The Tigers legend Michael Cheika thinks would be the perfect next coach of Lebanon

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Nicolussi, C. (2026, October 19). The Tigers legend Michael Cheika thinks would be the perfect next coach of Lebanon. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/the-tigers-legend-michael-cheika-thinks-would-be-the-perfect-next-coach-of-lebanon-20261020-p616pt.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

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The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-10-19 · by Christian Nicolussi

Quick Summary

Michael Cheika, returning to rugby league with the Waratahs after coaching Lebanon in the World Cup, believes his assistant Robbie Farah is well-suited to become the next coach of the Lebanese national team. Farah, a Wests Tigers legend and current assistant at the club, expressed openness to taking on the role while crediting Cheika for his mentorship. Farah emphasized his passion for coaching Lebanon and helping more Lebanese players succeed in the NRL.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Michael Cheika, former assistant coach with the Sydney Roosters, has backed Robbie Farah to succeed him as Lebanon's rugby league coach. Cheika, who recently helped the Roosters win the NRL premiership and will soon return to the Waratahs in rugby union, believes Farah is well-suited for the position due to his extensive experience with Lebanese teams. Matt King, another assistant coach, plans to lead the NSW Origin team next year, leaving Farah as a potential successor. Cheika highlighted Farah's passion and knowledge about Lebanon's team, suggesting he could take over after the World Cup. Farah, an assistant at the Wests Tigers before stepping away in 2024, expressed openness to the role but noted that Cheika remains the current coach.

Written for “Michael Cheika As Next Lebanon Coach” on 2026-10-19, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Michael Cheika As Next Lebanon Coach
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
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articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-19 · how these are computed

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Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 4186 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Christian Nicolussi
34 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Fresh from celebrating the NRL premiership with the Sydney Roosters, where he was an assistant to Trent Robinson, Cheika will finish up in rugby league at the end of the World Cup.
🔮 Walsh also confirmed he was prepared to pay “top dollar” to visit any specialist who could help prevent him from vomiting in the middle of games, like he did again after scoring a breathtaking try to help seal Australia’s opening World Cup match with a 24-22 win over New Zealand.
🔮 To the untrained eye there was little indication Ka Ying Rising would go on to become the fastest horse on the planet, a winner of $30 million in prizemoney, a Hong Kong hero – an international racing rock star – and the raging favourite for Saturday’s Everest at Royal Randwick.
🔮 Samoa coach Ben Gardiner said another aspect that could not be ignored was most of the players had featured in the World Cup final loss to Australia four years ago.
🔮 Tyson Frizell revealed Benji Marshall had asked him to join the Wests Tigers on several occasions, and said there was no reason his new club could not enjoy instant success after Newcastle turned a wooden spoon into a grand final within 12 months.
🔮 Kiss said the Wallabies would try to be at Allianz Stadium on Thursday, where 40,000 fans are expected to watch the Rugby League World Cup opener between the Kangaroos and New Zealand, before the Wallabies take on the All Blacks on Saturday.
🔮 As for his own plans, Tedesco told this masthead he would give it serious thought once his World Cup commitments were finished. “There’s no rush, I don’t think I’ll be chased by other teams for a contract — and I wouldn’t really go anywhere else,” Tedesco said.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Tedesco lays out plan for Roosters swansong
🔮 Moving to Sydney is a genuine option for Cameron Munster, who confirmed he was only going to the open market because Melbourne were still unsure who would replace his good friend Craig Bellamy as coach in 2028.
🔮 The Rugby League World Cup is expected to be the last time Kangaroos players are paid $40,000 – and the rest of the nations $850 a Test – with the pay gap to be addressed in the next collective bargaining agreement.
🔮 Walsh will not have played in 61 days by the time next week’s Allianz Stadium match against New Zealand starts because of an ankle injury.
Also by Christian Nicolussi
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 34 articles by Christian Nicolussi →

