New Warriors acting coach Andrew McFadden said it was a simple call to step down from his job with the New Zealand national team.

Test coach Stephen Kearney will go into the Anzac clash with Australia in Sydney on May 2 without an assistant after McFadden withdrew from the role.

McFadden was appointed a fortnight ago but was this week promoted by the Warriors to be their acting coach after Matthew Elliott’s exit from the NRL club.

He had a clause in his Kiwis contract that allowed him to take up any head coaching opportunities that might arise.

He said it wouldn’t have been possible to try to do both jobs.

“It’s too full-on, this role,” he said of the Warriors position.

McFadden said Kearney, a former NRL coach with Parramatta, understood his decision.

“He was more than happy for me and it was a pretty easy decision.”

The NZRL will begin its search for a new assistant coach after the Anzac Test, with high performance manager Tony Iro saying the national body didn’t want to rush into a decision.

“A bit of thought went into Andrew’s appointment,” he said.

“We just need to restock now and look our options, find the best fit that matches and helps Steve’s ability and capability.”

Iro said Kearney would get technical input from Penrith coach Ivan Cleary for the Anzac Test.

However Cleary, who filled the assistant’s role at last year’s World Cup, would not be in camp.

“It’s a very short campaign, basically two sessions of football, so Stephen is confident in his ability to get the job done,” Iro said.

“Given the short time-frame, there’s no real panic at this stage.”