Wakefield deny Kear approach for England position

Wakefield insist there has been no official approach from the Rugby Football League for head coach John Kear, who has been linked with the England vacancy.

Reports yesterday claimed Kear, who was England coach for the 2000 World Cup, is favourite to succeed Tony Smith, with Salford's

Australian boss Shaun McRae as his No 2.

The Wildcats reacted to the story by issuing a statement playing down the speculation.

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A spokesman said: "John Kear has two years of his contract remaining with this club and there has not been any approach for him to take a job away from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

"John Kear has said that he is looking forward to working with the Wildcats team in 2010 and he is a valued member of the staff here at the Hearwell Stadium."

A RFL panel chaired by chief executive Nigel Wood has been charged with finding a replacement for Smith, who stepped down after last year's Four Nations final.

With the England job set to revert to a full-time appointment, Kear would have to relinquish his Wakefield duties ahead of the mid-season international against France and the Four Nations series to be played in Australia and New Zealand in the autumn.

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Kear famously steered Sheffield Eagles to their Challenge Cup final win over Wigan at Wembley in 1998 before taking Hull to another Challenge Cup final upset with victory over Leeds in 2005, and his work within a limited budget at Wakefield has earned widespread praise.

He saved them from relegation in 2006 with four wins in their last six games before taking the Wildcats to a fifth-place finish in the Super League last season, their highest placing.

Trinity captain Jason Demetriou is anticipating a new lease of life after struggling through virtually the whole of last season with a knee injury.

The Australian centre-turned-loose forward missed only two of the Wildcats' 27 Super League games in 2009, but only after defying medical advice to undergo surgery.

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"It got to point where I was taking a ridiculous amount of pain-killers to get on the field and I didn't have any explosive speed, which is a big part of the way I play," he revealed.

Demetriou had surgery at the end of the season and will make his comeback in tomorrow's friendly against Hunslet.