Fair call that.
I guess my thinking that comes from a feeling that I don't think any of the NZ candidates are ready to be thrown straight into the job. having them as an assistant to begin with lessens the risk. Once Ricki is gone, he would be broken completely from the new coach anyway.
Though as I think it was TX who said, Ricki is still worth keeping around in some capacity. However I agree that he shouldn't be stepping on the new guys toes. Academys manager seems obvious, but apparently we've been advertising for that position.