The Gold Coast Titans could be about to become the fourth club in the market for a new coach, with Justin Holbrook's future reportedly hanging by a thread.
The Titans' boss has struggled to get anything of substance from his team this season after making the finals during their 2021 campaign, before being knocked out by the injury-ravaged Sydney Roosters in the opening week of the elimination rounds.
The 2022 season has been a tale of horror for Holbrook though, with News Corp now suggesting the club could move to terminate him in the next fortnight, with the Titans having a bye before their next clash against the Brisbane Broncos.
Holbrook spoke out suggesting he wasn't worried about his job, although it's reported the club has performance requirements in Holbrook's contract which could mean he is sacked without an enormous financial payout, something well worth noting given his contract with the Titans isn't due to end until the end of the 2024 season.
"I'm not (worried about my own job), I'm disappointed about how we are going," Holbrook said in mid-June ahead of a clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs - a match the Titans would go on to lose 30 points to 12.
"I feel horrible; we're letting a lot of people down.
"There's been a few other coaches who have unfortunately been moved on but I feel very privileged and lucky that we have had a conversation around where we've gone.
"Since I came in, we went from last to ninth and then ninth to eighth and you naturally just want to get better. I feel secure in what I'm doing."
The tale of woe for the Titans has refused to slow down since the Rabbitohs loss, with defeats at the hands of the Cronulla Sharks and Newcastle Knights in the last two rounds.
It means the Titans have lost 6 on the trot, and 11 of their last 12, with their only win during that time coming in golden point against the St George Illawarra Dragons during Magic Round.
The club find themselves plastered to the bottom of the table, and lost a battle against another struggler in the Newcastle Knights on Friday evening in the Hunter.
The loss means they are now two points behind all of the Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors, with only the Tigers out of those teams already having bye points added, and all three still to play this weekend.
It's understood the Titans recently let go of performance manager Klint Hoare in an apparent mid-season shake-up to the football department which has left Holbrook on shaky ground.
The horror show against the Knights - which saw the Titans leak eight tries to the two wingers (five for Edrick Lee and three for Dominic Young) could be the final blow for Holbrook though, who blasted his team in the post-match press conference.
“It was awful,” Holbrook said.
“We didn’t know what we were doing out there (defence). We’ve got a lot to fix up.
“I am (lost for answers) tonight. In the last game we competed hard against the Sharks, then tonight we’re a million miles off. We have to look at the team and who’s running out there.
“There’s been a lot of things (go wrong). We’ve got guys in positions not doing their job well enough for the NRL.
“We’re so disappointed. We’ve got to make a few changes now and get back into it.”
Should they part ways with Holbrook, the Titans would join the Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors are clubs looking for a new coach for 2023 and beyond.
