Huge news dropped overnight as the Brisbane Broncos announced the removal of Kevin Walters as head coach.
An end-of-season review ruled that missing the Finals just wasn't good enough and the Broncos legend paid with his job.
Less than 12 months after Walters and his Broncos fell a Nathan Cleary 20-minute masterclass short of a title, they have parted ways.
I feel Brisbane wouldn't have made this decision unless they had at least a name or two in mind to replace the now-departed Walters.
Below are five names I believe will be in those discussions and therefore likely replacements as Brisbane Broncos head coach:
The Broncos job is massive. This Broncos side is worthy of a genuine title tilt.
Broncos brass may feel that they need an experienced coach.
Luckily for them, Brad Arthur became available after being sacked by the Eels earlier in this season.
Arthur took his side to the Grand Final in his 258-game stint at the helm of the Eels. He rebuilt the side on various occasions.
Although he's currently coaching the Leeds Rhinos in England, I would be shocked if the lure of the Broncos job wasn't enough to bring him back home.
Although Arthur was sacked earlier this year, it wasn't the typical standing down. Arthur has just run out of ideas at the Eels. Both needed to go their separate ways.
The Broncos have a side chock full of Origin talent. They should have entered the 2024 season as the NRL Premiers.
Brad Arthur could very well take them a step further than he could take the Eels.
I'm going to say this straight up; I believe Demetriou was extremely harshly dealt with by the Bunnies.
He was made a scapegoat and thrown to the wolves with the plan to ultimately bring back Wayne Bennett.
Demetriou took over the most difficult role in rugby league, following Wayne Bennett.
He excelled, yet under the most ridiculous injury cloud I've seen, Souths fell away at the start of 2024.
Rather than give him any leeway, the Bunnies sacked Demetriou and moved quickly to bring Bennett back to the club.
He showed enough during his time at the Bunnies to suggest there is a brilliant NRL coach there.
Whether or not that comes at the Broncos, I'm not sure, but I would be willing to bet his name will come up. For good reason!
We've seen a list of coaches heading from Souths to the Broncos. Demetriou could very well be the latest.
My feeling is that Billy Slater will take over the Melbourne Storm when Craig Bellamy finally retires or moves into a head of football role.
That said, Billy Slater isn't going to wait to wait forever.
It looks like a matter of when, not if, Slater will translate from the Origin arena into week-to-week NRL coaching.
The Broncos' role is massive but Slater has spent his career in the most massive of moments. He is a multiple-time Premiership-winning player, Origin winner and Kangaroos legend.
Slater has overseen a tremendous run at the helm of the Maroons.
He managed to wrestle the Shield away from a far more favoured and seemingly superior NSW set-up.
Slater is the next great NRL coach. You can take this statement to the bank!
I still believe he has his eyes set on the Storm role. He is a Storm legend in every sense of the world.
That said, if there is one role that may detour that Storm plan, is looks to be the Brisbane role.
Slater is just as much a QLD legend as a Storm legend. You can't convince me that this isn't a match made in rugby league heaven!
The current Kangaroos coach was supposedly keen to move back into week-to-week coaching. Many thought he had the South Sydney Rabbitohs job parcelled up.
I believe he ever did an interview on Fox Sports talking about his new role.
He was then overlooked, for whatever reason, by the Bunnies, who opted for the return of Wayne Bennett.
Mal oversaw the greatest QLD dynasty in Origin history. He is a Maroon legend on and off the park.
If Meninga was willing to talk to Souths, I have no doubt the Broncos job would grab his attention.
It has been over 20 years since Meninga oversaw a club side, the Canberra Raiders. That said he has 125 of NRL coaching under his belt and a further 56 as either coach of the Maroons or Kangaroos.
Meninga is a massive presence. His name would excite players and fans alike.
NRL coaching is very different to the rep arena but rugby league is a simple game.
Meninga's name will be linked by the time this drops. I guarantee it.
Having come so close to landing the Eels job, you'd have to imagine the Sharks assistant will be keen to put his hat back in the ring.
Hannay is held in extremely high regard at the Sharks while he has been a regular in the Queensland Origin set up.
The Sharks were willing to let Hannay go if he landed the Eels job and they surely won't stand in is way should Brisbane come calling.
If the Broncos want a fresh start, Hannay could provide that.
The 44-year-old has done his time as an assistant and has aged past "one of the boys" status.
I felt Walters was too close to the Broncos, as silly as that sounds to type, but Hannay wouldn't have that issue.
Most importantly Hannay did a stellar job in ridiculously difficult circumstances while in charge at the Sharks.
He oversaw 19 games in the 2021 season. Most won't even remember the season but he stood up after John Morris was released after the club signed Craig Fitzgibbon.
His stint was such that Fitzgibbon kept him on as his assistant.
Hannay missed the Eels job by a whisker. Maybe it was for the best as he may be next man up in Brisbane.