Catalans Dragons' Walters open to offers

Catalans Dragons coach Kevin Walters says he is open to offers as he prepares to move on from the French club at the end of the season.

Ideally he would like to return to Australia, but with a number of other coaching jobs up for grabs in Super League at the end of the year, the 42-year-old admits he could be tempted by a side in England.

Walters has been disappointed with the way this season has gone for the Dragons but overall he believes they have made good progress during his time in Perpignan.

Last season he led the Dragons to their best ever finish in Super League and this term they have reached the last four of the Challenge Cup.

Speaking in the latest Tryline podcast, which you can listen to by clicking here and on iTunes, he said: “When I originally signed for the Dragons I thought two years would be about right for me. It’s been a great experience for the family and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in France both on and off the pitch.

“And England again would be another opportunity for that to happen and the language barrier wouldn’t be so bad but I don’t know about the English weather that would worry me!

“I will more than likely head back to Australia and see what is available but there aren’t many coaches being hired and fired. I’m sure that at some stage an opportunity will come up for me in the NRL or at a level below.“

Walters is honest in his assessment about his stint in the South of France including a failure to make a bigger effort to have French as the first language in the camp.

The former Brisbane Broncos man told Tryline: “I’ve been through the process of lessons and the like, but it’s probably one of my regrets, not enforcing the French language more.

“Unfortunately, with the amount of Australians we have at the club, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, there’s not an urgency to pick up the French language as there should be.

It’s easy to say that but having to commit to that on top of all the football commitments makes it quite difficult to pick up the language.”

Walters believes their poor showing in Super League this year has been largely down to the absence of key players for long periods. The club lost Adam Mogg early in the season as he returned to Australia for personal reasons and has only recently been replaced by the signing of Brett Sherwin from Castleford Tigers. He has also had to content with major injuries to outside-backs Clint Greenshields (broken leg) and Chris Walker (broken neck).

However, the Aussie is upbeat about the rest of the Dragons’ campaign including a semi-final clash with Warrington in the Challenge Cup.

In the latest episode of Tryline he also gives an interesting insight into the preparations of the team for regular trips to the UK for matches and the importance of the club’s stadium development in Perpignan.