With just five rounds left before the NRL finals, all 17 of the head coaches who began the year still remain stubbornly in place—making 2025 one of the rarest coaching seasons of the modern era.
Alas, it also means there is an increasing likelihood the annual blood-letting will instead be concentrated on the immediate post-season, mimicking a trend more typically seen in America’s NFL where the phenomenon is referred to as Black Monday.
Rumours have persisted for the past month that Gold Coast Titans boss Des Hasler will be the first domino to fall by way of ‘retirement’ at season’s end.
But even if that does happen, the 64-year-old is unlikely to be the only post-season casualty as club boards and owners make desperate moves ahead of 2026.
MORE: The Hot Seat—Which NRL coaches are feeling the heat ahead of the 2025 finals?
Is Isaac Moses facing a coaching client calamity?
As many as eight current NRL bosses will be feeling vulnerable as the season draws to a close for their under-performing teams.
In particular, there is a very real possibility that the trio of Newcastle’s Adam O’Brien, North Queensland’s Todd Payten and even Manly’s Anthony Seibold could all be gone by Christmas.
Should that scenario eventuate, it would create a somewhat awkward season postscript for one of 2025’s most talked about player agents, Isaac Moses, who manages all three men through his agency, Cove.
Other NRL coaches managed by Moses include St. George Illawarra's heavily-scrutinised Shane Flanagan and New Zealand Warriors boss Andrew Webster—easily the safest of his current coaching quintet.
Against all the odds, the NRL coaching merry-go-round is still yet to begin, who will be left when it does?