The enthusiasm of chairman David Hughes helped persuade Tony Rea to take on the job of London Broncos head coach, the Australian has revealed.

The 45-year-old Rea, who was coach of the Londoners from 2000-06 before returning to Australia, stepped back into the breach when Rob Powell agreed to step down in mid-July with the Broncos bottom of Super League.

He insisted at the time that he had no interest in taking on the role permanently but, five matches into the job, he admits he rediscovered his appetite for coaching and on Tuesday signed a two-year deal.

“There is a desire to coach and I was confident doing it,” Rea told Press Association Sport. “It was an easy decision to make.

“I think David Hughes was a big factor, making me think about the decision. I pretty much made the decision at that meeting but I had to go through a few things to make sure it was do-able.”

Rea broke the news to the players during a team meeting on Tuesday, after already gaining the approval of his Welsh wife Sarah and their two young sons.

“They’re really happy with the decision,” he said.

Rea managed to transform the fortunes of the struggling Broncos in his short time at the Twickenham Stoop.

A run of three consecutive wins included a first Super League victory away from home for almost 18 months and a 62-18 rout of Challenge Cup finalists Warrington last Friday, but Rea insists the results were incidental.

Rea, who spent 13 years at the Broncos after joining them as a player from Brisbane in 1994, is synonymous with the club’s most successful era.

He was their chief executive when they finished as Super League runners-up to Bradford in 1997 and reached the Challenge Cup final two years later and, as coach, took them to the play-offs in 2003 and 2005.

Rea left London at the end of 2006 and joined Australian rugby union team the Brumbies.

Since leaving the Brumbies last year, he has been working in the business world as a performance coach.