New Warriors club-wide consultant Phil Gould has spoken about the importance of the Pacific Islands as he touched on his new role at the Auckland NRL club.
The Warriors confirmed Gould's appointment as a club-wide consultant on Saturday along with the announcement of new coach Nathan Brown on a three-year deal.
Gould revealed on Sunday to Australia's Channel Nine that the role came about after discussions with NRL commission chair Peter V'landys.
"I've been talking with Peter V'landys and I was approached by the New Zealand Rugby League and even the Auckland Rugby League over the last few months, because with Covid-19 it's given everyone a chance to reflect on the businesses and where they are at the moment," Gould said.
"Certainly from our perspective Pacific Islands international football is really important. So all those sort of conversations have been bubbling around, and I guess that's what's led to the Warriors ringing up and saying, 'Well look, we want to be included in all those conversations.'"
Gould said he was looking to unite the parties involved in rugby league in New Zealand.
"Hopefully we can bring everyone together over there and in the Pacific Islands as well and create something special for international football, which I think is very, very important for the future of our game.
"We need a strong New Zealand. We need a strong Warriors, but the Pacific Islands also presents a great opportunity."
Gould also said it “won’t be a problem” after one Twitter commenter suggested the various personalities involved in his new role at the Warriors would give him a headache.
Brown said on Saturday that he had a long-standing relationship with Gould, having been part of his staff in the NSW Origin side in the early 2000s, as well as having played against his teams throughout the 1990s.
“Gus’ roles are very different to mine. Mine is obviously the day-to-day running from the first team point-of-view and downwards,” Brown said.
“Gus is there to not only get the business to grow, but the junior pathways and get an academy set up there, which is real key.”
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