Kris Radlinski provides insight into mega coaching deals including Jurgen Klopp inspiration and NRL programmes

All three were recently rewarded with deals until at least the end of 2030 having won every trophy available in the last two-and-a-half-years, including a record-equalling fifth World Club Challenge title in February.

Radlinski, who has been in the role as chief executive since January 2023, has explained the reasoning, negotiations and talks with owner Mike Danson in making the decision to offer unique long-term deals.

He said: “When I went to Portugal with the first-team, and because I’m not on the field as much nowadays, I was up close and personal to everything and I watched them deliver on the field and in team meetings, but more importantly, I watched people react to them.

“They were hanging on every word that they said.

“The programme was brilliant, it was different, they challenged each other and if I’m honest, Sean and Tommy were further along than I thought.

“They’re obviously legendary players, but when I watched them, they were incredible. So that started my thinking in pre-season.

“Then when Jurgen Klopp announced that he was leaving Liverpool, he’s done an incredible job not just on the football club, but on the fanbase and the city. He’s quite a cultural icon buying into everything what the city is about.

“I reflected on ours and I thought, ‘Well, these three are exactly the same.’

“So when I look at how good they are, and what they bring to the club, the final bit was how hungry for improvement they are.

“They all realise that they’re not the finished article yet, but they’re winning trophies and they’re driving each other. When you break it all down, it was common sense.

“I put all this in a note to the board and Mike Danson, and he said, ‘This is exactly what you need to be thinking, let’s talk it through.’”

Radlinski’s next job was to create programmes that looked after the three coaches on an individual basis, including experiences that could see them pick up new skills at the likes of NRL clubs during pre-seasons.

The former Wigan full-back continued: “I did a bit of work on these programmes. There was the financial element, but also the professional development, which is really important, and also the personal development.

“Lockers (O’Loughlin) for example was a bit concerned that all he’s ever been in is this environment. So I said, ‘Let me look at my contacts,’ and I thought I’m sure I can send him to an NRL club for five or six weeks in the off-season, and he can come back with new ideas and implement them here.

“Tommy has given so much of his life to this club, yet his family are over at home. My concern for him was, ‘How does he continue working but also see his family?’

“So similarly to Lockers, I thought I’m sure I can contact New Zealand Warriors and get him there and he can see his family. It’ll all be at our cost and they’re not going to turn that down because he’s an icon.

“Matt was a bit different. He doesn’t book holidays out of a holiday brochure, he goes to places in the world nobody’s ever been before with spiritual and cultural adventures. He’s got some boxes that he needs to tick in his search for unlocking his potential.

“So I came up with the template and thought there was a way in which I could do all of this, and then the only thing that was remaining was the length of the deal.

“I said to Mike that we should do something a bit different and he backed me.

“They’ve done a good job in a short space of time.

“It was a gamble at the start, a calculated gamble, because I knew how good Matt was, but there were many people who hadn’t heard of him.

“Sometimes there’s loads of noise out there, but ultimately you have to back yourself. I’m doing between 90 and 100 hours a week on rugby league, so I have to trust what I know.

“I see everything; the conversations that he has, the phone calls that he makes to families, I see these guys going the extra mile and how the team reacts to them. So when you weigh it all up, it was a no-brainer.”