to really kick on again in 23 and be pushing to be recognised with an England call up in time for the World Cup in France.

I think it’s a funny time to come in to the coaching squad as our attack last year was great and mainly put down to briers. Tommy is solid and I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence he got the assistant NZ job. He’ll need to make sure we keep performing and hopefully he can bring that extra for us to push to the final

I think Byrne is progressing quite nicely but I'm quite hopeful that there is still room for improvement.
Havard tends to get most of the plaudits,which on the whole I generally agree with however, Byrne really is a big lad and I'm hoping that 2023 is when he really delivers.
He's got the "quiet enforcer" about him which in today's climate is probably what is required to keep down any potential disciplinary issues.

After hearing Sam Tomkins I'm quite hopeful that Tommy will ease into the coaching setup without any major issues at all.
He seems to be very knowledgeable about the game and over his career has played for great coaches and has played with some really top class players.
I've got a feeling that he may become our "secret weapon" this year.Will be interesting to see how Smith develops and if Powell changes his style of play.

Be interesting to see if Gleeson ends up back in RL. He was very well thought of at Salford (who played some great rugby at the time) and that rep got him his gig in RU. Now he's not part of the England RU set-up, there's a potentially very good backs coach available.

I think he did some work with us last year. He would be a good addition for anyone. A shame we can’t get him in. Salfords attack looked great at the time he was there and he was an amazing player.

I’m looking forward to see what Duffy has to offer both in the reserves and 1st team has a lot of experience.

That isn't necessarily how it works though.

If you applied similar logic, Matty Peet only ever played at St Pats and has ended up coach of Wigan...

One addition on the staff I’ve not seen confirmed is Chris Barron (I think that’s his name and aka Bubble). He works with England and was at Wire. I noticed him in some of the pre season photos. That’s an interesting appointment after Briers going. Now I’m not saying Briers was just the club comedian/quiz master but I thought as much as we felt his coaching knowledge last year, we also benefitted from his personality and I think he really helped the team spirit.

The reason I make that point is that I’ve seen plenty of England training clips or behind the scenes stuff from Tours and Series here and Chris Barron seems to also bring that energy and the players seem to love him. He could really help soften the blow of Briers leaving in terms of keeping that team spirit going and making sure the place is an enjoyable environment.

Good spot - surprised we've brought in a new head of strength and conditioning without the club publicising it. Could be an important move if he does well - I'm sure many will remember the boost Mark Bitcon gave us in that area.