The New Zealand Warriors have announced World Cup winning Kiwi mentor Stephen Kearney as their new coach from 2017 on a three-year deal.

Outgoing coach Andrew McFadden will stay on at the club in an assistant role.

Kearney will complete his duties with Brisbane before returning to Auckland where he played in the 1990’s.

“While I’ve got a job to do here I’m really excited about coming on board at the Vodafone Warriors,” he said.

“The club means a lot to me from my time there as a player and this a great opportunity to take the football department in a new direction.

“I’ve been speaking to Cappy (McFadden) about his role and I’m thrilled he’s staying on. He has so much to offer with his knowledge about the club and I’m really looking forward to working with him.

“It’ll also be great to have Stacey (Jones) involved to a greater degree with the NRL squad so we can really maximise the expertise he provides.”

The Warriors already boast NRL superstars Shaun Johnson, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Issac Luke and are on the cusp of snagging embattled five-eigth Kieran Foran.

Now they have the Kiwi Test coach.

“We’re delighted we’ve been able to bring Stephen back to Mount Smart Stadium,” Warriors managing director Jim Doyle said.

“He was outstanding during his playing career with the club and then with the Melbourne Storm before moving into coaching.

“Stephen has taken the Kiwis to a new level with their successes in the Rugby League World Cup in 2008 and twice in the Four Nations in 2010 and 2014.

“During his coaching career he has also worked alongside two of the best coaches the game has seen in Craig Bellamy at the Storm and Wayne Bennett at the Broncos.

“Our review identified changes needed to be made and, in Stephen, we have a coach who has a reputation for demanding the highest standards.”

It was another disappointing season for the underperforming Warriors who failed to deliver on the expectations of the start of the year.

@woodward_curtis