Sydney Roosters assistant coach Jason Ryles has reportedly been told he is free to leave the club immediately.
Multiple reports suggest the Roosters have reached the end of their patience with Ryles, who is contracted until the end of the 2024 season with the club.
It comes as he continues to negotiate with the St George Illawarra Dragons over the currently vacant head coaching role - something that he could be appointed to by the end of the week.
Ryles, who is viewed as the favourite to take over from the start of the 2024 season, has drawn the ire of Roosters' officials for negotiating with the Dragons when he is still contracted at Bondi.
That comes with the Roosters having already lost Adam O'Brien and Craig Fitzgibbon in recent seasons out of their own assistant coaching ranks to take up head coaching roles elsewhere.
Ryles is currently seen as the hottest property in the NRL coaching game without a lead role following the appointments of Cameron Ciraldo and Fitzgibbon in recent seasons.
It's believed the Melbourne Storm would have also made a play for Ryles in 2024 had Craig Bellamy elected not to coach for another season.
Fox Sports are reporting that not has Ryles been told he has permission to leave immediately, it's understood the Dragons could come to the party on that move, installing Ryles at the club without having him take over coaching this year.
That comes with Ryan Carr currently handling interim coaching duties following the departure of Anthony Griffin just a fortnight ago.
Carr could continue in that role while Ryles gets himself acquainted with the set-up at the club he used to play with, and makes the neccessary changes before taking over in a permanent capacity at the end of the year.
It's believed that, while negotiations have progressed between the Dragons and Ryles, some of the demands made by the would-be rookie coach are still yet to be agreed to by the notoriously slow-moving and fickle Dragons board, particularly around the promise of a five-year deal and complete control over the club's playing roster and staffing.
At the Roosters, it's understood Matt King and Brett Morris would become Trent Robinson's direct assistants, while Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend would gain increased roles with the NRL side - both are former club captains who have retired in recent seasons.
The Roosters, who have struggled over the first half of the season, are desperate for a form turnaround ahead of the State of Origin period where they will play without captain James Tedesco and prop Lindsay Collins.
“Ryles … has drawn the ire of Roosters’ officials for negotiating with the Dragons when he is still contracted at Bondi.”
In any professional career it is usual to negotiate with a potential employer _before_ telling your current employer that you intend to go. The reason you do that is because if you fail to find an agreement with your potential employer, you can stay at the old place without rocking the boat and jeopardising your current position.
Jason Ryles is in a strange position. Because there are so few head coach jobs in that industry there was no chance of him negotiating quietly, and then staying with the Roosters if the offer was not to his liking.
I suspect what he did not do, and what he should have done, is to go to the Roosters board at the start of the season and say “If the Dragons job becomes available, and I am offered the job, under what circumstances would I be able to leave before the completion of my contract (30-09-2024) ?
The Board would have said either “None” or more likely would have said something like “No poaching of any Roosters player for two years; you cannot leave before the end of the 2023 season; you cannot offer any advice to the Dragons before the end of the 2023 season”.
The point is that both parties would have known the parameters in which Ryles was operating during his negotiations.
If he has not done that, then he has only himself to blame if the Board now feels exasperated with him.