Tim Sheens

Timothy Sheens (born 30 October 1950) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. Head Coach of the Australia national team between 2009 and 2015, he has also been the head coach of National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, the Penrith Panthers, the Canberra Raiders, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Wests Tigers. As a player, Sheens was a prop forward with Sydney's Penrith club in the 1970s and 1980s before he retired and became their coach.

He then coached the Raiders, taking them to victory in the 1989, 1990 and 1994 premierships. With the Tigers he won the 2005 premiership. Sheens also set a new record for most games in Australian rugby league premiership history (which has since been broken by Wayne Bennett) and also coached the New South Wales Blues for the 1991 State of Origin series. In June 2015 he accepted a role with Super League club the Salford Red Devils to become Director of Rugby leading to his eventual resignation as the coach of the Australian National Team in October later that year. In September 2016 it was announced that he would join then Super League club Hull Kingston Rovers and he formally stepped down from his role at Salford Red Devils as they confronted Hull Kingston Rovers in the £1M Game relegation decider. Salford Red Devils won the game but Sheens confirmed his decision to coach Hull Kingston Rovers in 2017, in the Championship.

It was announced that Sheens would return to the Wests Tigers in 2021 working in pathways, development, and talent identification. Sheens was later announced as the club's coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but he stepped down from the coaching role at the end of 2023.

Playing career Born to a well known rugby league family of the Penrith area, Tim Sheens was educated at St Dominic's College in Penrith but spent his last two years of school at St Gregory's College, Campbelltown, where he was the school captain and First XIII captain in 1968.

Sheens had a lengthy playing stint with Penrith Panthers, playing 166 first grade games from 1970 to 1982 and scoring 11 tries. Starting his career as a backrower, he finished as a ball-playing prop. In 1974 he was named as the Penrith Panthers' Player of the Year, but had his jaw broken in the inaugural Amco Cup final against Western Division.

Tim Sheens' brother, Bob, was also a first grade NSWRFL player for Eastern Suburbs.

Coaching career Penrith Panthers Although his first ever game as first-grade coach was a 24–12 loss to St. George, Sheens had a track-record of reforming under-performing teams to premiership victory. He brought Penrith to their first finals series ever in 1985, before departing the club at the end of the 1987 season.

Canberra Raiders Sheens coached the Canberra Raiders to their first premiership in 1989. In the post season he travelled with the Canberra side to England for the 1989 World Club Challenge which was lost to Widnes. He won further premierships with Canberra in 1990 and 1994.

North Queensland Cowboys However, his time with the North Queensland Cowboys (1997–2001) was less successful with the club earning two Wooden Spoons and, after board discussions, a period of stress-leave and while News Limited launched a take-over of the club, he resigned from North Queensland on 25 May 2001.

Wests Tigers In 2002, Sheens accepted the coaching position with the Wests Tigers for the 2003 season, replacing Terry Lamb. The feat of the Wests Tigers winning the 2005 Grand Final against the Cowboys has been largely attributed to Sheens.

Sheens has coached four premiership winning teams, making him second only to Wayne Bennett among current coaches. Sheens was awarded the Dally M Coach of the Year in 1984, 1990 and 2005.

As NRL Premiers Wests travelled to England to play against Super League champions Bradford Bulls in the 2006 World Club Challenge. Sheens oversaw the Tigers' 30–10 loss.

In December 2007, Sheens' contract with the Tigers – due to expire at the end of the 2008 season – was extended to 2010.

On 3 May 2010, Sheens became the first coach in Australian rugby league history to reach 600 games. In 2011, Penrith Panthers offered Sheens the job as head coach for the club. However, on 29 April 2011, he decided to stay coach for the Wests Tigers and extended his coaching contract for until 2014. On 25 September 2012, after days of speculation about Sheen's future due to a poor recent season, the Wests Tigers announced Sheens would not coach the team in the 2013 season, but offered him other roles at the club.

Salford Red Devils On 23 June 2015, Sheens become director of rugby league at the English rugby league club Salford Red Devils.

Hull Kingston Rovers In September 2016,

Return to Wests Tigers It was announced that Sheens would return to the Wests Tigers in 2021 working in pathways, development, and talent identification. Sheens was later announced as the club's coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, with a succession plan in place colloquially known as the "Marshall Plan" (after the US foreign aid program of the 1940s) to allow 2005 premiership hero Benji Marshall to take over as head coach in 2025. Sheens second coming as Wests Tigers head coach got off to bad start with the club losing their opening five matches. Following the clubs 46-12 loss against Brisbane in round 5, Sheens said "I hope we'll win the bye anyway in a couple of weeks".

