It’s been quite a week for Gold Coast NRL coach, Des Hasler—actually, it’s been quite a season.
Following last Sunday’s 36-20 loss to the Eels, Hasler has been fending off questions about his job, wayward star David Fifita and injured playmaker Jayden Campbell—all while his side remains anchored firmly to the bottom of the NRL table.
Not without some irony, one of the few people who can relate to Hasler’s predicament right now is equally under-fire Cowboys mentor, Todd Payten, which makes today’s Round 17 Titans-Cowboys clash compelling viewing, albeit in a slow-motion train wreck type of way.
Both sides are coming off heavy Round 16 defeats, both squads are watching their NRL finals chances slip away, and both coaches are under intense pressure from disgruntled fans to turn things around, quickly.
MORE: Fans call for Payten’s head after Cowboys humiliated by Roosters
Speaking on SEN radio earlier this week, recently-appointed Perth Bears NRL coach, Mal Meninga, expressed sympathy for both Hasler and Payten.
“I do feel sorry for the coaches, they’re the easy out,” Meninga told SEN hosts Corey Parker and Ian Healy.
“They’re the scapegoats.
“There’s a lot more to clubland than a coach, and a coach is the easiest man to get rid of to try and change things.”
In one bit of good news for Des Hasler’s men, the last-placed Titans have won four of their past five home games against North Queensland, while the 12th-placed Cowboys have also conceded a disastrous 138 points in their past three games.
The stakes couldn’t be any higher—and, depending on the outcome at Cbus Super Stadium, the match may not be the only thing one NRL head coach loses today.
At least the weather’s nice in Queensland at this time of year.