Joel Tomkins pledges to end Catalans' ‘retirement home' tag after becoming coach
And the dual-code England international will take bits from coaches he has worked with in union and league.
Advertisement
2
Joel Tomkins has promised to look younger for NRL talent after landing the Catalans coaching job
Credit: SWPIX.COM
The 38-year-old has been handed the job of replacing Steve McNamara as boss until the end of 2027.
Top of his list is turning around the Perpignan-based Dragons, who have spent big and delivered little.
A big part of that is switching the way it will target stars from the NRL.
Tomkins said: 'The recruitment model moving forward is changing quite a lot, we're looking at the younger generation.
Advertisement
'It's quite obvious to see there are a lot of guys who've come from the NRL and are at the end of their careers, looking to play the last couple of years in France then retiring on the back of it.
'We're looking at guys who are still on the upwards slope, who are still climbing, who are coming over with a different mentality.
MOST READ IN RUGBY LEAGUE
Exclusive
Exclusive
Exclusive
'They'd want to develop a reputation and either go back to the NRL as an NRL player or stay here long-term.
'The big one is we're avoiding those players who are coming to the end of their careers. We're looking at the other end.
Advertisement
Most read in Rugby League
'The average age of our top 20 players this year is over 31-years-old – we're looking at bringing that down to 26 or 27.
'You'll see that change over the coming weeks and months.'
Tomkins will not have little brother Sam on his staff as he is going into the media after he re-retires at the end of the season.
2
Tomkins ended his own playing career with a stint at the Dragons
Credit: SWPIX.COM
Advertisement
And after working with big name bosses in his playing days, he will use one trait that unites them all into his coaching career.
He added: "I've spent a lot of time thinking about that over the last couple of years.
'I was really lucky to work under some of the top coaches in the world – Michael Maguire and Shaun Wane in league, Mark McCall and Stuart Lancaster in union.
'I also worked under Steve McNamara as a player and a coach and the thing the best coaches had was honesty and integrity.
Advertisement
'I'll be honest and upfront with the players. I'll tell them when they're doing well but I won't be afraid of having those awkward conversations when they're not.
'The integrity side means it doesn't matter what someone's being paid or what they've done in their career. You pick your team on who's playing the best rugby – not names or pay packets.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
5 hours ago
- Sunday World
Writer of Jimmy's Winning Matches reveals inspiration behind hit song
The singer Rory Gallagher wrote the song about African sellers The singer and songwriter behind Donegal's football anthem Jimmy's Winning Matches is predicting a four-point victory over Kerry in today's All-Ireland final at Croke Park. Lanzarote-based Rory Gallagher, formerly of The Revs, also reveals that he originally wrote the song about street and beach sellers from Senegal who flog counterfeit goods to tourists in the Canaries. 'It was originally called Jimmy's Selling Watches, but my mother, Mary B, who was in the band Luv Bug with my father, suggested I should change it to Jimmy's Winning Matches when Donegal started doing well under Jim McGuinness,' Rory tells the Sunday World. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 27th He also reveals how Donegal manager McGuinness has mixed feelings about the song. 'Jim came up to me at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin after the All-Ireland final big celebration (in 2012)…he walked over and he had a big smile on him,' Rory says. 'I thought he was going to give me a hug, but he put his arm around me and whispered into my ear, 'See that song you wrote, it has my head melted!' 'Everybody was shouting it at him in the streets. It was this catchphrase that he didn't want. The good thing about it is that it really freaks out our opponents because they just think 'this guy is destined to win matches.' It's his own fault for having such a high-win ratio. 'It could be worse, it could be Jimmy's losing matches. As long as we win everybody's happy.'
