retained until 1990 when he captained the Panthers in the 1990 Grand Final loss to the Canberra Raiders. Despite struggling with injuries, he memorably scored two tries in the 1991 Grand Final against the same opponents. The Panthers won their first premiership, and Simmons retired with his second try late in the game (and Alexander's brilliant sideline conversion) sealing the win for the Phil Gould coached Panthers. In the post-game celebrations, Simmons said he wanted to have a beer with every Penrith supporter. He also stated that despite being overjoyed at finally winning a premiership, nothing could erase the bad memory of losing the 1990 decider to the Raiders. Following the grand final victory he travelled with the Panthers to England for the 1991 World Club Challenge which was lost to Wigan. In October 2004, Simmons was named at hooker in the Panthers' "Team of Legends'". Coaching career Simmons began coaching in 1992 for St Marys reserve grade side. Late that year he moved to England to coach Hull F.C. for two seasons. Simmons went on to become Panthers coach in the closing stages of the 1994 NSWRL season after Phil Gould was dismissed, and served for seven seasons until he was himself sacked from the position after the 2001 NRL season, when the Panthers won the wooden spoon. The Panthers made the finals twice under Simmons' tenure, in the 1997 Super League finals and National Rugby League season 2000 finals. Simmons served as the Wests Tigers assistant coach under his former coach Tim Sheens from 2003 to 2010, during which time they took out the 2005 NRL Premiership. He has also worked as Tim Sheens' assistant coach for the Australian national team. Simmons was named to take over the coaching position at St Helens in 2011. He coached the St Helens in the 2011 Super League Grand Final defeat by the Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford. He parted company with St Helens in March 2012. Simmons was sacked after a five-game losing streak. Commenting on the decision, he said, "If I had a neck, I'd probably hang myself." In November 2012, Simmons was named assistant coach at NRL side Wests Tigers. Health In February 2022, Simmons revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. References Further reading External links Royce Simmons at the Rugby League Project 1960 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian rugby