HE’S considered to be a dead man walking.

While Neil Henry maintains he hasn’t received a tap on the shoulder from the Gold Coast board, it’s being reported that the Gold Coast coach will be the loser of the feud between him and star recruit Jarryd Hayne.

“There’s speculation,” Henry said of his future.

“We’ll find out, I suppose, in due course if that’s true.”

Round 19

LIVE stream the 2017 NRL Telstra Premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW

Punting Henry will cost the club $400,000 in 2018.

While Henry says he won’t know anything further until the board meets next week, you can trust several potential candidates are anxiously awaiting the verdict so they can begin to push their cases for why they should land the top job.

Here are who foxsports.com.au believes are the contenders:

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by player manager Steve Gillis to discuss the Eels’ incredible season just 12 months on from salary cap disaster.

You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app

ANTHONY SEIBOLD (South Sydney)

Assistant coach to Kevin Walters’s Queensland Origin team, Seibold comes with high praise.

Having joined the Rabbitohs as an assistant after a year with Manly last season, he made his mark with a three-year stint in Melbourne.

Anthony Seibold with the Queensland team. Source: News Corp Australia

Having coached the Queensland under 18s, Seibold coached the Storm’s Holden Cup coach side in 2013 before moving into an assistant’s role where he was responsible for game analysis and defensive structures.

As a former Broncos player, Seibold is a proud Queenslander with ties to the area.

EVERY CLUB ASKED: Do you want Hayne?

MATTY: Real reason for Henry’s axing

GEOFF TOOVEY

The former Manly coach is currently in charge of Bradford.

But the Bulls have been relegated into the English third tier, leaving a cloud around the viability of Toovey staying on in that role.

A former NSW and Australia representative, Toovey took over as Sea Eagles coach in 2012 where he spent four years in charge before he was replaced by Trent Barrett.

With Bradford relegated, Toovey is available to any NRL clubs keen on his services.

GARTH BRENNAN (Penrith)

Matthew Johns has backed Penrith NSW Cup coach Garth Brennan as the man for the job.

A former assistant at Newcastle, Brennan has won an NYC Premiership and NSW Cup Premiership during his time with the Panthers.

He’s in his sixth season with the club.

Rick Stone with Garth Brennan. Source: News Limited

“I’ve had a rap on fellow named Garth Brennan for a long time,” Johns said on the Triple M Grill Team.

“Brennan has been coaching lower grades at Penrith for a number of years now and he’s won competition after competition.

“He’s a young coach, he is very much in that Trent Robinson, Michael Maguire mould in the fact people don’t know who he is.

“He’s not a household name in rugby league but after you have 12 months of success that’s how you build your reputation.”

But what could give Brennan the edge is his asking price.

With the Titans having to pay-out Henry’s deal, Johns believes Brennan would be the best financial option with the coach willing to take the reins on an incentive-based deal.

“He will go there on an incentive-based contract,” he said.

“They’ve got to pay out Neil Henry, they have been financial peril in the past the Gold Coast Titans. I have no doubt he’ll say ‘I’ll come on an incentive-based contract’ which will suit the Titans.”

KEVIN WALTERS (Queensland Origin)

The Maroons coach is perhaps the most logical candidate.

Well respected, with links to the area and a successful Origin coach, Walters is signed to coach the Maroons in 2018 and in talks to extend his deal to 2020.

While a move to the Titans would make sense to most, when Walters was asked about it earlier this month, he felt differently.

Qld coach Kevin Walters. Source: News Corp Australia

“I would like to coach in the NRL one day but I don’t think that time is now, I really believe that,” Walters said on Queenslanders Only recently.

“I think there’s some more work that I have to do with the Queensland side, with the transition of some of our players and I’m really enjoying the Origin side.

“We won it this year so obviously I’m still on a pretty big high from all of that and club coaching’s a different gig again and the week-to-week grind of it all can be very consuming.

“… I’m going to keep coaching Queensland. I haven’t signed it yet, but negotiations have opened up.”

CURRENT ASSISTANTS (Titans)

Terry Matterson. The 50-year-old joined the Titans as an assistant in 2015 after leaving North Queensland. A former Brisbane lock with plenty of first grade coaching experience, Matterson coached Castleford in the Super League for seven years before moving back to Australia. He also coached the USA Test team for two years, including a World Cup in 2013. After leaving England, Matterson moved to the Cowboys where he spent three years before joining the Titans.

Their other assistant is Craig Hodges. The 43-year-old joined the club after four years as coach of Brisbane’s NYC side.