RTÉ News
9 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Unbroken bonds - Jim McGuinness and Michael Murphy back in tandem
The night before the their first round championship clash with Cavan in 2012, the Donegal management and players were gathered at the Slieve Russell Hotel in County Cavan. Only once in the previous 67 years had a side won the province starting from the preliminary round and Donegal had never gone back-to-back in Ulster, but expectations were rising with Jimmy winning matches. After watching Chelsea prevail over Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout, a team meeting was held to run through some final preparations ahead of taking on the Breffni men the following day. Yet McGuinness couldn't shake the sense that something wasn't quite right. The team was moving well – in less than four months they would be crowned All-Ireland champions – but did everyone share his unwavering belief? Having fallen short at the penultimate stage a year previously in an infamously low-scoring encounter against Dublin, McGuinness surprised the group by outlining his unease. Not at their effort, but what they hoped to achieve. "Put your hand up if every single morning you wake up, the first thing you think about is winning an All-Ireland medal," he said. Only two hands went up, those belonging to Dermot Molloy and Michael Murphy. McGuinness appreciated the honesty of the group, but would have expected such a response from his general who wouldn't turn 23 until later that summer. Only Tyrone offered meaningful resistance in Ulster, with Down swept away in the decider and the the big prize landed shortly after. By that stage, their working relationship had only been in place for a couple of years. Prior to taking over the Donegal Under-21s, the two had rarely been in each other's company, yet quickly McGuinness recognised something unique in the Glenswilly man. "He is unlike anyone I have come across in terms of his focus," he wrote in his book, Until Victory Always, quite the statement given his own obsession with detail. "When we started out, I got the impression that he was watching and evaluating and working out what he felt was going to happen. Once he was happy that there was substance behind the talk, he just went through the roof. He led." The respect between the pair deepened as Donegal made their way to an All-Ireland Under-21 final in 2010. Murphy was one of seven Donegal-based players based in DCU at the time and told McGuinness that they wouldn't be able to make both training sessions during the week. The solution was for the manager to travel down and put the septet through their paces. "Mesmeric" was McGuinness's description of Murphy's Ulster U21 final performance, a first provincial title at that level in 15 years. He missed a penalty in the dying embers of the All-Ireland final against Jim Gavin's Dublin, but the manager felt the aftermath summed up the player's mentality. "He didn't look for excuses or blame anyone. He took the disappointment, absorbed it and became a better player." A generational talent, Murphy was always going to be front and centre for Donegal's assault on Sam Maguire under any manager, never mind one as forensic as McGuinness. Ultimate glory in 2012 was built on Murphy's early goal against Mayo where his skillset was on full display. Aerial ability, strength in holding off Kevin Keane and the emphatic finish to almost rip the net behind David Clarke. It was Murphy at his devastating best, but in an era of the packed defence, it also caused concern for McGuinness. Stationed permanently as a full-forward in the more generous environment that was U21 level, the player spent more time further out the field at senior level to escape such attention close to goal. Donegal fans, and indeed interested neutrals alike, were at times dismayed, yet McGuinness never wavered. What he lost up top he felt he gained by their man exploding onto the ball and through the opposition defence. GAANOW Rewind takes a look back to one of the great All-Ireland Final goals from @officialdonegal 's Michael Murphy in the 2012 decider against @MayoGAA! — The GAA (@officialgaa) August 2, 2018 "We constantly heard the complaints that we should put him on the edge of the square," he wrote in his book. "We didn't do it all that often for one simple reason: it was very