The Queensland Maroons are officially looking for a new coach after Billy Slater decided to step away from the clipboard ahead of the 2027 series.
His decision has been speculated for some time, although it was probably assumed he would keep going for another series despite losing a second home decider in three years this year.
Despite the loss, the QRL had made their view clear - they wanted Slater to continue.
That won't be happening though, and like their New South Wales counterparts, the QRL will now need a new boss for 2027.
There are plenty of options, although the bulk of the obvious list have very little in the way of head coaching experience.
Here are the seven names most likely to be in the mix for the Queensland job in 2027.
5. Darren Lockyer
Lockyer is currently part of the Maroons selection panel, but is also one of the greatest to ever play the game.
So often, Origin head coaching, provided you're surrounded by the right staff, is about getting the players reading from the state script, rather than actually putting the technical ability in front of players who know what they are doing.
Mal Meninga might have been blessed with the greatest Origin team of all-time, but he had the right staff and glued the state together as part of that incredible dynasty.
Lockyer, it feels, is the kind of person who could do similar.
He reads the game tremendously, has played at fullback and in the halves, and is still very heavily involved with the game from an analytical point of view.