Topics

Cedars Lebanese Lebanon NRL Tigers

Subjects

Cedars ORG · 5× Lebanon GPE · 5× Lebanese NORP · 4× NRL ORG · 4× Tigers ORG · 4× Cheika PERSON · 3× Farah PERSON · 3× Michael Cheika PERSON · 1× Waratahs ORG · 1× Wests Tigers ORG · 1×

Narrative

I’m quite inexperienced when it comes to coaching, so to spend the 2022 World Cup with ‘Cheik’ in the UK, now this World Cup, he’s a wealth of knowledge, and there’s no better person to learn from when you see his resume in both codes. “I love coaching Lebanon, and it’s something I’m super passionate about.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-19
🔮 Fresh from celebrating the NRL premiership with the Sydney Roosters, where he was an assistant to Trent Robinson, Cheika will finish up in rugby league at the end of the World Cup.
2026-10-19 · The Sydney Morning Herald
The Tigers legend Michael Cheika thinks would be the perfect next coach of Lebanon · assertive framing

Claims (20 extracted, 0 hedged)

Michael Cheika is heading back to the Waratahs, but has backed his assistant and Wests Tigers legend Robbie Farah to succeed him as Lebanon coach. asserted
assistant → head → coach
Fresh from celebrating the NRL premiership with the Sydney Roosters, where he was an assistant to Trent Robinson, Cheika will finish up in rugby league at the end of the World Cup. asserted
Cheika → celebrate → Cup
Matt King, another Lebanon assistant who was also involved with the Roosters, will quit to lead the NSW Origin team next year, which leaves Farah to take the reins with the Cedars moving forward. asserted
which → involve → Cedars
“We’ll decide all that once we’re finished, but Robbie is a guy who is here, he has a nice balance between doing some consulting coaching, he wants to be involved in coaching here, he’s very passionate, and he’s the best equipped around the Lebanese team, per se asserted
he → decide → team
,” Cheika said on Monday. “I see him as a guy who definitely in the future can be in charge of this team, without a doubt.” asserted
who → say → doubt
Farah, who worked under good friend Benji Marshall as an assistant coach at the Tigers before stepping away at the end of 2024, said he was open to taking on a role like the Cedars position. asserted
he → work → position
“It’s humbling to hear Cheika say that about me, but he’s still the coach, and I haven’t given it much thought,” Farah told this masthead. asserted
Farah → ’ → masthead
“If Lebanon asked me to run the water, I’d run the water. asserted
I → ask → water
It’s about giving back. asserted
It → ’ → ?
I’m quite inexperienced when it comes to coaching, so to spend the 2022 World Cup with ‘Cheik’ in the UK, now this World Cup, he’s a wealth of knowledge, and there’s no better person to learn from when you see his resume in both codes. “I love coaching Lebanon, and it’s something I’m super passionate about. asserted
I → ’m → Lebanon
I was an assistant at the Tigers for a while, but I went straight from playing to coaching, and I thought the time was right for me to step away from the Tigers and freshen myself up, and just get away from footy. asserted
me → go → footy
“But being here in camp, it’s something close to my heart. asserted
it → ’ → heart
I got my chance to play for the Cedars as an 18-year-old, and it springboarded my career because I was playing in the NRL within six months. asserted
I → get → months
I’ll forever be in debt to the Cedars, this jersey, and what it did for me. asserted
it → do → me
“I’d love to help out where I can, and see more Lebanese kids coming through – not just for the Cedars, but in the NRL. asserted
kids → love → NRL
“When I first started, it was Benny [Elias] and Hazem [El Masri], then myself, Tim Mannah, Michael Lichaa, Adam Doueihi and Mitch Mose. asserted
it → start → ?
Now it’s [Tigers prop and Lebanon captain] Alex Twal, Jordan Samrani, Jacob Kiraz. asserted
it → ’ → ?
They are growing, and there’s no reason by the next World Cup we can’t have double the amount of Lebanese players in the NRL. asserted
we → grow → NRL
Twal took to the stage at a fan day in Burwood on Monday, smiled, then told the vocal supporters: “There is one thing Lebanese people have – big hearts, and big hair. asserted
people → take → supporters
We won’t let you down on Friday night.” asserted
We → let → night
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