NZRL stalwart and servant passes away

NZRL advises that on the afternoon of Wednesday 6 December, former Coaching Director Bob Hall passed away at an Auckland hospice after succumbing to a long battle with cancer.

Hall was a feature of the Rugby League landscape for many years after first coming into the role of NZRL Coaching Director in 1985 thanks in part to a recommendation made by then Kiwis Coach Graham Lowe.

He left NZRL in 1994 to take up a recruitment and development role with the newly formed Warriors before heading to the North Queensland Cowboys for two seasons until returning to the Warriors in 1999.

Over many years Bob had been responsible for the identification and mentoring of many coaches and players in both the New Zealand and Australian systems.

This eye for talent was well known and his opinion highly regarded within the game as evidenced by the number of clubs that sought to engage him as a talent scout even during recent years as he dealt with his illness.

His easy manner, insight and love of the game will be missed by all who knew him.