There were four NRL coaches sacked in 2022 and several more are skating on thin ice heading into 2023.
Since 2011, clubs have parted ways with coaches a whopping 45 times at an average of almost four per season.
There have been 10 axed since 2020 and while Anthony Seibold has made a triumphant return to head coaching at Manly, most are stuck in the coaching wilderness.
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Round 1
Ivan Cleary – Penrith Panthers It’s hard to imagine just how much would have to go wrong for Cleary to be sacked at Penrith for a second time. Cleary was flicked in 2015 after only just avoiding the wooden spoon, but he returned in 2019 to coach his son Nathan who has since become the best player in the game. Together they’ve delivered Penrith back-to-back titles over the past two seasons and will start 2023 red-hot favourites to produce the first trifecta since Parramatta in 1984. The father and son duo re-signed in April on monster deals that will keep them both at the foot of the mountains until the end of 2027. Contracted: 2027 Verdict: (1) Safe as houses Craig Fitzgibbon – Cronulla Sharks This year Fitzgibbon enjoyed the best NRL rookie coaching season since Trent Robinson led the Roosters to the 2013 premiership. Fitzgibbon’s bold decision to sign Nicho Hynes and make him Cronulla’s halfback paid big dividends as the club charged up the ladder to finish second. Hynes won the Dally M Medal, but the Sharks were taught a lesson in the finals and bounced out in straight sets. Fitzgibbon would have learned plenty from those losses to the Cowboys and Rabbitohs and as a result his side will be genuine premiership contenders in 2023. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (2) Not going anywhere Todd Payten – North Queensland Cowboys It proved a tough first season as an NRL head coach for Payten last year but the Cowboys stuck solid and he repaid the faith in spades in 2022. Payten took North Queensland from 15th on the ladder to third in just 12 months and the club was rewarded with a home preliminary final. Reuben Cotter, Tom Dearden, Jeremiah Nanai and Murray Taulagi all turned into State of Origin stars under his tutelage – with the latter two also making the Kangaroos’ World Cup squad. Payten’s tough love approach has the Cowboys competing for premierships again and it would take a significant regression for the coach to get marched anytime soon. Contracted: 2026 Verdict: (2) Not going anywhere Brad Arthur – Parramatta Eels Arthur finally took the Eels back to a grand final in his ninth season at the helm, but they fell short in the big dance against one of the best teams in the NRL era. It meant Parramatta’s agonising premiership drought will drag into a 37th year, and they’ve also lost Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs) and Isaiah Papali’i (Wests Tigers). Arthur also came under scrutiny for continually picking his son Jake – including in the grand final – in the wake of a leaked internal report that found the club guilty of nepotism. Arthur’s future will likely hinge on whether he can retain star halves duo Mitch Moses and Dylan Brown – who are both off contract and courting big-money offers. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (3) Safe for now Craig Bellamy – Melbourne Storm Bellamy is coming into his 21st and final year at the Storm. The legendary coach could lose every game by 100 points in 2023 and still escape the axe – such is his legacy. Bellamy’s record at Melbourne is remarkable – missing finals just once since taking over in 2003 and that was in 2010 when Melbourne couldn’t play for points due to salary cap breaches. The Storm have lost half their 2022 forward pack but Bellamy will undoubtedly find a way to ensure Melbourne will push for a fifth grand final berth since 2016. The 63-year-old has been saying for a decade he’s close to finishing up, so don’t be surprised to see him backflip on his plans and coach into 2024. Contracted: 2023 Verdict: (1) Safe as houses Trent Robinson – Sydney Roosters Robinson won three premierships in his first seven seasons at the Tricolours and will almost certainly finish as the club’s most decorated coach in history. The Roosters battled injuries in 2021 and still made the second week of the finals, but this year they were bundled out in week one by arch rivals South