Months of speculation finally drawn to a close as the Titans announced coach Des Hasler would not be at the club next year.
The soon to be 506 game NRL coach will oversee the club's next two games before riding off into the sunset.
Sharks assistant coach Josh Hannay has been named as his replacement.
Despite a recent(ish) uptick in form, the writing has been on the wall for the two-time premiership-winning coach for many months.
There are many, myself included, who questioned the appointment originally, but the Titans have finally corrected course.
Recently, it seems, it's become almost impossible for coaches to be dismissed, no matter how badly results suffer.
There's always an excuse or an easier out, with the assistants often being offered up as scapegoats.
It's almost as if the club's didn't want to be the first to act. I'm not sure why, perhaps they don't want to be seen as unstable, or perhaps players have coaching clauses in their deals.
Now that the first coaching domino has fallen, it would not shock me at all to see others follow. They almost certainly should.
Just this past weekend Manly ownership rushed to confirm Anthony Seibold's presence again as coach next year.
You could almost literally hear a massive, collective sigh from north of the Spit Bridge.
Despite rumours of player unrest, and confirmed supporter unrest, Seibold will look to improve upon his 47 per cent win rate in 2026.
Following their massive win over the Dolphins in Daly Cherry-Evans 350th game, combined with the Roosters shock loss to the Eels, Manly remain an outside chance of finals footy.
With games against the Dragons and Warriors to come, it's not unreasonable to assume they can win out for the rest of the regular season.
They'll need the Roosters to drop both of their remaining games while the Dolphins superior points differential means they can deny Manly also.
How a super slim chance of finals if a series of results elsewhere go their way is ok for this roster is beyond me.
No side containing the likes of Tom Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans, and Haumole Olakau'atu, among others, should ever be in such a battle for a finals spot.
Throw in two of the game's most exciting youngsters in Lehi Hopoate and.Tolutau Koula and the only question come finals should be whether they're hosting or away.
Instead the questions are most likely which venue they'll be hosting Mad Monday and which Villa in Bali each player will book.
Meanwhile, way (way) up the coast in Townsville, Todd Payten is the second under fire coach who has had public backing just this week.
The Cowboys did manage a Week 1 finals win last season before being ousted by old sparring rivals the Sharks.
This season though, they have been arguably the most difficult team in the competition to predict.
It took them three weeks to open their account for 2025. They'd then win three games in a row, including a win over Penrith.
Rounds 14, 15 and 16 saw them concede a total of 138 points.
Again, a side containing Scott Drinkwater, Tom Dearden, Jeremiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter and the like should not be sitting five competition points out of finals contention.
Throw in their young, excitement machines in Jaxon Purdue and Viliami Vailea and I'd argue Payten's dealing with a roster superior to the Manly one mentioned previously.
Payten, who has been the Cowboys coach since 2011, has a win record of 49 per cent.
He's overseen finishes of 15th, 3rd, 11th, 5th and the currently sit 12th with two games to go.
The pattern suggests next season will be better but at what point does hitting the random button suffice in Townsvile? Especially given the strength of their roster.
Cowboys fans are pulling their hair out at the team's inconsistencies.
Scott Drinkwater, on his day, is one of the game's premier playmakers. If it isn't his day though ... surely a good coach would ensure improvements see him play well consistently?
There are other coaches under the pump but those two are the ones will be likely to survive any serious end of year review.
Adam O'Brien is another who should be very, very nervous.
Both have received public backing in the last few days but how often do we see coaches or managers moved on across all sports following the old "full support of the board" line?
Especially now that the Titans have made that move to sack Des Hasler.
Josh Hannay, arguably the best "next man up" is now officially off the board but it's always easier to make a big move after someone else does it.
How often do you see a big name signing quickly followed by numerous others? A move can trigger a chain reaction.
I don't know if I expect any other coaching changes but fans of the two clubs mentioned above are certainly hoping there are.
Des has had only two years in charge. His roster today looks like the one he inherited – unsurprising, because most players have multi-year deals.
I think he has been hard done-by.
I can’t say the same for Newcastle’s manager. Adam O’Brien has had six seasons in charge, and has had time to shape his club’s roster, to get the players he thinks can play the way he wants the team to play. But he has not managed to do that.
If he were to be sacked, he ought not to complain.
The reason we find such theoretically strong teams such as Manly and Cowboys fail to make the 8 is because of the immense competition in the league. Sure, you have your Dalys and your Deardens, but if you look around you’ll find so many more dominant players and teams which goes to show you can be amazing but you’ll always have to work hard and earn everything that goes your way.