RUGBY LEAGUE: New Wigan coach Michael Maguire believes youngster Sam Tomkins can develop into one of the game’s great players.

The 20-year-old Warriors half-back burst onto the Super League scene in 2009 and capped an outstanding year by starting at stand-off for England in the Four Nations final against Australia last weekend.

Maguire, who began a three-year contract as Brian Noble’s successor at the DW Stadium this week, is now relishing the chance to work with the young prospect.

“There are a lot of positives,” said Maguire as he was officially unveiled yesterday.

“I’m very excited about helping Sam out, he is definitely a talented kid.

“He is very young and has got a lot of experience to develop, but I think over time he can develop into a great of the rugby league game.”

Because of the talent of players such as Tomkins, Maguire has already ruled out the possibility of making any more signings before Super League XV.

The former Melbourne assistant boss brought in former Great Britain scrum-half Paul Deacon from Bradford as a player-coach, but further additions to the squad are unlikely.

Maguire said: “As you see it now is the way it is.

“I did a lot of homework so I was well aware of the organisation.

“I spoke to plenty of people, I spent many nights on the phone talking to people about the history, the passion of the people over here and just what is going on.

“I wanted to come to the place with a fair understanding of how the place works and the playing roster and whether I needed to make changes to it.

“I’m looking forward to bringing a lot of my knowledge to those players and trying to improve every piece of the organisation. I’m excited.

“It is a very young playing group and a very exciting group.”

Little is known of Maguire outside of the Australian game but he arrives with a promising reputation having also worked as an assistant at Canberra before joining the highly successful Storm.

Maguire has been part of the Craig Bellamy-led set-up that has guided Melbourne to two title successes in the past three years and the last four NRL Grand Finals.

He felt the time was right to step up to a head coaching position and he admits the lure of Wigan, with their rich history, was strong.

Maguire, who at 35 will become the second-youngest coach in Super League, said: “I’m very pleased and very excited about taking the position.

“I understand the history of the club and how that is so strong over here.

“It definitely appealed to me straight away. The history tells itself with the Wigan team.”

Maguire takes over a club hungry for success and with high expectations.

Wigan remain the game’s most successful club but they have not won a major trophy since the 2002 Challenge Cup or a league title since 1998.