Outlaws Coach to join Leeds Rhinos

Nottingham Outlaws today officially announce that their First Team Coach, Adam Cunliffe, is to leave the club with immediate effect to take up a coaching position with Super League outfit Leeds Rhinos.

The Outlaws Coach ends an eight year association with the club, joining as a rookie student before progressing to become a first team regular at full back and in recent years taking on the player-coach mantle.
Cunliffe left the club this week to take up the much-coveted first team performance analyst role, to the would-be Super League Champions,  a task which also includes providing video analysis for the Rhinos, assisting with training sessions, along with analytics and recruitment support.

An emotional Cunliffe was clearly torn by his departure from the Outlaws whilst at the same time  bubbling with enthusiasm at the thought of the challenge ahead, commenting “l’ve absolutely loved my time at Outlaws and I wouldn’t be the person or coach I am without it. There’s great people, a real positive attitude to coaching and some brilliant memories along the way”.

Indeed he was quick to mention some of the personal relationships he had built over the years, adding “the 2015 CLS Final was my favourite Outlaws game, but there have been several games more recently that stand out in the memory too. East Hull in 2021 and Bramley at home in 2019 stand out, along with plenty after the match celebrations in the clubhouse!”

Whilst the Outlaws are clearly disappointed to lose not only their first choice fullback but also their player-coach, Chairman Richard Johnson was quick to praise the effort Cunliffe has put in during his time at Outlaws, adding “we all knew for some considerable time that Adam was destined for higher things in the game, so whilst we are sad to see him go, we are thrilled that a member of the Outlaws family has progressed into the upper reaches of the professional game. Adam has left a strong and lasting legacy at the Outlaws and we wish him well in the next stage of his coaching career.”

Indeed the loss of Cunliffe leaves a gaping hole in the coaching ranks but the club is looking to fill the considerable gap that Cunliffe leaves with Johnson adding “whilst we only have one match remaining this season, progress is being made in finding a successor, to the point that we are hoping to name a replacement ahead of the Toll Bar game on September 10th”.