'Asset to anyone' Simon Grix makes Lee Briers assessment amid Hull FC head coach search

Simon Grix believes Hull FC could do much worse than appoint Lee Briers as their next head coach. The Black and Whites are still in search of a permanent coach after missing out on Paul Rowley earlier this week.

Briers, meanwhile, has declared his interest in becoming a head coach. He is currently an assistant at NRL outfit Brisbane Broncos but has expressed a desire to step up to the top job, whether in Super League or the Australian competition.

And while Hull's next point of call is currently unknown, Grix, who played with Briers at Warrington Wolves, says the former half-back would be an 'asset' to anyone.

"He’s been in some great environments, especially in his latest role at Brisbane," Grix explained. "They had a really successful year, and he's been in and around some good players and a good coaching staff.

"He will have added tenfold to that. He did a great job at Warrington for a period of time, then moved on and had immediate success at Wigan with Matty Peet, and he's been part of a Grand Final appearing side last season with Brisbane.

"He’s got a wealth of experience. He was the best player I ever played with in terms of his understanding of the game and knowing what was going on. He must be showing that ability; otherwise, he wouldn't be where he is. He's an asset to anyone.

"Whether he ends up here or not, I have no idea. That's for someone else to talk about, but they'd be worse blokes than Briersy, I reckon. I imagine he'll be pretty happy over there, but he's English, and England will always be home to him, so there will always be a drawback to here in some way shape or form. Whether that's Hull, I don't know, but again, time will reveal all."

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Hiring a new head coach has fallen to the club's new Director of Rugby, Richie Myler, who is making such an appointment his highest priority. Already bringing in three new players this week with the permanent capture of Tom Briscoe and the loan acquisitions of Ed Chamberlain and Yusuf Aydin, Myler has been proactive, with Grix, who is a candidate for the head coach role himself, laying out his early impressions.

"He's come in and looked at everything," Grix added. "He's gathering a lot of information. He will be the first to tell you that he doesn't know it all. He hasn't had the years in the bank doing that job, but he’s eager to learn, and he's open about not knowing it all as well, which is the best bit. If you come in and carry on like you were Billy Beane in baseball, you'd be going, 'Hang on a minute,' but he's doing alright, Richie.

"He's enthusiastic. He's been in and around. He has a presence with the boys. They're getting to know him, and that's obviously really important to have that personal relationship. He's here to do a job, and he knows how it should look. We all have that picture, lifting a trophy at the end of it, and it's all that work in between that we need to work out."

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