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'It's not Stephen Kearney's fault - Warriors CEO sticks up for under fire coach

August 20, 2019
Stephen Kearney, coach of the NZ Warriors, Rabbitohs v Vodafone Warriors, NRL rugby league premiership. Optus Stadium, Perth, Western Australia. 10 March 2018. Copyright Image: Daniel Carson / www.photosport.nz

Warriors CEO Cameron George has gone in to bat for embattled coach Stephen Kearney, with the club all but certain to miss out on the NRL finals after their most recent loss to the Sydney Roosters last weekend.

Having last year steered the Warriors to their first finals appearance since 2011, Kearney's side have come crashing back down this year, sitting at 12th on the ladder and three points outside of the top eight with three rounds left in the regular season.

What's more, Kearney's side have been on the receiving end of 12 defeats this year, their points differential at -98.

Speaking to Radio Sport today though, George made it clear that the club are firmly behind Kearney, instead choosing to lay the blame of a poor season on under-performing players.

"It's not Stephen Kearney's fault, I can assure you. Some players have got to step up and perform better," George said.

"The coach's job is to prepare… once they cross that line it becomes the players' responsibility.

"Injuries, a bit of luck and a lack of effort in certain areas at different times have come back to haunt us…we've got to fix that."

Earlier this year, Kearney put pen to paper on a new deal  with the Warriors, under contract through to the end of 2022.

The Warriors next face the Cronulla Sharks this Saturday night NZT, with a defeat all but sealing their fate for the 2019 season.

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