predictable and managers would work out how to double and triple-mark him and make it impossible for him to get the ball. To us it was a nonsense debate. Michael had very good discipline, but he got physically hammered in every game he played." McGuinness's first stint ended with All-Ireland final disappointment at the hands of Kerry, a limpet-like performance from Aidan O'Mahony restricting Murphy to a single point from play, though the manager argued the defeat centered on an overall flat performance rather than the curbing of the captain's influence. The suspicion that Donegal would fail to scale similar heights post-McGuinness was largely proven correct. Rory Gallagher never got the team further than the last eight with little success in Ulster, and while Cavan caused a major surprise to deny Declan Bonner's side a provincial three-in-a-row, they never truly threatened to cause much damage at the business end of the season, notwithstanding Dublin's dominance. Murphy toiled through it all. A selfless and effective figure in the middle third, it wasn't the thrilling, swashbuckling presence tormenting opposition full-back lines that green and yellow-clad supporters craved to see. A haul of three All-Stars points to self-sacrifice for the betterment of the team. After falling short against Armagh in a 2022 qualifier, the 32-year-old was in reflective mood in the dressing room. Could he still give everything to the cause? The only conclusion he could draw in Clones was that he couldn't see how. He slipped out and made for home with his father, bringing the curtain down on a 15-year senior inter-county career. Murphy's absence only accentuated the depths they would sink to in 2023. The shock return of McGuinness to the hot-seat led to inevitable discussions that his loyal lieutenant could be coaxed out of the punditry arena. The pair had always kept in close contact, and McGuinness made no bones that he had "half-tortured" Murphy to return, yet the player didn't waver in his public utterances. "That (retirement) had nothing to do with managers," he said at the time. "So even with Jim coming in, it didn't change. It didn't change one iota." But something did change. Pitchside on BBC duty, he watched Donegal edged out of a dogged All-Ireland semi-final with Galway. The winter GAA rumour mill cranked into gear that McGuinness's persuasive powers had won out, the bombshell confirmed last November. "I know that Neil [his brother, selector] and a lot of people had a path worn to Murphy's door last year," former team-mate Eamon McGee told RTÉ Sport this week. "I thought 'this man's going to break eventually'. And he didn't. Part of me respected that because I wouldn't have been able to turn all them down. "I don't think Murphy would have come back for anybody else." Having helped to mould the new football landscape through the FRC's reforms, the 35-year-old would now get the type of freedom unheard of during his first stint. He's rotated mainly between midfield and full-forward – Michael Langan's goal against Monaghan proof of the damage he can cause - over the course of the championship, and invariably is Shaun Patton's kick-out option in times of need. His six-point haul against Meath, where he was replaced shorty after the interval ,was full of the Murphy bag of tricks. Free-kick taking (Donegal's only two-pointed came from a placed ball), ball winning around the middle and clever interplay with his forwards. His challenge on Meath full-back Sean Rafferty, where he escaped what appeared to be a blatant black card, also illustrated that his dogged determination on the pitch hasn't dimmed either. Kerry may be buoyed from Donegal's only championship defeat this term. Up until the hour mark against Tyrone, Murphy was the most influential player on the pitch. With the game in the melting pot however, he couldn't get his hands on the ball once in the final 10 minutes, Peter Teague winning two kick-outs aimed at Murphy and fouled for another. McBrearty will captain the team from the bench as Donegal go in search of a third All-Ireland title, but there is little doubt that McGuinness's key cog is the all-action hero from Glenswilly. "Michael is similar to Jim," Ryan McHugh said recently. "They have such great leadership qualities; the two of them bounce off each other so well." Two Donegal greats back in tandem.
