2022 was a busy year for the NRL's coaching carousel, with three first-grade mentors out of a job before the end of June.
Trent Barrett, Michael Maguire and Nathan Brown all felt the wrath of undelivered expectations and have paved the way for the next generation, while the Tigers have gone back to a tried-and-trusted method by re-hiring Tim Sheens.
But while brand new coaches and revered figures are likely to be given some time to implement their grand plans, there are a number of coaches at the other end โ feeling the pressure after a disappointing or at least heavily scrutinised 2022 campaign.
1. Adam O'Brien (Newcastle)
Few who witnessed it could forget the trainwreck press conference O'Brien gave as pressure was mounting towards the back end of the 2022 season.
With an abysmal win-loss record and the worst defensive record in the competition, the Knights coach took exception to suggestions that saving the club might be beyond him. He said, correctly, that he's been involved in four grand finals and understands a title-winning defensive system, and that it takes time to implement change.
That speech proved there is a significant gulf between being an assistant and a head coach, and it did little to reverse the club's fortunes or generate sympathy for their plight. They won their next game against the Tigers but didn't win again all season, finishing the year in 14th by a slim margin over the Warriors.
The club has lost a mass of experience during the off-season already, with David Klemmer, Anthony Milford, Edrick Lee and Mitch Barnett alone combining for 660 NRL games. While newcomer Adam Elliott has played over 100 games, no one else that the club has brought in (Jackson Hastings, Tyson Gamble, Jack Hetherington and more) is near triple-digit NRL appearances.
But perhaps the biggest question โ and factor pertaining to O'Brien's hopes โ is the revised decision to try, once again, to bring Kalyn Ponga into the halves.
While there's a good chance this decision is as much about trying to protect Ponga from the risk of concussion as it is enhancing the attack, it's been tried before.
After finishing the 2018 season with two appearances in the No.6, Ponga was touted as the future five-eighth at the club, despite openly expressing his preference for fullback.
In 2019 he started in the role and made another three appearances before going back to the No.1. He hasn't played five-eighth since. Clearly, he offers more to the Knights as a fullback.
O'Brien could benefit from this experiment's revival, with analysis likely to tie results more to Ponga's influence than his own, at least for a while. Perhaps the biggest problem hanging over this move is the fact that the Knights don't have a fullback of Ponga's calibre to replace him.
It is absolutely essential that the Knights emerge from their first five games with a winning record, given they play the Warriors, Tigers and Dolphins in their first three games. Any missteps will see the pressure applied early, and it will only intensify as the season progresses.
With just one five-day turnaround and a relatively comfortable draw, make no mistake โ if the Knights start slow and fail to look like they'll contend for the finals this year, O'Brien could be gone before Origin. Ponga will take some heat and headlines, but the buck will stop with the coach.
