Former Wests Tigers outside back Joel Caine doesn’t believe Tim Sheens is the right option to take over at Concord.
While Sheens led the Tigers to the NRL premiership in 2005, Caine believes things have moved in a different direction since he last headed the club as coach in 2012.
Caine instead believes the Tigers need to follow Brisbane’s blueprint by keeping Sheens in an overarching role with a club legend coaching the side underneath him.
“Him coming back to the club is one of the best things that’s happened to us, but not to be the coach,” Caine SEN 1170 The Run Home.
“The game moves so fast, so who’s going to be the coach then?
“I’ve been thinking about this, I thought about the likes of (Anthony) Siebold, (Shane) Flanagan and all of those names.
“But I believe the Wests Tigers are now like the Broncos, there’s too many big personalities in and around the club and if they don’t like what they’re seeing it’s getting to the media and blowing up the joint.
“What the Broncos did with getting ‘Kevvie’ (Kevin Walters) there and the likes of Ben Ikin – which Sheens can be the Tigers’ version of – no one’s potting them anymore, and we’re starting to see the benefits of it. The club has been left alone.”
With an ex-Tiger the man for the role, Caine ruled out two options that would’ve been near the top of his list if they were available.
“So, then you say, it has to be an ex-Tiger,” Caine said.
“I immediately think you do everything you can to get Todd Payten, but I don’t know if you can do that.
“Then I think, ‘Ok, what about Brett Hodgson who’s coaching overseas?’, but he’s got family in France, and I’d be surprised if he left Europe away from his family and kids to come back.”
With Payten and Hodgson likely out of the question, Caine floated the left-field idea of going with current Penrith staffer and former Tigers back Shane Elford, despite the 44-year-old having no coaching experience.
“So, I’ve got a jewel in the rough,” Caine said.
“Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson both came through initially with no high ambitions to coach but came in as high-performance managers.
“That’s their schtick, ‘Robbo’ was offered to go and be the high-performance manager at the Western Force before taking a coaching job in France.
“So, who I’ve got, with Sheens mentoring him, this bloke has a high IQ, he’s very presentable, very likable and very, very sharp – Shane Elford I’m looking at you.”
With Elford as Caine’s choice for coach and Sheens overlooking him, Caine believes fellow ex-Tigers Benji Marshall and Ben Galea should be hired as assistants.
“Shane Elford, who’s got the osmosis of being in and around the Penrith Panthers. He’s got the Panthers in as good a shape as we’ve ever seen any team,” Caine said.
“You get Sheens overlooking him, you get Benji (Marshall) helping out with attack and Ben Galea would be the guy I’d go for in defence.”
While Sheens isn’t Caine’s preference, reports suggest the 71-year-old has already agreed to terms to take over at Concord on a two-year deal.