KNIGHTS chief executive Phil Gardner is aiming to find a Melbourne Storm-like connection between his coaching staff and a new director of football after the resignation of Brian Canavan.
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The Knights announced on Wednesday that Canavan would leave the director of football role after serving just over a year of a five-year contract.
Canavan, a former head of football at the NRL and Sydney Roosters CEO, will stay on until the new year and the appointment of a replacement.
Gardner said Canavan, 63, and his wife wanted to move closer to family in Brisbane and he had expressed "a desire to do something different".
"It was a fill-in for us," Gardner said. "For him to come and do the job and develop people around him, it was that sort of role. He has mentored people in the club.
"We were disappointed for Brian to go, but it's certainly in his best interests and his family's best interests.
"His comments to me were that he didn't want to be full-time anymore.
"You get to the stage of your life where you want to do other things, and that's where they have got to."
The coming departure of Canavan continues a raft of changes off the field at the Knights following the resignation of head coach Nathan Brown in August. Player list manager Troy Pezet parted ways with the club in the fallout and he has been replaced by Alex McKinnon. New head coach Adam O'Brien has brought with him a new staff of assistants.
Gardner said the new director of football would have to work well with the coaching unit.
"We've got some good internal people who will put their hand up, and we will advertise on Seek today," he said on Thursday.
"We're in no rush. Brian will stay for as long as I need him to stay, naturally until we get the right candidate in place.
"Hopefully we get the right person in there to partner Adam O'Brien.
"You want the same sort of relationship that [Melbourne coach] Craig Bellamy has with Frank Ponissi, that sort of relationship around football, so we've got to make sure the chemistry for the department is right.
"We've got a good coaching team this year, with Adam, David Furner and Willie Peters. They bring a lot of experience with them. Adam has been at Melbourne and the Roosters, and Willie has come out of Souths. And David has obviously been head coach at Canberra and been in England.
"They have been through all of the best systems so we've got to make sure whoever is director of football can work with them in a really positive, collaborative way to get the best result for our town."
