For me, like most NRL fans, 2022 cannot come quickly enough.
For some coaches though, they need every day (and then some) to make the decisions that will shape their club's future.
With positions in the eight at a premium, the smallest of decisions can alter a team's season. We've seen it recently with coaches reluctant to make changes, only for fortunes to improve when a difficult call was finally made.
There are a host of big decisions to be made before Round 1 next season. Below are the five I believe will need to be made ASAP and stand to have a huge bearing on early season results.
I honestly thought the Kalyn Ponga experiment was done. Then the Knights released Mitchell Pearce without a Plan B.
We all expected Luke Brooks to finally complete a move away from the club, which I still maintain would benefit everyone involved, but the Tigers are standing their ground.
Here we are again, two seasons after a horror, failed experiment that saw Ponga stink it up in the halves, to give it another try.
Ponga is a class fullback but there's definitely a line of thinking that he needs to be more involved, especially now that Pearce has left the club.
It's not hyperbolic to suggest that Newcastle's season relies heavily on Ponga's ability to adapt to his supposed new role, or the Knights to provide a star option at six.
Jake Clifford is a brilliant young talent but it's a bit rich to sign the kid (he's still only 23) and throw in a rookie half option and say "take us to the finals".
If Newcastle can't sign Brooks then their hand may be forced. Has Ponga got it in him? Does he even want to move into the halves?
Adam O'Brien has a huge question to answer. The result of his decision may very well decide the future of both the Knights and O'Brien himself.
Reports have emerged over the past few days that the race to claim the Dragons number one jersey is down to two; Cody Ramsey and Tyrell Sloan.
This is one question I can answer with confidence, and I'm happy to do so for free... It's Tyrell Sloan.
Cody Ramsey has shown signs of developing into an incredible footballer, on the wing. Meanwhile Tyrell Sloan was a genuine highlight in an otherwise dire 2021 for the Dragons.
I suggest reports were leaked to take pressure off the Dragons youngster, who as of this moment is still on a development contract.
They may also have been released to keep Ramsey happy, given he was mooted as the future fullback after the Matt Dufty fiasco midway through last season.
Sloan is a freakish talent with highlight moments and six tries to his NRL career to date. One that at just five games is very much still in its infancy.
It's hard to see where the points come from for the Red V in 2022 and beyond, so they need every possible attacking option firing.
Sloan offers so much. Not to say Ramsey doesn't, but it's very easy to fit both into the run on side if that's what Anthony Griffin wants.
Watch as Rugby League Outlaws discuss all things Off-Season
Rookie head coach Craig Fitzgibbon has a few questions to answer during the off-season. Does Andrew Fifita feature? Does Ronaldo Mulitalo move to the centres? What to do with Connor Tracey?
The most pressing, and important, question however is where to play Nicho Hynes? That question will ultimately decide who partners him in the halves; either veteran Matt Moylan or exciting prospect Braydon Trindall?
On the surface this seems easy. If Hynes is the seven, then obviously it's Moylan. If he's six, then Trindall. Right?
I believe it's far more difficult than that and will come down to whether Fitzgibbon is able to name Hynes his dominant playmaker right off the bat.
For all the jokes re Moylan's injury history, he was the Sharks best half whenever he was on the park in 2021, except of course their final game of the season where Moylan had a nightmare.
Hynes kicking game, or lack thereof may ultimately decide this. Trindall's long kicking game trumps Moylan's by a long way, literally.
If Hynes is trusted with the chief playmaking role and can kick his side out of trouble, then Moylan looks the obvious answer in the early rounds.
I would be shocked if we don't see Trindall named more often than not though from Round 4 or 5 onward.
There are four players I want to highlight here, who I believe need to find regular spots to truly make a mark in 2021.
Jack Bird looks set for a full-time move into the forwards, with reports indicating he will wear the number 13 jersey this season. I love this move.
Moses Mbye has been recruited by the Dragons without an obvious position. That is problematic as he looks a waste as a 14.
Tyrone Peachey has all the potential in the world but has never nailed down a full-time, run-on position. He's another who is wasted when used as a "fill-in" from the bench.
Adam Doueihi, for mine, is the undoubted number six in Tiger Town and other decisions should be made around him. That said, he faces being named out of position now that the Luke Brooks move to Newcastle looks off.
Three of the above four players have represented their state in the Origin arena, yet can you honestly tell me where each's best position sits?
Bird at 13 makes sense. Peachey at 13 also works for me. He has to run on for the Tigers. Doueihi needs to wear the six. Mybe, I have no idea where his future may end up.
Their respective coaches best have the answers come Round 1 as they shape as key decisions.
We all know that Adam Reynolds will be running out, if fit, for the Broncos in the number seven jersey each and every week.
I do have my doubts about us knowing with any certainty just who will partner him however. I dare say Kevin Walters may be in the same camp.
Albert Kelly, Tyson Gamble and Billy Walters seem the three standout options. Cory Paix shapes as an option, while Ezra Mam had a standout season in the QLD Cup.
Albert Kelly shocked many, myself included, with his performances when called upon on 2021. He and Reynolds would be the most exciting option.
Tyson Gamble showed his grit and abilities at times also. He absolutely bodied the Sharks in their first meeting and showed an ability to get under opposition players skin with ease.
Billy Walters didn't deliver on his undoubted promise at the Tigers. Could his father be the one to extract his undoubted potential?
I genuinely have no idea where Walters Sr goes with this decision. One thing is for sure, he needs to get this decision right.
The Broncos halves jumpers became a carousel in 2021 and it was to the benefit of absolutely no one.
Let us know below where you believe the answers to the above five questions might lay.