Brad McManus: North Tamworth stalwart stands down as coach

The triple premiership-winning mentor - a gregarious character affectionately known as Spitter and, less commonly, the Dancing Bear - says coaching became a "chore" for him and it was time to again "stand back and have a look".

Following the sudden death of North Tamworth president Jody Cooper in 2020, and with the premiership that season abandoned due to COVID-19, McManus and his Bears were intent on winning a record-extending seventh straight premiership this year to honour the memory of Cooper.

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But then Delta invaded our shores, halting the 2021 season just as it was reaching a fascinating crescendo - the best premiership in years abandoned two rounds before the finals.

McManus - a former Knights signing - returned to the head coaching role in 2020 after a two-year break. He also coached the Greater Northern Tigers' senior side in 2021.

He said: "I thought I'd kick on for one more year, just to try and win one for him [Cooper], but it wasn't to be.

"It's sort of becoming a chore now. I'm not really enjoying it that much."

He added: "I've been coaching there and been a part of the club for a long time. I just sort of wanna have a bit of 'me' time."

The Bears, he continued, were "talking to a couple of blokes" in the search for his replacement.

McManus said Cooper's sudden passing in August 2020 "hit everyone hard", as it "just come out of nowhere".

The father of Bears veteran James Cooper had presided over Norths' golden reign. McManus said the late president "was not only a good committee man, but he was close to the players as well".

"You know, we had a little thing on our jumper this year, on the chest of our jumper, where you'd sort of just look down and see the JC [Jody Cooper] sitting there."

He added: "And that was pretty much our main goal this year, to try and get one [premiership] for him ... But it wasn't to be. Hopefully they kick on next year and do the job."

It's a moot point now, because we will obviously never know. But had North Tamworth won the premiership in 2021, they would have done so from outside the top two - "uncharted territory" for the side, McManus said.

He believes that Norths' unmatched finals pedigree would have proved fatal to this year's other top-four outfits: Narrabri, Kootingal-Moonbi and Moree.

"It's a whole new season once you start the finals. We were just starting to get blokes back at the right time of the year; we were starting to get back to full strength."

He added: "We were looking forward to the final series. Coming from third, we would've had to do things a lot different to what we have done in years gone by.

"We were ready to go for it. It's just a shame [the season was aborted]. And it was a good comp too. It was close and it was entertaining."

McManus was most pleased to see a number of former North Tamworth under-18 players make their first-grade debuts this year and "stand up". While the closeness of the competition resonated with rugby league fans, he said.

"Crowds were starting to come back to the footy."

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