Sydney. Robinson has recruited superstar hooker Brandon Smith and the Chooks will once again start the season as premiership fancies. The Roosters also have three of the best fullbacks in the world in their backline, with the development of James Tedesco, Joey Manu and Joseph Suaalii all flourishing under Robinson. Contracted: 2028 Verdict: (1) Safe as houses Jason Demetriou – South Sydney Rabbitohs Very few coaches have found success in the wake of super coach Wayne Bennett leaving a club, but Demetriou found a way to break the curse this year. Demetriou went into his rookie season with an unproven halfback in the Lachlan Ilias following the ugly exit of veteran Adam Reynolds. But Souths still made it to a fifth straight preliminary final after impressive wins in the finals against the Roosters and Sharks. Demetriou is on the cusp of re-signing stars Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook and if he lands all three the coach’s future is safe. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (2) Not going anywhere Ricky Stuart – Canberra Raiders Stuart became Canberra’s longest-serving coach in history this year, surpassing his former mentor Tim Sheens with game number 221 back in August. The club was criticised for extending Stuart in the middle of the season as the Raiders were languishing in the bottom half of the ladder. But he then orchestrated a sensational charge up the ladder to finish eighth and then the Green Machine upset Melbourne in the first week of the finals. The club has stuck by Stuart through thick and thin and in 2019 he took Canberra to their first grand final since 1994. He’ll be coaching the club just about as long as he wants. Contracted: 2025 Verdict: (2) Not going anywhere Kevin Walters – Brisbane Broncos If seven days is a long time in rugby league then the last seven weeks of the 2022 season must have felt like an eternity for Walters. The Broncos were sitting pretty in fourth after Round 19, but fast forward to the first week of finals and Walters’ men inexplicably weren’t playing. Brisbane enjoyed a seven-game winning streak in the middle of the season but lost five of their final six to finish ninth on the ladder. Walters must make finals next year or his NRL head coaching career – which took him 20 years of work to get his opportunity – will likely be over after just three seasons. Contracted: 2023 Verdict: (4) Walking the tightrope Anthony Griffin – St George Illawarra Dragons Griffin was controversially extended before a ball was kicked this year and it proved another poor decision from the St George Illawarra board. The Dragons never really looked like playing finals and finished 10th as their ageing roster failed to fire for Griffin in the back half of the season. There were rumblings of the coach playing favourites and George Burgess publicly declared “I didn’t get along with Hook” after leaving the club in October. Griffin re-signed Ben Hunt on a deal that will see him earning almost $1 million in 2025 as a 35-year-old as young guns Jayden Sullivan and Tyrell Sloan asked for releases. Days are numbered. Contracted: 2023 Verdict: (5) Last chance saloon Sam Walker signs two-year extension | 00:25 MORE NRL NEWS ‘OTHER WAY AROUND’: How Maroons star fell into Bennett’s lap at Dolphins COURT: Cop had ‘no reason’ to punch NRL star but zero charges laid against police SUPER COACH: How Bennett will use glaring Dolphins issue to his advantage ‘DEDICATE MY CAREER TO LIAM’: Brimson’s touching tribute to ‘legend bloke’ Anthony Seibold – Manly Sea Eagles Seibold signed a three-year deal with Manly last month, marking a sensational comeback for the man who was unceremoniously sacked at the Broncos in 2020. The 2018 Dally M Coach of the Year (at the Rabbitohs) has spent the past two years working as an assistant to Eddie Jones – who was this week sacked as England’s rugby union coach. Seibold was all smiles at his first Brookvale press conference last week but it won’t take long for the knives to come out if the Sea Eagles struggle in 2023. The 48-year-old must reunite a team still divided by the pride jersey saga which ripped the club apart last season and cost Des Hasler his job. Contracted: 2025 Verdict: (3) Safe for now Cameron Ciraldo – Canterbury Bulldogs The most sought-after rookie coach of the past decade landed at the Bulldogs after knocking back approaches