With the Pacific Championship two months away, only three applicants have sent in their applications for the Toa Samoa head coach role and according to Rugby League Samoa, the appointment will be finalised by this week.

President of the Rugby League Samoa (R.L.S.), Fiu Faaolatane Ponifasio Vasa said on Saturday, only three applications were received for the position and all are from overseas.

He added that the executive board has been looking at the applications last week and has tried to speed up the process so Toa Samoa can appoint its new coach by this week.

"In the meantime the process is still in progress as of this week with the hope that by next week, the appointment of the coach should be confirmed as the game day is not that far away and the NRL is also almost finished," he said during a media conference on Saturday.

"Majority of coaches are now starting to book vacations with their families as well as the players while the executives and the organisation are working on speeding up things on this so we can find a coach as soon as possible."

According to the president, the three applications are currently in the hands of R.L.S' commercial arm before its' passed on to the executive board for finalisation and official announcement.

Meanwhile, the upcoming new coach for the Toa Samoa will take over from Mau-a-Pule Matt Parish who stepped down from his position, after leading Samoa’s national team to a historic Rugby League World Cup final last year. 

According to an NRL.com report earlier this month, Mau-a-Pule decided to exit the position in order to allow a new coach to start preparations for the team’s 2026 Rugby League World Cup campaign.

The Australian, who occupied the position for a decade and was bestowed with the “Mau-a-Pule” matai title last December during Toa Samoa’s homecoming celebrations, has officially advised the Ruby League Samoa executive of his decision.

Having taken charge of Samoa in 2013, Mr. Parish was the longest-serving international coach at last year’s World Cup and has made a significant contribution to the rise of the Pacific nations, reports NRL.com.

He also had charge of Samoa at the 2013 and 2017 World Cups, as well as the 2014 Four Nations tournament, and oversaw numerous Pacific Test victories. Undoubtedly Mr. Parish’s greatest achievement was last November’s RLWC grand final against Australia.

“It has been an incredible journey filled with triumphs, unforgettable memories and lifelong friendships but I believe it’s the right time to stand aside and give someone else the opportunity to take the lead,” Parish said. “I am extremely grateful and honoured to have been part of this wonderful team and proud of the progress we have made and the positive impact that our players had on all Samoans around the world."