Paul Rowley made the shock decision to step down as St Helens head coach on Monday afternoon following a difficult run of results.
In their last nine games, Saints' only wins have come against newly promoted Bradford Bulls, struggling Huddersfield Giants and at home to Catalans Dragons. In that run of eight games was the embarrassing 46-0 defeat at home to Toulouse Olympique.
With Eamon O'Carroll set to take the reins for the rest of the season, we look at potential candidates for Rowley's permanent successor.
Ben Gardiner
St Helens have had plenty of success with Australians at the helm in their history; indeed, all of their Super League titles have come with Aussies in charge, from Ian Millward, to Daniel Anderson, to Nathan Brown, to Justin Holbrook and most recently to Kristian Woolf.
Ben Gardiner could add his name to their ranks, but the first stumbling block appears to be his existing commitments to Perth Bears, who will make their NRL debut next year. Gardiner is contracted to take over as head coach from 2029, though reportedly interviewed with St George Illawarra Dragons.
Kurt Haggerty
Given Paul Rowley never quite seemed to fit at the BrewDog Stadium, a move for his former assistant Kurt Haggerty may seem illogical, but the Bradford Bulls boss has earned plenty of plaudits for his work at Odsal, playing an attractive brand of rugby league, and given how the side handled their injury crisis earlier in the season, Haggerty has done his chances of a bigger job no harm.
Eamon O'Carroll
There's an argument that off-field issues are as much to blame for St Helens' current plight as anything going on in the dugout, and before bringing in a top-class head coach, Saints might want to get their house in order first and wait to fit the final piece of the puzzle when the club is in a better position.
While he might not be the most popular appointment in the short term, interim head coach Eamon O'Carroll is a safe pair of hands to see out this season before having a proper run at the job next term, potentially keeping the seat warm for a long-term successor.
Jason Demetriou
Another potential Australian option for St Helens is Jason Demetriou. The London Broncos coach has overseen 19 wins from 19 games in the Championship and will naturally be attracting interest from bigger clubs ahead of the Broncos' expected promotion to Super League next year.
London have averaged a +55 points difference for their 19 wins so far this term, and the former South Sydney Rabbitohs head coach may find himself in Super League sooner than expected.
Todd Lowrie
Given their history, St Helens are most likely after an Australian to succeed Paul Rowley, and John Davidson revealed the club were considering a move for Todd Lowrie. Lowrie is currently employed as Melbourne Storm's development coach, and while the move would perhaps be a gamble from both parties, the 43-year-old might be tempted to leave Australia for his first senior coaching role.
