Canberra Raiders fans will be well aware of his exploits as the coach of their Holden Cup side and in 2018, they will see plenty more of Brett White but at an NRL level instead.
With the departure of Dean Pay, the Raiders were in need of an assistant and the club opted to promote from within, appointing White as their new assistant coach for the next two seasons.
White has served the Raiders well as both a player and a coach in recent years, joining the club in 2011 and retiring in 2014 before moving into coaching where he was Holden Cup coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Following the Raiders growing up, the opportunity to move up the club’s coaching ranks was a tremendous opportunity for White and he cannot wait to work alongside head coach Ricky Stuart and the other coaching staff.
“I’m extremely excited; this is the club I grew up following and I was lucky to play for the Raiders,” said White.
“To now be a part of the coaching staff is a great honour.”
“To be able to work alongside Mick Crawley and Ricky Stuart is fantastic, they are two of the smartest individuals I have worked with.
“Pre-season can’t come quick enough, I wish the season kicked off next week. We’re all keen to get back into the swing of things and make sure we all fulfil our potential.”
White drew praise from Stuart for being a Raider; someone who understands the club culture and understands what the club wants to build.
“The one thing that I like is that he’s a Raider,” said Stuart.He’s played at the club and he’s got that understanding of our fabric and what we’re trying to build.”
“He’s played at the club and he’s got that understanding of our fabric and what we’re trying to build.”
“He had a culture that as a player I want in my current players, he’s got a great work ethic, he’s very professional and I think he’s got a very bright future as a Coach.”
With the chance to join Melbourne dangling in front of him last year, White opted against the move to stay with Canberra.
“Brett showed a sense of trust in what we’re looking to achieve at this club and for him to stick loyal and knock back a big job like that shows he cares about our organisation,” Stuart said.
“He gets the job because he’s a very diligent and thorough worker, a smart coach and has a great rapport with the players he’s coached at the club which is a good thing.”