from the Wests Tigers and Dragons. Canterbury general manager Phil Gould got his man when Ciraldo penned a mammoth five-year deal in August, starting in 2023. Ciraldo will look to emulate the success this year of Craig Fitzgibbon, who also waited for the right job and then took the Sharks to second on the ladder in his first season. Stars Viliame Kikau and Reed Mahoney have joined the Dogs and plenty would have to unravel for Ciraldo to find himself under any serious pressure next year. Contracted: 2027 Verdict: (4) Not going anywhere Justin Holbrook – Gold Coast Titans The Titans went within one pass last year of winning their first finals game since 2010 but they couldn’t back it up in 2022. Holbrook’s men won just one game between rounds 5-21 and they only avoided finishing second-last on points difference. Holbrook inherited a losing culture when he arrived at the end of 2019 and the club did make finals for the second time in a decade last year. But the 46-year-old is entering his fourth season and a poor start to the year will likely see him out of a job by Round 10. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (5) Last chance saloon Adam O’Brien – Newcastle Knights This year the Knights were chasing three straight finals appearances for the first time since the Andrew Johns era – but things quickly derailed. The unexpected departure of halfback Mitchell Pearce (Catalans) last summer proved catastrophic as Newcastle won just three games between rounds 2-20. O’Brien was pulling his hair out trying to come up with solutions as Kalyn Ponga played just 14 games throughout his injury-plagued season. O’Brien has signed Jackson Hastings to fill the No. 7 void but another losing season and he’ll be lucky to see out his contract. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (4) Walking the tightrope Andrew Webster – New Zealand Warriors Warriors coaches don’t cop quite the same scrutiny as their Australian colleagues for obvious reasons – out of sight out of mind. Few were familiar with Panthers assistant Webster when the Warriors named him their coach on a three-year deal from 2023. The Warriors hired Webster after they were knocked back by St Helens coach Kristian Woolf who instead took an assistant role under Wayne Bennett at the Dolphins. Webster won’t be under any immediate pressure despite the Kiwi club playing finals just once (2018) in the past 11 seasons. Contracted: 2025 Verdict: (3) Safe for now Bulldogs sign drug cheat | 00:45 MORE NRL NEWS VERDICT ON KEY POSITIONAL BATTLES: Broncos’ No.9 dilemma; Eels’ huge void ‘I UNDERRATED HIM’: The Dolphins recruit set to shine among emerging stars OFF-SEASON: Broncos star’s plan for recall; Roosters’ bid to avoid spine wobbles CIRALDO COUP! Dogs snare ‘massive’ Panthers premiership cog in Aussie UFC star TRANSFER CENTRE: Sharks poach Panthers playmaker; Roosters lock up star half Tim Sheens – Wests Tigers Sheens won’t be sacked in the next two years but if the Tigers continue to flounder then the club will come under plenty of fire for its appointment of his successor – Benji Marshall. The Tigers shocked the rugby league world when they named Sheens and Marshall as their coaches for the next three years. Sheens will take the reins until the end of 2024 before handing over to Marshall, who will work under him as an assistant until then. Marshall only retired last year and will have to learn the ropes quickly as he’s never been a coach. This has all the makings of more heartache for the Tigers faithful. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (1) Safe as houses Wayne Bennett – Dolphins Bennett doesn’t get sacked. Sure, he’s had a few ugly exits but just how he departs is almost always orchestrated by the man himself. The Dolphins plan is for Bennett’s assistant Kristian Wolff to replace him in 2025 but don’t be surprised to see the super coach pop up somewhere else. The 72-year-old has been a head coach in the top grade since 1987 – leading Canberra to their maiden grand final in his first season – and will likely coach until the day he drops. Bennett has nothing left to prove and nobody is expecting anything from the Dolphins in their first two seasons so Bennett’s position is probably the safest job in Australian sport. Contracted: 2024 Verdict: (1) Safe as houses Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
