NRL: Former Warrior Jerome Ropati in coaching reshuffle

Former Warrior Jerome Ropati has joined the club's coaching staff for the 2018 season.

Former Warrior Jerome Ropati will take up an assistant's role alongside new Under 20s head coach Ricky Henry.

Ropati will serve as a full-time assistant coach to Henry, the 2017 Warriors reserve grade coach who takes over at the helm of the Under 20s side.

The changes are part of the Warriors revamped coaching structure that also sees former recruitment manager Tony Iro pick up the reins of the reserve grade team.

Iro's shift sees him relieved of his duties as the club's recruitment and development manager to take up a full-time post in charge of the Intrust Super Premiership side.

Henry and Ropati will also be helped by 2017 NYC head coach Grant Pocklington, while John Teina will remain working as a reserve grade assistant coach alongside Iro.

"Tony Iro has an exceptional talent for coaching and carries some great attributes for that reserve grade role," said Warriors CEO Cameron George.

"He's got great experience and he's full-time so not only can he coach ISP he can oversee the development process of young kids and also assist Stephen Kearney with any of the NRL requirements.

"So it gives us more service on a day-to-day basis than having part-time coaches so close to the NRL. That enables us to have part-time and full-time people through the whole system but we've got stability and continuity, good experience from juniors up, and we're very happy and very confident that that structure is very solid and very well credentialed.

"Having Tony on board with the ISP side and Ricky there with the Under 20s has really upped the ante with our coaching pathways."

George says the club's extensive post-season reviews revealed the need to bolster their coaching staff and overhaul their once brimming junior development.

After guiding the club's reserve grade side to within one game of the Intrust Super Premiership grand final, Henry has been tasked with improving the Under 20s after the club's youngsters finished the NYC season at the bottom of the ladder.

Henry - who also juggles another career outside of football - still has aspirations to coach at a higher level but is content to slot in and help resurrect the Under 20s.

"Where the club sits right now, the results of the club to date, and what I wanted in there, that was a very good opportunity for the club to have someone of Ricky's calibre with these kids and to be aided by Jerome and Grant," said George.

"There's still significant opportunities for Ricky to be a part of the club in the future in the bigger picture, absolutely."

The changes have been confirmed on day one of the club's pre-season training, with Kearney overseeing the introduction of new Head of Performance, Alex Corvo, to a reduced group of players.

Renowned as one of the toughest trainers in the NRL, Corvo has been signed from the Brisbane Broncos after spending several years working as head trainer at the Melbourne Storm.

With a large number of Warriors players currently involved in the Rugby League World Cup, a small group of around 20 players - including new forward signing Leivaha Pulu and Nathaniel Roache - began the hard slog. Others not involved in the World Cup are due back next week.

With the coaching restructure confirmed, the club will now turn their attention to finding a new recruitment manager and an experienced campaigner to fill the newly established role of Head of Football.

Interviews are expected to be conducted over the next month with former Warrior Motu Tony understood to be among the contenders for the Head of Football role.