Nathan Cayless is set to be appointed as Hull KR’s next head coach.
After a prolonged search which has seen Rovers scour the globe, the Robins have landed on Cayless, the current head coach of Parramatta Eels’ New South Wales Cup side. Cayless will sign a three-year contract with the Robins.
Set to be an assistant coach for New Zealand in the World Cup, Cayless enjoyed a superb playing career and captained the Kiwis as they won the competition in 2008. He is also the NRL’s youngest-ever captain after leading the Eels from the age of 21. His playing career was spent exclusively at Parra, making 259 appearances for the club.
He has held four NRL assistant coaching roles in his career and was recently linked with the Manly Sea Eagles head coaching role when it became vacant earlier in the year.
Cayless will succeed Willie Peters when he departs at the end of the season to focus on his role at PNG Chiefs following four seasons in charge at Sewell Group Craven Park.
During his career, Cayless has worked as an assistant at Wests Tigers and Sydney Roosters, and he has been with the Eels since 2022.
Rovers are expected to announce his arrival at some point this week, with plans now beginning to ensure Cayless can hit the ground running.
On the field, Rovers have the majority of their squad contracted. Rhyse Martin will depart, but beyond that Sauaso Sue is the only senior first-team player off contract at the end of the season.
One played well known to Cayless is Peta Hiku, with the pair working together in the New Zealand setup.
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