Leeds Rhinos Grand Final winner Danny Buderus lands key role with NRL's Newcastle Knights
Leeds Rhinos Grand Final winner Danny Buderus has landed a new job in the NRL which will see him brush shoulders with his former club in Las Vegas next year.
Australian media reports say Buderus has been appointed as an assistant to new Newcastle Knights coach Justin Holbrook. Newcastle will take on North Queensland Cowboys in an NRL fixture in Vegas on February 28 as part of a triple-header which also features Rhinos’ Betfred Super League clash with Hull KR.
The hooker played 220 times for Knights from 1997 until joining Leeds for the 2009 season and quickly became a fans’ favourite at his new side. He made 83 appearances with Rhinos - the last of those coming in the 2011 Old Trafford victory against St Helens when Leeds became the first club to win Super League from fifth place in the table - before returning to Newcastle.
He remains in touch with former Leeds teammates and staff and flew from Australia last year to attend the first home game following the death of Rob Burrow who played alongside him in the famous Grand Final win. Now 47, he retired from playing 12 years ago, after being capped 24 times by Australia with another 21 games for New South Wales in State of Origin. He had a brief spell as caretaker-coach at the Knights in 2015 and has filled a variety of off-field roles at the club.
Holbrook, who replaced Adam O’Brien after Newcastle finished bottom of the NRL table this year, told the Australian Daily Telegraph: “His character alone, in the way he always played the game, is what we need to instill into the group. He’s the most capped Knights player and I want to utilise him a lot more in terms of coaching.”
Buderus replaces former Leeds boss Brian McDermott, who coached him in the 20112 Grand Final, as Newcastle’s assistant. McDermott has taken up a similar role at Gold Coast Titans.