NORTH WALES CRUSADERS coach Anthony Murray will link up with the Wales squad to assist national team boss John Kear prepare his side for their World Cup qualifying campaign.

Kear has invited three club bosses to spend a day at the squad’s training camp with Murray to be joined by new West Wales Raiders head coach Kim Williams and Coventry Bears boss Tom Tsang.

The trio will visit, observe and meet everyone involved with the Welsh national side, with a view to generating insight and fresh ideas within the coaching set-up.

Kear said: “I hope I’ll gain something from all three coaches as a fresh pair of eyes always sees something differently.

“Hopefully, they’ll also be able to share ideas and get something back from all quarters.

“Not just from myself, but from assistant coaches Gareth Carvell and Mark Moxon and all the staff.

“Our hope is we can share ideas, chat about the game, the teams, individual tactics and it will benefit us all.

“The structure of the programme has already been planned by Wales coaching staff and I think it will be great for the coaches to observe their club players in a different environment and see how they respond.”

Murray, who returned to the Wrexham-based Crusaders for his second spell with the club in March, spoke of his excitement at linking up with national side.

He said: “I’m really excited to have been invited to the training preparations for Wales’ European Championship and Rugby League World Cup qualifiers.

It’s a great opportunity to be able to collaborate with our Welsh counterparts in the game we are all truly passionate about.”

Wales Rugby League’s chief executive Chris Thair hailed the progress made by Welsh clubs in recent seasons and believes the collaboration between club and country can pay long-term dividends.

He said: “Kim Williams and Anthony Murray, the head coaches of our professional clubs in Wales, are extremely important to what we are trying to achieve here. This gesture will extend into future years, along with our wider support to the Raiders and Crusaders.

“Anthony Murray has already put in a great deal of time and effort into the sport in Wales over the years and Kim Williams is now embarking on the same road. We very much value and respect what both are doing.

“Coventry Bears have fielded seven Welsh eligible players in 2018 and because of this, we are recognising Tom Tsang’s achievements and this will hopefully further integrate the Bears into what is going on in Wales.”

Cru coach Murray has made his latest signing for the Crusaders by securing the services of Matt Reid from Oldham.

The powerful second row returns for his second spell at the Wrexham club, following his departure for Coventry Bears in 2016.

Reid scored 11 tries in 22 appearances last season for Oldham, with Murray excited by the quality of his latest recruit.

He said: “Matt has matured as a player since he was with us last time. He has the added experience gained from captaining Coventry and then at Oldham he played under a very physical coach in Scott Naylor.

“You can see that Matt’s approach to games has really come on and he has attributes which will really add to what we can offer.”

Reid will join fellow new recruit Joe Connor in the 2019 squad along with Joe Bate, who has agreed a new one-year deal with the club.