In our annual NRL Pigskin Preview, which features in the footy-heavy March issue, we predict the following coaches will be under the most pressure throughout season 2014.

BRAD ARTHUR

The Eels’ board isn’t just the most self-destructive in the league, it’s also the most reactionary. Coaches don’t get long to produce the goods at Church Street before the men in suits start reminding their mentor that they expect results – do you think Ricky Stuart felt the love of the board before he fled to his native Canberra? If the Eels are patient with Arthur, it’ll pay off. He has Melbourne Storm dust on him (he was appointed their development coach in 2007), and assisted Geoff Toovey with his duties at Manly last year, so he must have done something to impress someone along his coaching journey. That infighting Parramatta board, though, takes no prisoners. Here’s hoping superstar Jarryd Hayne is in form this season ...

MICK POTTER

Things would’ve seemed a lot peachier than they are now in Tigerland (which has more districts than The Hunger Games) when Mick Potter accepted the job as head coach. Back then, onfield leader Braith Xiannikis Anastasakis was on his way from Bondi, Benji Marshall was hot-stepping his way for the joint venture, and the giant ex-Wallaby Lote Tuqiri was ready for another season of destruction. But the lowly-placed Tigers can no longer holler for a Marshall, coz he plays union in NZ now; Lote’s at Souths, but at least Braith is still around; so too Robbie Farah. Potter will need more than Farah’s NSW’s-blue-faced passion, though, to save him from a club management which wasn’t afraid to chop even the most coaching-est coach of all, Tim Sheens, when the wins weren’t coming.

Catch our March issue – ON SALE NOW - for our full season preview.