The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘There's more to life' – Jason Foley finds meaning beyond football after Kerry's Meath meltdown
THIS time six weeks ago, Kerry football folk feared that the sky was falling in. A projected routine Advertisement 2 Jason Foley of Kerry in action against Meath during their shock loss earlier this season 2 Foley is looking at the bigger picture as Kerry head into today's All-Ireland final against Donegal In a county where football flows through the blood of the natives, it was a doomsday defeat. But for Jason Foley, life's bigger picture made its way back into his line of vision as soon as he returned to the workplace. The Although it is a career that he considers his true vocation, he admits there are some days which are more challenging than others — such as the Monday following the 1-22 to 0-16 loss to the Royals. Advertisement read more on gaa He recalled: 'I went into work that morning and I was covering someone else — another SNA — who wasn't in work that day. 'It was like a sign that was given to me to just get on with it. There's more to life. 'It was the one day that I had to cover someone else and it was the most perspective I've had in a long time. It's great that way.' Through good times and bad, perspective can be an elusive commodity for supporters and players alike. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Exclusive Exclusive For contrasting reasons, and quite understandably, the people of Tipperary and Cork in Croke Park may have struggled to accept that hurling is only a game at 5pm last Sunday. Kerry and Donegal battle for Sam Maguire in GAA All-Ireland football final Ever since he left behind a promising athletics career at the age of 17 to focus on football with Ballydonoghue and Kerry, Foley has emptied himself in the pursuit of success. That is verified by his winning of an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award in 2022. And having emerged on the losing side in two of his three previous appearances in the Sam Maguire showpiece, he is sure to be crushed if today belongs to Donegal. Advertisement But his vocation has helped the 27-year-old to trust that the world will keep spinning nonetheless. Foley, who represented Ireland as a sprint hurdler at schools level, works mostly to aid children with autism spectrum disorder. He said: 'That's the thing about working with children with special needs or ASD in general — I suppose you don't know what way they're going to come in every morning and you just have to roll with the punches and make their life as great as possible for that day. So I love it.' A former University College Cork student, Foley inherited his passion for working with children from his mother Noelle and his Cork-based maternal grandmother Anna O'Donovan. Advertisement He explained: 'My grandmother, she would have fostered a lot of children. I would have gone down to visit her often. "Mom would have told me all the stories about her fostering children and how hard she worked, so it was kind of a natural progression really. 'I kind of wanted to do teaching initially and then kind of fell into Early Years and Childhood Studies in UCC and really enjoyed it. 'I was advised to go into it. I was told that I was compassionate towards children with special needs on placements and stuff like that and really enjoyed it. Advertisement "I really enjoyed helping children develop, I suppose, and I'm very, very lucky to be involved in it. 'I think it puts great perspective on things when I go into work on a Monday morning and see what struggles children have or what struggles parents have. 'I might have struggled at the weekend — my man might have kicked a few points off me. 'I'm coming into work on a Monday morning with a sour head on me but then quickly realising that there's more to life than that.' Advertisement Just like the children that Foley works with in Milltown, near Killarney, the Kerry defence has been in safe hands since he made his Championship debut in 2018. Michael Murphy will put him to the test if their anticipated match-up materialises. But this is a man not known for shirking challenges in any area of his life. FAMILY LIFE On his profession, Foley continued: 'My mother would have been a childcare nurse and when she came to Kerry, she would have been looking after a lot of children. "She would have done a lot of child-minding and stuff like that. Advertisement 'We would have been surrounded by children when we were growing up and when I was a teenager. We'd be out kicking ball with kids and we'd have been surrounded by cousins and stuff the whole time. 'I don't know, I just kind of fell into it. But it's kind of funny how things work out really. 'As I said, I genuinely love it. I love going into work every morning and there's a good camaraderie between the SNAs and the teachers.' For Foley, one of the perks of the job is the opportunity to briefly shed his skin as an inter-county footballer. Advertisement He said: 'The nice thing most of the time is that the children I'd be working with would nearly be totally oblivious to the fact that I am who I am, or I play with Kerry, or football in general, which is kind of nice. 'It's kind of endearing in a way. I can kind of go in and do a jigsaw puzzle or help them with their work. "It's just a completely different life. I suppose, in a way, I can switch off from it too because when you're surrounded by adults the whole time or staff members or different kids, it can be all questions about the game. 'Sometimes it can be a breath of fresh air when you're surrounded by children who are oblivious to that.' Advertisement Putting another Celtic Cross in his pocket will not alter how Foley is viewed by the children who depend on him. Ultimately, his scope to improve their lives will be unaffected by the outcome of the 2025 All-Ireland SFC final. And when all is said and done, no victory that is attainable on the field can measure up to the ones being achieved by Foley in the classrooms.
