Brett Delaney has backed Brian Smith to make a big impact when he officially takes over at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

The 61-year-old Australian will replace James Webster at the helm following the Wildcats' poor start to the season, which has seen them lose 13 of their opening 15 Super League games.

Smith will watch on this weekend as his side take on Leeds Rhinos at Bell Vue, and Delaney believes that his old mentor is the right man to lead the Wakey charge.

"Brian taught me a lot in my early days, he is a smart coach. I had him from when I was a kid and he taught me a lot of discipline," he told the Rhinos' official website. "I think he wants to help rugby league in general because he has so much experience and he will be good for Wakefield.

"It is good for him to be able to pass his knowledge on. He has been over here before and it is good for Super League to have Brian over here working with players in our competition. A lot of the things we used to do at Parramatta were skills based.

"He had a lot of games in training that helped you develop your skills like your grip and passing. Coming through the ranks at Parramatta, it was always all about how you develop your skills. That went from the top down at the Eels and Brian rebuilt the system at Parramatta during his time there."

Smith gave Delaney his first break in the sport more than a decade ago at Parramatta Eels.