McCullough’s mail on the Newcastle coaching job

Nicholas Quinlan • July 18th, 2025 2:48 pm

SEN’s Andrew McCullough believes the Newcastle Knights are in line to sign Josh Hannay as their new head coach.

The current Cronulla and Queensland assistant coach has been widely touted as a potential head coach option for clubs in 2026.

Having just missed out on the Parramatta Eels job last year, Hannay’s coaching stocks have risen in 2025 thanks to helping Billy Slater and the Maroons sensationally secure the Origin title.

So far, he has been previously linked as the favourite to become the Titans' head coach with Des Hasler expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

He has also been linked to the Cowboys, where he played 150 of his 153 NRL games.

McCullough was responding to a text message from a listener who suggested Hannay could end up at North Queensland when he suggested the Knights may be the ones to secure his services.

“From my sources and the whispers around the place, I reckon Josh Hannay might end up at the Knights,” McCullough said on SENQ Breakfast.

This comes as it has been reported that the Knights are set to part ways with their current coach, Adam O’Brien, at the end of the season.

Despite struggling this season, O’Brien has been somewhat successful during his six seasons, having taken Newcastle to four finals series across his last five seasons prior to this year.

However, the Knights have only ever progressed past the first week of finals once during O’Brien’s tenure.

Hannay is not the only one who has been linked to potentially replacing O’Brien, with current Newcastle assistant coach Blake Green also being linked with the job.

However, McCullough was quick to point that not every assistant lives up to their expectations.

“But the thing is too, who isn’t an assistant (coach) that’s loved,” McCullough explained.

“Does anyone ever go, ‘he’s a terrible assistant’.”

“I’ve never met anyone that goes, he’s a terrible assistant.”