Brett Kimmorley hopes a challenging stint as the Wests Tigers' NRL head coach sets him up for success when he takes charge of the club's NRLW side in their inaugural season.
Kimmorley was unveiled on Friday afternoon, less than two months after a spell in charge of the men's team that began when the club sacked Michael Maguire mid-season.
Before that, Kimmorley served as head coach of the Tigers' NSWRL women's premiership side and as the club's pathways coaching manager, a role he has since recommenced.
The women's premiership side went on to win the grand final in July after Kimmorley left to coach the men, who struggled to improve from a poor start to the season.
The joint-venture club finished bottom of the ladder but Kimmorley said he never lost his passion for coaching and that the difficult year had helped him grow.
"The learning curve of the last 12 months will make me a better coach," he told AAP.
"It was really, really tough but for myself, I just needed to keep learning.
"I love coaching, I love being around the game. I'm blessed that 12 years after retiring, I'm still able to be involved in the game.
"I can't wait for the opportunity to be the head coach of the NRLW team."
Kimmorley named fullback Botille Vette-Welsh, captain of the women's premiership side, a priority signing for his NRLW team.
A knee injury kept Vette-Welsh out of the 2022 NRLW season but she will have recovered in time for next year and is already working with the club in an off-field role.
"I didn't get to coach Bo but I've seen a lot of footage of her playing from the year before and I've seen how exciting she is as a player," Kimmorley said.
"She's three quarters of the way through her rehab and keen to train. She's definitely one player I'd be excited to see (on the team)."
The Tigers are poised to draw from their women's premiership team, the local area and their NRLW rivals as they assemble their roster.
Emily Curtain assumed the captaincy after Vette-Welsh's injury and predicted her teammates would be keen to make the step up, especially now that Kimmorley is involved.
"All the girls really respect Noddy and learned a lot from him this year," she said.
"This is a huge opportunity for so many young players to aspire to be an NRLW player here with the Wests Tigers."
The announcement comes the day after Canberra, another of the next four expansion teams, announced Darrin Borthwick as their NRLW head coach.
