Manly Sea Eagles chairman Scott Penn has all but confirmed former Brisbane Broncos boss Anthony Seibold will join the club, while Des Hasler could have coached his last game.
Penn remained tight-lipped over whether Hasler would remain with the club and see out the final year of his contract in 2023, with speculation building over the last month.
It's understood Hasler has serious questions surrounding whether he will continue in the role, with Penn suggesting the club has a premiership-capable roster.
"We have a premiership-winning team and what we need is a football department that gets us back there as quickly as possible," Penn told Nine News.
Penn confirmed the club held a board meeting on Tuesday, with Hasler the main topic of discussion.
"We've obviously just had a significant board meeting," Penn said.
"We have been talking to Des and his management for some time and we are trying to find a resolution.
"We are still in discussions to be fair, but we need to bring this to a head. I can't really comment on that [whether Hasler has coached his last game for the Sea Eagles] yet, but we certainly have some bridges to mend."
Former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is reportedly in pole position to take over from Hasler should Manly make the difficult call, and Penn was glowing in his endorsement.
"Anthony has been at the club before. He demonstrated phenomenal intellect, he is a great tactician and is really good with the players. He has shown he has credentials as a head coach," the chairman said.
"We are still working through our pathway. Whether that is assistant to start or the full process, but we have identified him as someone we are very interested in."
Seibold spent time as an assistant coach at the Sea Eagles before his first head coaching role at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
“We have a premiership-winning team and what we need is a football department that gets us back there as quickly as possible,”
A triumph of optimism over reality, Mr Penn.
(And that is being generous, and assuming that what he actually meant to say was ” a team capable of winning the premiership ” )