Rugby League: NRL supercoach Wayne Bennett pours cold water on Warriors head coaching role

NRL supercoach Wayne Bennett has poured cold water on speculation he is interested in the head coaching job at the Warriors...and the Bulldogs and the Cowboys as well.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs coach told the Daily Telegraph it would be a 'straight no' if he was called to show interest in the Warriors role left vacant by Stephen Kearney who was fired on Saturday night.

"Someone may well have contacted the Warriors about me, who knows, but I can tell you right now that I have not spoken to anyone from New Zealand and I have no plans to," he told the Daily Telegraph.

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"The Steve Kearney decision came totally out of the blue, no-one in the game saw it coming. Even Steve didn't see it until they called him about it.

"Even if the Warriors approached me, it would be a straight 'No' anyway."

It was Bennett's Rabbitohs that effectively brought an end to Kearney's time at the Warriors following a 40-12 thrashing on Friday.

Bennett, who was an assistant coach to Kearney when the Kiwis won the 2008 World Cup, signed a three year deal with the Rabbitohs in 2018. He's been linked to not just the Warriors' job but also replacing Dean Pay at the Bulldogs and Paul Green at the Cowboys.

"I'm not going to New Zealand," Bennett told the Daily Telegraph.

"I have family commitments in Australia with my son Justin, how can I go overseas when I have to help look after him? I don't see Justin enough as it is.

"One minute it's the Warriors, then it's the Bulldogs, next I will be coaching at the Cowboys.

"It's crazy stuff ... I must be the busiest coach in the NRL."

Warriors assistant coach Todd Payten has replaced Kearney as interim head coach for now. Former Manly Sea Eagles coach Geoff Toovey has already put his hand up to replace Kearney.

Warriors CEO Cameron George said told Newstalk ZB on Sunday that a dozen people had already called him about the head coaching job.

"There's no way in this world I would have gone and spoken to another coach behind Stephen's back," he said.

"We have a very capable person in Todd Payten to step in as an interim until such time we undergo a process to see who is out there.

"Overnight I would have had a dozen people contact me around the role already.

"People wanting to put their hand up for the job isn't a problem. We just have to make sure we follow due process and take our time to find the best possible person for the role."