Wyong Roos coach 'Rip' Taylor knows that every game could be his last.
Having overseen Wyong's Intrust Super Premiership efforts since 2014 – one year following the side's inception into the then-NSW Cup in 2013 – the Roos' pending exit from the competition means the end to Taylor's tenure is fast approaching.
Will it be hard for the veteran coach to walk away from his post?
"Of course, it will," Taylor tells NSWRL.com.au.
"I've been lucky enough to have had some time in the sun. Everything comes to an end; Rugby League has no sentiments.
"We'll just move on."
But Taylor, and the Roos, are not moving on yet.
Despite a horror start to their 2018 campaign, the Roos will scrape into the ISP NSW finals series thanks to a Round 24 Bye.
It's it anomaly, of sorts, but the two points earned caps a remarkable end to the year for the 2017 grand finalists.
The Roos were dead last on the ISP ladder at the end of Round 10.
"The saying goes, 'if you're still playing in September, it's been a reasonable year'... it's the start of another competition," Taylor says of a rollercoaster 2018 season.
"[The Round 24 Bye] makes it a little bit more challenging. Obviously, you can't train your way into finals form, so it makes it that extra bit difficult."
The Roos will play the waiting game this weekend, watching on as other results decide their Finals Week One fate.
But in contrast, Wyong determined their own destiny with a remarkable mid-season revival – a 10-game period with only one loss, and including wins over now-top four sides in the Jets and Bulldogs.
"The (Round 11) win over the Jets, and the match with the Warriors (Round 19), we've looked back on those games as moments that really were defining in our season," Taylor says.
Late Surge Seals Remarkable Roos Win
"The young guys in our team started to realise that they could really match it with some of the more experienced players in the competition.
"We just needed a little bit more game management – we can go with anyone in the comp."
For now, Taylor's focus remains on seeing his Roos to a second-straight grand final – and perhaps, a premiership to boot.
But at the end of the finals series?
"At this stage, I'm probably looking for a job," Taylor says, honestly.
"I still think I've got a bit to offer. I'd have a look at anything within a Rugby League club – recruitment, development, list management.
"Rugby League is in my heart."
