The Richard Agar era is over at Leeds Rhinos after the head coach decided to resign.
After almost three years at the helm Agar has moved on and now, Leeds are chasing a new candidate for the role.
Finding a mid-season replacement will not be easy but here, we take a look at eight potential candidates who could become the new head coach.
Read more: Richard Agar stands down as Leeds Rhinos head coach after dismal start to the year
Ryan Carr
The 33-year-old is very highly regarded in the rugby league coaching scene both in the UK and Australia.
Carr was the man who guided Featherstone Rovers to the 2019 Million Pound Game against the odds and backed that up by returning to Australia and becoming an assistant coach.
He is at Parramatta Eels this year, where he is again well respected. He does, of course, have history with the Rhinos, working on their coaching staff, under Agar, during the 2019 season.
Shane Flanagan
The NRL-winning coach has previously been linked with the Leeds Rhinos role and was so as recently as last year.
Flanagan, who won the NRL with Cronulla Sharks in 2016, was unable to hold a head coaching role due to breaching his suspension in the Sharks’ peptide scandal back in 2014.
However, he is now free to coach again and expressed his desire to do so again after joining St George in a consultancy role three weeks ago.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan
An obvious inclusion having become interim coach. JJB will lead the team in the short-term and as such has an opportunity to show he's capable of taking the job permanently.
Time will tell whether that happens, but he has a chance to throw his name in the hat.
Danny McGuire
McGuire is now in the coaching scene, acting as assistant coach at Hull KR.
It is, of course, an emotional attachment between coach and club from his playing days, and some may think he needs more time before taking on a role of such size.
But he understands the club and the vision. That will be important.
Anthony Seibold
Gary Hetherington confirmed last year that Richard Agar had held conversations with Seibold about a potential coaching role at Leeds, though he insisted that was as far as it went.
However, with a vacancy now available, who knows if those conversations will commence again? Seibold, who played for London Broncos and Hull KR during his career, is currently the defence coach of England's rugby union team.
He was sacked by Brisbane in 2020, the year in which they 'won' their first ever wooden spoon.
Tony Smith
Smith has history with the Rhinos having won two Grand Finals during his previous spell with the club. He is currently the head coach of Hull KR, but is off-contract at the end of the season.
With his contract expiring and given the job he's done at Hull KR, he will inevitably be linked, but would he be willing to leave his role at Hull KR given what he's achieved.
Shaun Wane
The England head coach now has a role at Wigan Warriors but has never hidden from his desire to coach day-to-day again.
Of course, Wane has a World Cup to plan for but if Leeds are willing to wait until the end of the season, there's every chance the three-time Grand Final winning coach would be interested in the role.
Leeds' youth development is key, Wane is big on that as we know, could it be a perfect fit?
Danny Ward
Ward is currently coaching in rugby union with Rosslyn Park but is known to be keen on a return to rugby league.
The former Leeds Rhinos forward did a great job at London Broncos, guiding them to Super League against the odds and then almost keeping them up, which would have been a huge shock.
He knows the club, is available now and would bring with him a good reputation and experience working at youth and first team level
