Following a manic 'Termination Tuesday' in which a pair of heads rolled between Concord and Redcliffe, vaunted Panthers assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo saw fit to reach out to Newcastle steward Adam O'Brien after speculation surrounding his own position was raised.
Following the dual departures of Nathan Brown and Michael Maguire from the Warriors and Tigers respectively, the rumour mill was sent into overdrive, with suggestions that O'Brien's post was reportedly up for grabs.
While the Knights have slumped to a 4-8 record under O'Brien this season, and Ciraldo remains, arguably, the hottest property on the coaching market, a phone call between the pair after the dust had settled has set minds at ease.
Speaking in the wake of his Wednesday morning phone call with Ciraldo, O'Brien gave the impression of a man unburdened.
“Cameron being the bloke that he is was the first one to call and had a laugh,” O’Brien divulged to the media.
“There’s no truth to ‘Ciro’ (coming to Newcastle).”
Having played 43 first-grade games in red and blue armour between 2008 and 2011, Ciraldo is a known commodity in the Hunter.
And though the notion of his return has been put to rest, O'Brien was willing to claim that he had reached out to Ciraldo in the past.
“He does love the place, I almost had him coming as an assistant a few years ago and he was all in,” O’Brien said.
“He’s a good man ‘Ciro’, I’ve got a good relationship with him and we speak often. He was the first one to call me this morning.”
In spite of whispers that O'Brien's role at McDonald Jones Stadium had been called into question, the 44-year-old had been granted public backing by CEO Phil Gardner, with the administrator stating he held hope that the head coach would remain on "for the next 10 years."
O'Brien's latest task is set to come when his Knights face off against Ciraldo's Panthers on Sunday evening.