In round 9 of the 2023 NRL season, Sheens guided the club to their first win in 273 days as they defeated back to back premiers Penrith 12-8. In round 18 the Wests Tigers led by Sheens travelled to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville where they were beaten by the biggest margin in NRL history falling to North Queensland 74-0 with Sheens stating after the loss “It is just one of those games. There is nothing you can say. When you get beat like that there is nothing much you can say.”

On 16 August 2023, the Wests Tigers released a statement detailing how Sheens had requested to stand down as head coach at the end of the season, with Benji Marshall to take over head coaching duties from 2024 rather than 2025 as originally planned. Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis claimed in an interview with Fox Sports that the decision to fast-track Marshall to the head coaching role had been considered for some time due to him exceeding expectations in his role as Sheens' assistant coach. Sheens was expected to remain with the Tigers in a performance/mentoring role for the remainder of his contract.

Representative coaching At the representative level, Sheens coached the 1991 ARL City Origin team to a 22–12 win over Country. In the same year, as coach of the NSW State of Origin team, he led the side to a 2–1 series loss to Queensland. In 1997 Sheens coached the NSW super league side to a 23 to 22 win over Queensland in a Tri series competition involving NSW Queensland and New Zealand.

Sheens returned to the NRL representative arena in 2006 when he succeeded Graham Murray as coach for City Origin, a post he retained in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, City lost to Country, 12 points to 10 but won in 2007, 12 points to 6. The 2008 match was a 22–22 draw, with City retaining the trophy.

In February 2009, Sheens was appointed coach of the Australian national rugby league team following the resignation of Ricky Stuart. Sheens coached the Kangaroos to their first win in his charge, defeating the Kiwis on 8 May 2009.

He coached the Kangaroos in their successful 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. The Aussies conceded just four tries in the entire tournament (all to England in their opening match). He gave Australia revenge against New Zealand in the final after losing to them in the 2008 Final.

Sheens resigned as the Kangaroos head coach on 3 October 2015, to take up a full-time position as director of Super League club Salford Red Devils.

Combined Nations On 25 June 2021 he coached the Combined Nations All Stars in their 26-24 victory over England, staged at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, as part of England’s 2021 Rugby League World Cup preparation.

Coaching record Tim Sheens – Coaching Results by Season TeamYearGamesWinsLossesDrawsWin %Finals Series Penrith 1984 24 12 11 1 50% 1985 26 14 11 1 53.85% Semi-final:Parramatta 38–Penrith 6 1986 24 11 12 1 45.83% 1987 24 6 17 1 25% Canberra 1988 24 15 9 0 62.5% Minor Semi Final:Balmain 14–Canberra 6 1989 26 18 8 0 69.23% Grand Final:Canberra 19–Balmain 14 1990 25 18 6 1 72% Grand Final:Canberra 18–Penrith 14 1991 26 17 9 0 65.38% Grand Final:Penrith 19–Canberra 12 1992 22 10 12 0 45.45% 1993 24 16 7 1 66.67% Minor Semi Final:Brisbane 30–Canberra 12 1994 26 20 6 0 76.92% Grand Final:Canberra 36–Canterbury 12 1995 24 21 3 0 87.5% Preliminary Final 1:Canterbury 25–Canberra 6 1996 22 13 8 1 59.09% Quarter Final 3:St George 16–Canberra 14 North Queensland 1997 18 5 11 2 27.78% 1998 24 9 15 0 37.5% 1999 24 4 19 1 16.67% 2000 26 7 19 0 26.92% 2001 11 2 8 1 18.18% Wests Tigers 2003 24 7 17 0 29.17% 2004 24 10 14 0 41.67% 2005 28 18 10 0 64.29% Grand Final:Wests Tigers 30–North Queensland 16 2006 24 10 14 0 41.67% 2007 24 11 13 0 45.83% 2008 24 11 13 0 45.83% 2009 24 12 12 0 50% 2010 27 16 11 0 59.26% Preliminary Final:St George Illawarra 13–Wests Tigers 12 2011 26 16 10 0 61.54% Semi Final:New Zealand Warriors 22–Wests Tigers 20 2012 24 11 13 0 45.83% Career 669 340 318 11 50.82%at 1 September 2012

Representative record

Overall (Representative) Record Coached Won Lost Drawn % Won Total 31 26 4 1 83.87% As of 4 May 2015

Footnotes