The Newcastle Knights are reportedly set to make a call on the coaching future of Adam O’Brien as the club currently sits in 13th place on the NRL ladder with only six wins this season.
Appointed head coach of the Knights in 2020 after stints with the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters as an assistant coach, O’Brien has only managed to win 62 out of a possible 137 matches, holding a 45 per cent winning record.
Although they have made the NRL Finals in four of his five seasons during his time in charge, he has only been able to get past the Elimination Final once, and the club are set to enter a new era in 2026 with the $13 million signing of Dylan Brown.
Preparing for the future, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Newcastle Knights are set to part ways with O’Brien at the end of the 2025 NRL season, with club powerbrokers beginning to make internal plans to sack him.
The news comes after O’Brien landed a two-year contract extension with the Knights until the end of 2027 after finishing within the top-12 teams last season – they finished in eighth place, which saw him play in the NRL Finals.
According to The Herald, it is understood that assistant coach Blake Green is the frontrunner to replace O’Brien in the head coaching role.
Meanwhile, Cronulla Sharks and QLD Maroons assistant coach Josh Hannay is also being linked with the role having previously been seen as the frontrunner to succeed Des Hasler at the Gold Coast Titans.
“I’ve got good, strong support from the board. They understand the situation that we’re in with our depth and the injuries,” O’Brien said in May.
“Pressure and expectation comes with the job, I understand that. I’m used to it by now.
“We want results and I understand our supporters and sponsors want results – but I can’t get fixated on that narrative.
“I’ve just got to focus on getting today right and being really committed to fighting our way out with the players.”
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