The Wests Tigers have made a significant step in their Pathways program, following the appointment of Mick Crawley as Pathways Coaching Director.
Crawley brings a wealth of coaching knowledge and experience to the Wests Tigers as the Club looks to further strengthen its development program – better connecting its elite development and the NRL program.
Over the past 12 years, Crawley has worked as an NRL Assistant Coach at the North Queensland Cowboys, Newcastle Knights, Canberra Raiders, and St George-Illawarra Dragons.
The experienced mentor has worked closely with likes of Wayne Bennett, Ricky Stuart, and Michael Maguire to name a few.
Wests Tigers CEO, Shaun Mielekamp said Crawley’s role was critical to the Club’s strategic direction.
“We've got one of the biggest Pathways programs in rugby league, but our competitive advantage will come from what we do with it,” Mielekamp said.
“This is about putting the right resources into coaching and development, building a stronger system and giving our young players the best possible opportunity to progress through to the NRL.
“We're really excited to have Mick joining us as Pathways Coaching Director. His role will be to build a clear coaching philosophy across our Pathways programs, working closely with Benji and our NRL coaching staff to ensure we're developing players who understand the standards, expectations and style of football we want to play.”
Mielekamp added these recent appointments were just the beginning of a significant body of work in the Club’s development ranks.
“This is the first step in a much bigger investment in our Pathways program,” Mielekamp said.
“We're putting the foundations in place now to develop our coaches and players over the long term, rather than looking for quick fixes. We know it's going to take time, but we're confident this is the right approach for the Club.”
“We want Wests Tigers to be recognised as a place where coaches are developed to a really high standard and where young players know they're getting the best possible opportunity to improve. Mick will play a key role in building that consistency right through our Pathways programs and into the NRL.”
In addition to Crawley, the Club has also appointed former Tongan international, Feleti Mateo as a full-time SG Ball Cup Coach.
A versatile player who could cover lock, second row and five-eighth; Mateo played 205 NRL games for the Parramatta Eels, New Zealand Warriors, and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
He played 14 Tests for Tonga and represented NSW City Origin and the NRL All Stars.
Mateo has been working in Wellbeing and Education at the Club, as well as being an Assistant Coach in NSW Cup.
Meanwhile, in other coaching news, Tyrone McCarthy will again lead the Western Suburbs Magpies in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup and work closely with Crawley and other key Pathways staff.
With junior representative programs about to begin pre-season, the Club will provide more detailed updates on squads in the coming months.
