Warriors boss Jim Doyle is being touted as a leading candidate to take over as head of the NRL.

Raelene Castle, the former New Zealand netball chief who is in charge at the Canterbury Bulldogs, is also being headlined as a top candidate.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the NRL is interviewing 10 Australia-based external candidates and has targeted up to six people from within rugby league, as it sets about finding the successor to David Smith.

The SMH claimed that Doyle "has the backing of the clubs as well as experience at Rugby League Central".

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Doyle was Smith's chief assistant at the NRL, having previously headed the New Zealand Rugby League. But he has only been in charge of the Warriors for a season and is not even close to turning the club into the powerhouse it should be, or realising his dream of overseeing a league revolution in New Zealand. And Castle - just the second NRL club chief executive - has only been at the Bulldogs since mid-2013.