BEHIND THE SPORTS DESK: Who would want to be a coach?

THE back pages have been flooded with NRL coaching movements rather than the football, is it time we stopped allowing them to switch mid-year?

RUGBY LEAGUE: The stability of NRL coaches has come under the microscope in the past week, with back pages dominated by the latest movements of all leadin clipboard holders.

Within days we have witnessed the sacking of Penrith's Anthony Griffin, the destabilisation of Wayne Bennett, the resignation of Manly's Trent Barrett and the attempted poaching of the Wests-Tigers Ivan Cleary.

Power brokers at the top end of the game swing the axe faster than momentum swings in a game of rugby league, and as witnessed no coach is safe from where it falls.

But it has risen to such heights that we have forgotten about what's happening on field. Last week's top-of-the-table clash between the Roosters and the Bunnies almost slipped past unnoticed. Much the same with the Tigers late season resurgence under a fired-up Robbie Farrah.

But has it come to a point where we need a cut-off date for coaching movements? Pottsy and Moose go behind the sports desk to find out.

MOOSE ELKERTON: The lack of stability is killing the game

WHO would want to be an NRL coach?

Apparently even success on the field doesn't ensure you have a job at season's end.

The coaching merry-go-round has been spinning out of control in the past week, spurred on by an information-hungry rugby league public.

Griffin is gone.

Barrett is going.

And Bennett just isn't wanted at the Broncos.

Add in to that mix that Paul McGregor is skating on the thinnest of ice, Ivan Cleary has been linked to a reunion with son Nathan at Penrith, and Anthony Seibold is touted to take over at Red Hill, and you would almost forget the finals kick off in three weeks.

In terms of the matches on the field this has been one of the most hotly contested NRL seasons to date, and there has been plenty of reasons to celebrate the sport.

But who would know, with coaching movements governing the column inches for the entire year?

It frustrates me, and is something I have never understood. We stop players from moving clubs after the June 30 cut-off so as to not disrupt the rest of the season.

But apparently coaches are fair game to chop and change.

There is no security in terms of a contract - in fact the premise of a contract is obsolete in rugby league because hardly anyone honours them.

There has been a lack of stability in the game, and it is something driving fans away.

If we want change, at least we know where to start.

JARRARD POTTER: It's time to get off the merry-go-round

WHETHER we like it or not, rugby league is now a results-driven industry more than it ever has been.

Blame the internet, or social media, or NRL journalists who can smell blood in the water, the fact is rumours and speculation get attention, and that's all that matters.

It should be no surprise that if a team hasn't been able to perform on the park, the players and the coach should come under the microscope.

After all, a team not performing on the park means fewer ticket sales, fewer merchandise sales, and less money on the club's bottom line.

Just as we've seen players moved on or cut loose in the middle of a season, coaches can succumb to the same fate, and it's been happening for decades. In the 1998 season there were 11 changes in the coaching ranks, so this is nothing new.

If a coach isn't performing, I don't see why they shouldn't be let go, or if the case maybe walk out on their own accord. It'd be preferable to see any decision made during the off-season, but sometimes the situation is so dire, the personality clashes so severe, it's best for all parties to cut ties as soon as possible.

Loyalty in league has been gone from the game longer than the leather balls, so I think we will continue to see coaches shown the door, or walk out, mid-season.

Maybe clubs should look outside the merry-go-round for fresh faces and new approaches to coaching which might have them in the game for longer.

Originally published as BEHIND THE SPORTS DESK: Who would want to be a coach?