The 2025 NRL season is heading into its final stretch, and for some coaches, the pressure has reached boiling point.
Finals hopes are fading, club boards are restless, and fan patience is wearing thin. With speculation swirling and a handful of jobs expected to be vacant by year's end, quite a few coaches are feeling the heat.
Others, however, are riding high, knowing they'll be NRL coaches for the foreseeable future.
As the countdown to the off-season begins, here's a look at which coaches are safe in their current roles, and who might not survive to see Round 1 in 2026.
2. Questions to be asked
A proven track record can only get you so far, and while these coaches aren't at risk of being axed, a few poor results in 2026 could see the pressure build.
Wayne Bennett
Wayne Bennett was brought back to the South Sydney Rabbitohs with aspirations of premiership, something they came minutes away from achieving in his last year with them in 2021.
Alas, due to an abnormal amount of injuries and bad luck, the Rabbitohs will be lucky to avoid the spoon in 2025.
The club's bad luck has almost nothing to do with Bennett's coaching ability, and the club would be insane to even consider moving on from him after this year.
Pressure will begin to brew, however, if they kick off a similar campaign in 2026. The valid excuse of injuries has gotten him out of jail this year, but the Rabbitohs may not be as forgiving if he can't get results with a fully fit squad.
Benji Marshall
While they've improved off the back of three wooden spoons, the Wests Tigers have still dished up yet another underwhelming season in 2025.
If the club hadn't been this awful for the last decade, Benji Marshall would be under much more pressure.
Lucky for him though, they have, and due to his inexperience as an NRL head coach, the benefit of the doubt has been granted in his second year.
Unlike season's past, though, the Tigers have the troops to at least make a finals push in 2026. If Benji can't get his men up to the task, questions will need to be asked around his ability to elevate one the worst club of the 2020s to the next level.
Andrew Webster
The New Zealand looked to have struck gold when they brought in Andrew Webster from the Panthers, with the former assistant winning Coach of the Year in his first year with the club.
While he has still been overall impressive, elevating the Warriors to a top four spot this year before injuries derailed their season, missing the finals in 2024 and struggling to build a strong attacking identity in 2025 could certainly raise question marks.
Webster will not be facing any sort of pressure in the Warriors end of season review, however, if he can't take the side to an out-and-out contending level in 2026, the heat may just start building.
Michael Maguire
The Brisbane Broncos' shaky start to the year would have put Michael Maguire under an unwarranted amount of pressure early, but he has managed to turn things around as we head into the season's final stretch.
There have been concerns, though, that Maguire's coaching methods have not gotten the best out of his stars.
The Broncos have perhaps the most star studded lineup in the NRL, and while injuries have been a concern, only sitting sixth with such a deep and talented squad is absolutely a concern.
With injuries to Adam Reynolds, Selwyn Cobbo, and Ezra Mam effectively putting a line through any major success in 2025, Maguire will need to start off with a bang in 2026 if he is to prove why he should remain as the coach moving forward.
Trent Robinson
One of the longest tenured one-club coaches in the NRL, Trent Robinson has consistently kept the Sydney Roosters in the hunt for a premiership.
While his track record with the club has certainly been impressive, it can be argued that he has been unable to unleash his side's full potential, despite having one of the best rosters in the NRL every year.
Few clubs attract superstar talent like the Roosters, yet they haven't been able to secure a Grand Final appearance since 2019.
If the Roosters cannot make a deep run in the finals this year, concerns around Robinson's ability may begin to sprout.
Shane Flanagan
The St George Illawarra Dragons just extended Shane Flanagan for two more seasons, an interesting move considering his lack of success thus far with the club.
With an extension, comes the expectation of results, which the Red V faithful will be hoping comes sooner rather than later.
Flanagan has struggled to secure big name talent, missing out on stars like Selwyn Cobbo and Adam Doueihi, and signing aging players in Clint Gutherson and Damien Cook.
While a rebuilding process is not fast by any means, his questionable recruitment and puzzling team list decisions could see him in the hot seat soon.
