NEWPORT boss Craig Warlow paid tribute to right-hand man Ty Morris and the rest of his management team after being named as Principality Premiership coach of the year.

The Black and Ambers supremo won the award that was voted for by his Premiership peers after a season that saw them make it to the WRU National Cup final and be in contention at the top end of the table until a late season slump.

Warlow has been a key figure in a pivotal campaign for the club after last May’s sale of their historic Rodney Parade home to the Welsh Rugby Union and fears about their future.

But the former fly-half was quick to point to the efforts of his management team, and especially his forwards coach.

“I’ll be honest, a lot of the coaching is done by Ty, Stuart Lawrence (defence coach) and Chris Jones (strength and conditioning coach),” he said.

“A special mention has to go to Ty because he is a very, very driven man who invests a lot of time and effort into the players, particularly at the set piece.

“My role is managing because I’ve come to the realisation that I get up in the morning and spend my day trying to influence people to do what I want them to do, in a non-threatening way!

“I want my kids to brush their teeth and put their shoes on, I get to college and want students to listen to my presentation and get work in on time, I go to training and want players to do certain things, I get home, take a deep breath and it starts again.

“You’ve got to work with people and manage them to believe that you’ve got their best interests at heart.

“Sometimes the best bit of coaching is having a cup of tea with someone and listening to the fact that they’ve got something going on off the field that is taking their mind away from catching and passing under pressure, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t as important as what is going on in their life.”

Newport ended the season ninth, slipping down after the distraction of the cup final and then disappointment of the heavy loss to Merthyr at Principality Stadium.

Nonetheless, the 15 other Premiership coaches recognised the influence of Warlow in helping the Black and Ambers becoming one of the league’s most attractive sides to watch.

“The quality of coaching in the Premiership, in terms of experience and knowhow, seems to be increasing every year,” said Warlow.

“When it’s voted for by your peers it does mean a lot. I do have a pretty good relationship with pretty much all the coaches and we all have a degree of empathy and sympathy when you’ve had the bounce of the ball or you are in a good situation injury-wise.

“Although we are direct rivals, it’s a supportive bunch.”

Ebbw Vale speedster Toby Fricker, who this week was called up by Wales for the Rugby Europe sevens event in Moscow, was named as best newcomer while his fellow winger Kyle Evans, of Merthyr, is player of the year.

Pontypridd’s Lewis Williams scooped try of the year for his effort at Ebbw Vale in September and Adam Jones was named as referee of the year.

The unsung hero award was shared by the medical teams of Ebbw Vale, Bargoed, Aberavon and Newport, who helped save the lives of supporters Ross Cornwell and Don Morgan during recent league clashes.