HE has spent plenty of time in his coaching career plotting the downfall of the Kiwis, but now Brad Donald's mission is to help a group of New Zealand Warriors succeed.
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The man who cut his coaching teeth with junior Bathurst Panthers teams has been appointed the caretaker mentor for the Warriors' NRLW side.
Donald, who also played in the back row for Panthers and CSU in the 1990s, is no stranger to coaching at an elite level.
He has been the coach of the Australian women's team - the Jillaroos - since 2016 and guided them to World Cup success in 2017, beating the Kiwi Ferns 23-16.
But coaching in the NRLW, which starts in October and runs for six weeks, will be a new challenge. The Warriors secured the coaching coup after Slade Griffin was unable to commit to a move to Australia for the competition.
Donald's squad includes the likes of try-scoring machine Honey Hireme and talented hooker Kanyon Paul, both of whom have represented the Kiwi Ferns.
It's a squad which will have challenges - the New Zealand-based players face 14 days in quarantine when arriving in Australia then must spend time away from their families. But Donald is determined to see them do well.
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"It was definitely unexpected and there are still some challenges ahead, but it's a wonderful opportunity," Donald said.
"We look forward to getting the group together to ensure that everyone understands the sacrifices made to pull on a Warriors jersey in 2020.
"This will be a unique opportunity for those involved, and we will be doing everything possible from this point forward to build a very successful NRLW premiership campaign."
The New Zealand based players will arrive in Australia in September while Donald will look to recruit other talents already in the country to fill the remainder of the squad.
Warriors CEO Cameron George is confident Donald will do a good job.
"We're extremely grateful we've been able to secure a coach of Brad's calibre to coach our side in these challenging circumstances," George said..
"The shape of our campaign has been severely impacted by the continuing COVID-19 crisis but having Brad to take on the role is a real coup.
"There's still much work to be done including securing travel exemptions for players and staff from New Zealand to enter Australia but Brad's appointment is hugely exciting."
