The NRL has a number of excellent head coaches, many that possess some of the best knowledge about the game of rugby league. This list ranks coaches based on their entire career but favours recent achievements more heavily.
Head coach of the Sea Eagles is Trent Barrett, who took over after the controversial sacking of club legend Geoff Toovey. Barrett managed to return the club to the finals in his first full season as coach, finishing in sixth position. The Manly coach has managed to stay competitive in 2018 despite losing a large number of players to serious injuries. Barrett will likely continue to improve as he gets more experience as a club coach.
Nathan Brown took on the incredibly tough job of recovering the Newcastle club from what were very dark days. Brown has begun the revival of the Knights in 2018 and would probably have challenged for a finals spot if not for some serious injuries to players like Mitchell Pearce and Tautau Moga. 2019 could well be the year Brown sees success and reaches the finals series.
Cowboys coach Paul Green would be ranked much higher if not for his horror season in 2018. Ignoring the current season however, Green has turned the Cowboys into one of the strongest teams in the NRL, with a premiership in 2015 and a grand final in 2017.
The only new coach in 2018 to make the list, Anthony Seibold is impressing at the Rabbitohs. Seibold has only lost five games in his short career as a head coach and has turned South Sydney into one of 2018’s premiership favourites. Going deep into this season’s finals series will go a long way to proving that Seibold is the real deal.
In 2016, Shane Flanagan became the first ever Cronulla Sharks coach to deliver the club a premiership. The club has been a constant premiership contender in recent years and it is largely due the roster and culture Flanagan has built at the club. It is certainly not out of the equation for Flanagan to win a second premiership with the Sharks.
Most Tigers fans were over the moon when it was announced that Ivan Cleary would be taking over the head coaching position at the club and for good reason. Over the years, Cleary has shown he is able to work with all sorts of teams and build a strong roster no matter what club he is at. Cleary took the Warriors to their most recent grand final and helped to build the current Panthers side; no doubt he will create a strong team at the Wests Tigers.
One of the more underrated coaches in the NRL, Antony Griffin’s Panthers team has been a force in the competition since he took over as coach. Much improved from his days at Brisbane, Griffin has turned the Panthers into a dynamic and explosive young side, with the potential to win any match at any time.
Considered by many to be the best coach of all time, Wayne Bennett deserves to be in the top three. Despite failing to take the Broncos to another premiership yet, Bennett is clearly a great match for the Brisbane club and is by far the best coach the club has ever had. Bennett coached teams almost never miss the finals which is a huge benefit to his sides.
Since Trent Robinson joined the Roosters in 2013, the club has been a major premiership threat almost every year and almost always boast incredible defence. Robinson has shown he is able to perform in one of the most high-pressure jobs in the NRL and has impressed many fans with his expertly coached teams.
Craig Bellamy is without a doubt the best coach in the NRL right now. Since taking over at the Storm, Bellamy has made the club one of the strongest in the league, producing a huge number of State of Origin and international stars. That the Storm are the current minor premiers and premiers is a result of Bellamy’s coaching and he continues to lead the way in 2018.