The St George Illawarra Dragons will reportedly ask coach Anthony Griffin to reapply for his job as he approaches the end of his contract with the club.
Griffin, who joined the Dragons ahead of the 2021 season, has failed to take the club to a finals series since he began his time at the joint venture.
2021 saw the Dragons win just 8 games out of 24 to finish in 11th spot, before 2022 brought more of the same, with 12 wins seeing the Dragons wind up four points out of the top eight.
The veteran boss, who has previously spent time at the Brisbane Broncos and Penrith Panthers, bafflingly had a club option picked up on his contract for 2023 before a ball had been kicked in 2022, with CEO Ryan Webb saying at the time that he and the board had seen enough to suggest Griffin should given a third year.
He claimed that was the 'standard' contract for new coaches and the generally agreed upon length of time that a coach needs to stamp his authority on a new coach.
That seemed to show positive signs in Round 2 this year (after a Round 1 bye), with the Dragons blowing the Gold Coast Titans out of the water. That was followed with a competitive effort against the Brisbane Broncos for 70 minutes, before Kevin Walters' side ran away with a thumping win in the final ten minutes.
Things aren't about to get any easier for Griffin, who takes on the Cronulla Sharks this Sunday, then the red-hot Dolphins in Round 5.
While it's understood the Dragons won't move Griffin on before the end of the season, The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting that his future was mentioned at a board meeting on Tuesday.
That has led to the revelation of Griffin likely needing to reapply for his job moving into 2024 - and he has vowed to fight for the right to earn a new contract.
The publication are reporting that former players Jason Ryles, Dean Young and Ben Hornby could headline the list of possible coaches to take over from Griffin should he ultimately not be retained for 2024.
Young and Hornby were both part of the 2010 premiership team and now hold jobs at the North Queensland Cowboys and South Sydney Rabbitohs as assistant coaches respectively, are touted as possible options, while Jason Ryles, who has been seen as the next best thing in the coaching game after Cameron Ciraldo for many seasons now, is also on the radar.
Young could ultimately be the front-runner - he was highly-rated by Wayne Bennett, who always believed he would turn into a suitable coach, but he left the Dragons as Griffin joined the club, frustrated at not getting an opportunity at the club he used to play at after serving as interim coach following the departure of Paul McGregor.
It's unclear whether he would entertain a move back to the Dragons.
Shane Flanagan is another on the radar, having spent two stints at the Dragons - one as an assistant coach, and one as a recruitment consultant - before moving to the Manly Sea Eagles where he is part of Anthony Seibold's staff this year.
Griffin could yet save his job, but it appears the writing is on the wall unless the Red V can get well on their way to a finals appearance this year.
Despite that, star player Ben Hunt is a well-known supporter of Griffin and has urged the club to not move the veteran boss on - it could play well into Griffin's hands.
Hunt is widely regarded as the only reason the Dragons avoided the bottom four or worse last season, with the club falling apart even further everytime he wasn't available to play.
The Red V have had a difficult pre-season with injuries and off-field issues, but are now back to full strength ahead of their Round 4 clash in the local derby with the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday evening at Kogarah.
