‘He will clearly be a new voice’: Rugby league and Bulldogs legend John Kear returns to Batley

The announcement marks a return to Mount Pleasant for Kear, who led the Bulldogs between 2011 and 2016, in which he guided them to a hat-trick of play-off campaigns, as well as a Championship Grand Final in 2013.

It will be his first club head coaching role since departing Widnes Vikings almost exactly two years ago, stepping into the vacant position at Batley following Mark Moxon’s resignation.

Chairman Kevin Nicholas told the club’s official social media accounts:

“We decided that we needed an experienced coach to take us until the end of the year as a temporary thing and then reassess everything and get a new coach next season.

“We have agreed terms with John Kear. In my view it is a great, great achievement getting him back to the club. He won’t really be fully involved until next week but he will be partly involved in the Sheffield game.

“He will take us to the end of the year and hopefully improve things the best he can. He will clearly be a new voice.”

Jaymes Chapman and Ben Kaye had taken temporary charge of the team after Moxon’s exit and were looking to ‘build’ on the spirited display at Bradford Bulls against fellow strugglers Sheffield Eagles this Sunday, June 28 (kick off 3pm).

The out-of-form Bulldogs have not won in eight league games but will be looking for a much-needed victory over the Eagles, who are led by another former Batley head coach in Craig Lingard.

Chapman, however, was pleased with the Bulldogs’ response at Odsal.

He said: “We had a response on Friday. The scoreline didn’t reflect our efforts. We need to back that up this week against Sheffield. It is a must-win.

“We need to concentrate on the games we can win and try and make sure we aren’t in that bottom four.

“I can’t ask anymore from them. We have been plagued by injuries and it’s been hard to get some repetition but we can only move forwards from this.

“Last Friday’s game set us a minimum standard and we have got to build on the back of that.”