Former New Zealand Warriors coach Tony Kemp has lifted the lid on his sour exit from the Kiwi club after he was sacked to make way for Ivan Cleary.
Kemp, who also played more than 280 matches of elite-level footy, was let go by the Warriors in 2005 after less than two seasons in charge.
He’s now revealed he is still furious at what he claims is poor treatment from John Hart, the club’s executive director of football at the time, before he was sacked.
‘I’ll never forgive John Hart for the way that he treated me,’ Kemp told the Dom Harvey Podcast.
‘He used to wine and dine me up at his house with breakfasts and all that, talk about sh*t, and blow wind up my a**e, and then he sacks me.’
Kemp was replaced by Ivan Cleary, and the Kiwi great claimed the current Penrith Panthers coach was earmarked as his successor even before he was axed.
Tony Kemp (pictured) has lifted the lid on his sour exit from the New Zealand Warriors
Kemp (pictured) has claimed he will ‘never forgive’ the club’s former executive director of football John Hart for the way he allegedly treated him
Kemp (pictured) was in charge at the Warriors for less than two full seasons
‘The way that he was sort of grooming Ivan for the position, and I’ve never spoken about this before. It was really hard to take,’ Kemp added.
The 58-year-old spent multiple seasons as the club’s assistant before taking the main job, which he landed after his predecessor Daniel Anderson was told his services were no longer required.
‘I put my life into that club for so many years, and I remember …. having a cry in the car… you know… and (thinking) sh*t, my coaching career is over,’ Kemp continued.
‘I gave it my best crack, there’s parts of it [my exit] that could have been handled better.
‘But tell me, how many blokes in New Zealand have had a chance to coach the Warriors?’
The removal of Kemp as head coach saw Cleary take the reins at the end of the 2005 season.
Cleary had strong results, with his side qualifying for the finals in four of the six full seasons he was at the helm.
The Warriors made the NRL grand final in Cleary’s final year in charge in 2011, but lost to the Manly Sea Eagles.
