The Newcastle Knights search for Adam O'Brien's successor has reportedly produced a surprising candidate, with former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika now firmly in the conversation.
Cheika is best known for his work in the 15-man code, but league fans will remember his stint with the Roosters as an assistant, or for his time in charge of Lebanon's best World Cup campaign.
That combination makes him one of the more unconventional names linked to the role - and perhaps the most intriguing.
MORE: NRL team of the year 2025
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Newcastle officials recently spoke with Cheika to test the waters.
Cheika isn't hiding his coaching ambitions either. On a recent episode of Freddy and The Eighth, he admitted that the lure of cracking the NRL has never left him.
"I think that challenge, if you think about it, hasn’t really been met," he said.
"To master that challenge, especially being an Aussie kid where league is such a big sport and I grew up playing the sport, I think it would be a huge challenge."
Rugby league immortal Andrew Johns went one step further, telling him directly: "I would love to see you as a head coach – I think you’d nail it."
Cheika's track record in rugby union certainly shows he knows what it takes to win. He took Leinster to European glory, then lifted a Super Rugby trophy with the Waratahs.
With the Wallabies, he pulled off an unlikely World Cup run to the 2015 final, earning World Rugby's Coach of the Year that same season.
More recently, he masterminded Argentina's historic first-ever win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.
Still, there are hurdles. Cheika has never been an NRL head coach, making him a significant gamble over other candidates like Justin Holbrook, John Morris or Paul McGregor who've been there before.
But risk often comes with reward, and powerbrokers in Newcastle may decide a bold choice is exactly what the club needs to shake free from their wooden spoon standing.
Cheika himself summed it up best when speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald.
"I’d push them to whatever’s required to win, because that’s the objective," he said.
If Newcastle is chasing a safe option, Cheika isn't their man. But if their goal is to turn this organisation on its head, he might be perfect.