Joel Tomkins has been confirmed as Catalans Dragons’ new permanent head coach.
Tomkins, brother of player Sam, has been in interim charge since Steve McNamara’s departure in May and despite winning just one of eight Super League games, has agreed a two-year deal with the French side that will last until 2027.
There are eight games left in the season and Catalans are ninth in the table, nine points outside the play-off positions
The 38-year-old said: “I’m excited by the challenge and I’m motivated to make it a successful couple of years.
“Obviously, the last eight weeks have been difficult. We’ve won one game but we’ve played really well and been close in a couple of games.
“We understand where we are as a club. It’s going to be a big transition over the next year. There’ll be a lot of players leaving the club at the end of the season, a lot of new players coming into the team.
“Bernard and I understand each other. I think we’re both on the same page where we want the club to go and I think, through our discussions, we can work really well together to move the club to the next level.”
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Watch highlights as the returning Mikey Lewis scores two tries as top of the table Hull KR ease to victory against Catalans Dragons
Tomkins spent the majority of his playing career with Wigan but also had spells in rugby union and with Hull KR before hanging up his boots in 2021 after a two-year stint with the Dragons.
He rejoined the Perpignan outfit as part of McNamara’s backroom staff last year.
Tomkins will have a responsibility to try to bring through homegrown talent but his top target is to bring Super League success to a club that will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the competition next year.
“The priority is to win games, win trophies,” said Tomkins, who said he was working hard to improve his French.
“Obviously, the same as every club in Super League, we want to develop new players and we will be putting a lot of effort into those areas over the next couple of years.
“Quality recruitment is another area that we need to look at but the main focus is to win a Grand Final – the first for the Dragons – over the next couple of years. That’s the biggest goal for us.”
One player who will definitely be leaving, Tomkins admits, is his brother Sam after accepting there is no prospect of tempting the 36-year-old playmaker to reverse a decision to retire for a second time.
He said: “Sam has made it quite clear that he’ll retire at the end of the season. He wants to move forward working within the media.”
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