Warrington Wolves stay 'the right decision,' says Martin Gleeson

At least, that was the plan having committed himself to joining Seattle Seawolves in the Major League Rugby competition in the United States for the 2024 season.

And then, the phone rang.

His old club Warrington Wolves needed a coach to help Gary Chambers steady the ship in the interim after Daryl Powell's departure, and sure enough he returned to the club he left back in 2009 after more than 100 appearances as a player.

By his own admission, his short-term stint helping out the team's attack made him fall back in love with The Wire enough to shelve his American dream and stay on.

Gleeson joined the coaching staff initially on a short-term basis towards the end of last season (Image: Joe Richardson)

"There was a combination of things," he said, reflecting on his decision to sign a two-year deal to remain part of the coaching staff under new boss Sam Burgess.

"Sam was coming in and I'd known him for a while, so getting to work with him on the coaching side of it was an attraction.

"When I came in, I just loved how easy the players were to work with.

"They really wanted to do well I could see there was something that wasn't quite right but the potential was there

"I did have other plans but as things went on, my relationship with the players grew and my affinity for the staff grew.

"I had been away from home for a while as well, so it was the right decision all-round."

Those travels were set to take him nearly 5,000 miles away having developed a strong reputation within rugby union for his work as an attack coach for both Wasps and the England national team.

They followed a brief spell on the staff at Salford Red Devils, where his playing career ended in 2014.

He is now back in the code in which he shone as a player, winning Super League titles with Wigan and St Helens and being capped 20 times by Great Britain.

However, he insists the door is far from closed on a potential return to the 15-man code in the future.

"I still watch all of the Premiership games and I'm always in contact with coaches I've worked with, just as chats," he said.

"I don't really class myself as either a league or a union coach. I'm just a rugby coach. I can do either and I feel just as comfortable in either.

"They're different but I enjoy them both equally."

Gleeson deep in conversation with new head coach Sam Burgess (Image: Mike Boden)

And what of the first top job he was set to take in the States?

"I would like to be a head coach in the future, in either code," he said.

"That's why I was initially going to America, to take up a more senior role.

"In the next two to five years, it's something I definitely want to do."

At just 43 years of age, there is time aplenty for Gleeson to accomplish his coaching goals, whether with Warrington or elsewhere.

For now, though, all of his focus is on helping Burgess make a success of his first head coaching position alongside fellow assistant Richard Marshall.

"We get on well and the way we think about the game is pretty aligned," he said of Warrington's rookie boss.

"He's very enthusiastic and passionate, and it rubs off on the players.

"He's not long since retired so he understands things from a players' point of view.

"He's been a breath of fresh air for the boys, particularly the forwards. He'll add some bits to certain parts of our game and me and him get along really well."