Centurions need new head coach after Millward signs for Castleford (From Leigh Journal)

Leigh Centurions need new head coach after Ian Millward signs for Castleford Tigers

1:54pm Thursday 1st September 2011 in Centurions

LEIGH Centurions will be requiring a new head coach in 2012.

Ian Millward, their current boss, has today been confirmed as the new head coach of Castleford Tigers from next season on a three-year deal.

He will be replacing fellow Australian Terry Matterson at the Wheldon Road club.

It has been suggested that he will be continuing a link with Leigh, with the possibility of young Tigers stars entering dual registration agreements with the Centurions next year.

Millward will join Cas when this season’s duties end with Leigh.

His team will end their regular Co-operative Championship campaign away to Dewsbury tonight, with top spot still a possibility but a second-placed finish ahead of the play offs the greater likelihood.

Leigh have already won the Northern Rail Cup under him this year.

On today’s announcement, Millward said: "I've really enjoyed my role at Leigh. They are a good club and I'm proud of all I have achieved there.”

Millward, who first arriived in England in 1998 as Leigh’s head coach, then twice won the Challenge Cup and Super League Grand Finals in a trophy-laden spell as St Helens head coach between 2000 and 2005.

After returning Down Under, he worked as assistant coach to former Leeds Rhinos boss Graham Murray at North Queensland Cowboys during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

He succeeded Murray as head coach for the final 14 games of the latter campaign on a temporary basis before being recruited by Canberra Raiders as defence coach for the 2009 season.

The Raiders finished in the top six in terms of defensive stats that season before he opted to return to England for family reasons.

He said: "I've since been able to assess what is compatible from the NRL for Super League. I've also done my high performance coaching level 4 in this time.

"When Castleford spoke to me I could see some of my attributes are compatible with the club. I was really impressed with the board's honesty and long-term vision and I'm really looking forward to the exciting challenge ahead.

"Castleford is a club that is evolving off the pitch with great plans for the future. On the pitch they have a squad that is underpinned with young talent and I'm looking forward to helping them improve further.

"I respect the job Terry [Matterson] has done over a long period of time; he has done fantastically well this season. I'm looking forward to continuing the development of the team and progressing it further over the next three years.”