They say that there are only two types of coaches in the NRL: those that have been sacked, and those that are waiting to be sacked. The following men are in danger of joining the former.
After a dismal 2018 campaign in which Parramatta claimed another wooden spoon, there is no coach under more pressure in the game than Brad Arthur. Let us not forget that in 2017, Parramatta went within a whisker of a grand final qualifier, but in 2018 with an arguably better squad than the previous season, it all fell apart.
As an outsider, it’s impossible to say what caused them to go from genuine title contenders to also-rans. Whether that be down to the Jarryd Hayne effect, complacency, or something else unbeknown to those outside the Eels’ inner sanctum. Either way, it doesn’t reflect well on Arthur as a coach.
Now, Arthur is no longer a rookie coach, as he is going into his sixth season at the helm of the Eels. In this time, they have made the finals on only one occasion.
This humble writer isn’t suggesting that Arthur is a bad coach. Quite the contrary actually, let’s not forget the basket case they were prior to Arthur taking over. Completely unable to attract any talent or even be competitive in the majority of games.
However, the NRL is a results driven business. And for Arthur, one finals appearance in five seasons simply isn't good enough. He also isn't aided by the fact that he'll be going into his most important season to date with a rookie halves partner for the already under-siege Mitch Moses.
All these factors combine to put the man affectionately known as BA in the coaching hot seat.
Although Ivan Cleary's Panthers are still heavily favoured to make it to the top eight in 2019, they might have to go above and beyond that to please Gus Gould and the Panthers faithful considering the circumstances around his appointment.
Let's not forget that heading into the 2019 season, Penrith is paying for three different head coaches. Those being Ivan Cleary, Anthony Griffin and Michael Maguire (as they had to pay the Tigers a hefty $250, 000 compensation fee to acquire Cleary mid-contract).
All that messing about to get their man (and just maybe help re-sign the hottest young halfback prospect in the NRL) puts Ivan right under the pump heading into the 2019 season.
Another factor counting against Cleary senior is that big Gus has displayed he's not afraid to sack a coach over the years, citing some pretty strange reasons in the past
However, a squad stacked with talent, and a hefty five-year contract should do enough to keep that from happening for at least a few years...
After a few lean years down the wrong end of the ladder, things are finally starting to look up for the Hunter Valley-based club, off the back of a bumper recruitment drive that has netted the likes of David Klemmer, Tim Glasby, Kurt Mann, Jesse Ramien, James Gavet, and Edrick Lee.
These quality signings have dragged Newcastle out of the dreaded re-building phase and coupled with the previous year's recruitment have put the Knights in the box seat to play finals footy again.
In previous years there wasn't much expectation around the Hunter for their beloved Knights; simply having a crack would suffice. But now, with their roster chock-full of representative talent, expectations are rightfully shifting.
These rising expectations coupled with Brown's new performance-based contract put the former Dragon right in the firing line heading into 2019.
Brown's new contract, which was signed in May, doesn't specify a certain length of time but is instead based on results. This effectively would allow the Knights to part with Brown at any time (if the results are poor) and not have to worry about any financial repercussions.
This makes Brown easily the most sackable coach in the competition.
Heading into his sixth season at the helm of his beloved Raiders, Ricky Stuart is another man under pressure to keep his job.
Having only made the finals once as coach of the Raiders, Stuart will need to find a way to get the green machine flying again to ensure he keeps his job.
Although the Raiders consistently display the ability to be a top-eight side, Stuart's reign has been marred by close losses and poor decision making by key players in the clutch moments. This was displayed particularly in 2018, when Canberra lost eight games by a converted try or less.
He is also going to have to completely alter the preferred game plan that he has utilised in previous seasons, that being winning the battle of the middle through their behemoth front-rowers, Junior Paulo and Shannon Boyd, as they've both departed for the Eels and Titans respectively.
Stuart's mission is also hindered by the fact that he is going to be missing one half of the lethal 'Leipana' duo for a substantial chunk of the season, as Jordan Rapana is undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.
Having not made the eight for two years with a roster capable of higher honours, Stuart will know it's do or die going into season 2019.
It goes to show how much pressure NRL coaches are under if a man who coached his team to the title in 2015, a grand final qualifier in 2016 and a grand final loss in 2017, is making this list.
Although this could be a surprise to some, if you think about it simply, Paul Green has a lot on his plate heading into season 2019.
A poor previous season combined with the retirement of the great Jonathan Thurston and the sacking of fullback to be Ben Barba leaves Green with some serious holes to plug in his side.
Apart from the sacking of Barba, it has been quite a productive off-season for the Cowboys, with the Townsville based outfit bagging the prized signatures of Nene MacDonald and Josh McGuire, with the latter rounding out potentially the most damaging forward pack in the game.
In the post-Thurston era, expect young gun Jake Clifford to see a lot of game time in the halves with Michael Morgan this year. Although he is a rookie, nothing less than a top-eight finish will suffice for Paul Green's men in 2019.
Honourable mentions: Dean Pay, Garth Brennan, Anthony Seibold, and every other NRL coach.