North Queensland football boss Peter Parr says applicants are already queuing up to succeed Paul Green as Cowboys coach.
But Parr admits the NRL club is unsure whether to opt for an experienced mentor or blood another untested coach.
Parr said the Cowboys were in no rush to replace Green who stood down on Monday after being told by the board he would not be required in 2021.
However, there will be no shortage of options with Melbourne assistant Jason Ryles, interim Warriors coach Todd Payten and St Helens and Tonga mentor Kristian Woolf believed to be leading candidates.
On the more experienced end of the scale, England coach Shaun Wane and former Brisbane and Penrith mentor Anthony Griffin are expected to also be in the running when Cowboys officials discuss their plans to replace Green at a board meeting later this month.
“Our first priority at the moment has been to treat Paul with the respect that he deserved,” Parr told Sky Sports Radio.
“Now that we have had a mutual and amicable separation we will turn our attention to who can fill that void.
“We’ve already had plenty of enquiries already.
“We now have time on our side to work out what is best for the club going forward.”
Green was handed his first NRL head coach job by North Queensland in 2014 and won the premiership the next year.
Parr said the Cowboys were not afraid to appoint another rookie coach but were mulling over whether to opt for experience to help them through what he called a transition period.
“We have to establish what type of coach we are looking for,” he said.
“We are going through a real transitional phase in our club.
“We have lost one of the greatest players ever (Johnathan Thurston), we’ve lost the best front-rower of his generation (Matt Scott) and a number of other really experienced players.
“We have got a number of really talented young players so we will need a coach who can develop and teach those young players.
“And we are a unique club.
“We need someone who understands how important the community is to us, the development of young players and giving young North Queensland kids an opportunity to come into our system.
“That will be at the top of our thinking at the moment.”
Parr said in the interim they would be throwing their support behind caretaker coach Josh Hannay.
“I don’t think we are in a rush (to replace Green),” he said.
“We have an opportunity to have a look around and do what is best for our club.
“(And) we have a lot of time for Josh Hannay who is going to take over as coach for the rest of the season.”