Rugby League: Freeman granted his coaching dream team

The New Zealand Rugby League has accepted new Kiwi coach Gary Freeman's calls regarding team support personnel, with Canterbury Bulls coach Gerard Stokes and former team-mate Jarrod McCracken joining the side.

Stokes' Bulls won the inaugural Bartercard Cup national competition, he took the NZ Residents on tour to Sydney last year, and he apparently ran Freeman hard in the coaching selection process for the top job.

McCracken joins after being on the three-man panel that appointed Freeman.

Also aboard are Sydney fitness trainer George Yiasemides, who assisted Freeman with the New South Wales academy side last season, and Sydney-resident Kiwi John Hutchinson, who works for Parramatta.

Andre Richenbach, who worked with Freeman and the NZ under-16s, is the new physio.

The NZRL decided they wanted the new guy to have confidence in his back-up staff and to know he had their full support.

"The board virtually signed on everyone Gary wanted after checking them out," NZRL chief executive Barry McAlister said. "Gary had presented his reasons for wanting each person involved. They accepted them."

Out go Frank Endacott's manager, Gary Cooksley, and the medical team.

Staying is long-term Lion Breweries-appointed team assistant Gordon Gibbons, who is still paid by the brewery in his new job as football manager at the Warriors. He will be team manager and assistant to the team business manager, Auckland racehorse owner and businessman Gerard Peterson.

Their first job is a test against France in Auckland on June 10. The venue is unconfirmed but expected to be Ericsson Stadium.

They then meet Australia on July 13. McAlister was in Wellington yesterday checking financial details of Wellington league's plans to host the game. If a 35,500 sellout crowd cannot be virtually guaranteed, the match will likely move to Auckland, too, though no one would say as much yesterday.

The decision is expected late this week.

The chairmanship of the league will be announced on Saturday. The Canterbury and Bay of Plenty districts have been cleared to cast votes for Gerald Ryan's successor. The Northland and Hawkes Bay leagues remain under review.

Wellington board member Bernie Wood has pulled out of the race, leaving Auckland's Selwyn Pearson as the clear favourite.

The board has placed the Aotearoa Maori league under review after it failed to file financial accounts for the second year running.