A rookie or an out-of-favour super-coach.

Those appear to be the options for the Warriors as the search for the next first-grade coach at Mt Smart Stadium nears its finale.

Former Kiwis international David Kidwell has emerged as the front-runner for the job.

It is understood the Storm assistant coach has had two interviews with the Warriors, and is in a prime position to take the coach role that has been vacant since the club sacked Brian McClennan in mid-August.

However, the effective sacking of Tigers boss Tim Sheens yesterday also presents the Auckland club with a late opportunity to nab the man with four premierships on his CV.

The duo seem the likely options for the Warriors, with long-touted targets Justin Morgan and Stephen Kearney withdrawing from the race in the past 24 hours.

The Warriors' search for a coach appeared to have been derailed this month after the apparent decision of Storm coach Craig Bellamy to reject the club's reported three-year A$4 million (NZ$5m) deal to move to Auckland.

Bellamy is understood to want to renew links with Melbourne after the season ends on Sunday, when his team takes on the Bulldogs in the NRL grand final.

Kidwell, who was installed as a A$2.50 favourite at Australian betting agency Betstar overnight, has been part of the successful Storm setup but has no top-level coaching experience.

The former Junior Kiwis boss was the coach of the Rabbitohs under-20s team in the 2010 Toyota Cup before taking up an assistant's post with the Storm early last year.

After days of rumours about the future of Sheens, Tigers club chairman Dave Trodden announced at a press conference in Sydney yesterday that the coach, who has been at the helm since 2003, would not coach the first-grade side next year.

Trodden said Sheens had not been sacked by the club, nor had he quit, but rather the coach had been offered a position in the Tigers front office - thought to be a director of football role.

The former coach, who won the 2005 NRL grand final with the Tigers, has yet to accept or decline the position.

Sheens is contracted to the Tigers until the end of 2014, making it difficult for the Sydney club to sack him.

The Warriors, who it is understood have been in contact with Sheens over the past week, may be on the verge of making a move on the super-coach, who is owed A$900,000 for the final two years of his Tigers contract.

It may, however, mean that Warriors co-owners Owen Glenn and Eric Watson would need to pay out some - if not all - of Sheens' remaining contract.

After the Tigers finished 10th in the 2012 NRL season, Sheen saw his stocks fall dramatically.

Morgan, the Raiders assistant coach, and Kiwis coach Kearney, who was sacked by the Parramatta Eels mid-season, have withdrawn their names from the running. Both had been in discussions with the Warriors.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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