Pressure has intensified on Titans coach Des Hasler after his team suffered their fifth straight defeat, a 38-18 loss to the Bulldogs in Magic Round on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.

It leaves the Gold Coast reeling in second last position on the ladder, with just two wins from their eight games so far this season.

David Fifita's shock axing from the Titans' team has created headlines.

Fifita didn't play against the Bulldogs, and was instead dumped to the Queensland Cup.

According to The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield, Hasler lost patience with Fifita.

“Apparently (Fifita) went to coach Des Hasler last week and said he wanted to play on the left edge,” Rothfield said on NRL 360 on Monday night.

“Des backed Beau Fermor, who I think has been their best forward this year. Des told Fifita if he wanted to play left edge, go play for Ipswich in the Q Cup."

Tele journalist Brent Read believes that in 2026, either Hasler or Fifita won't be at the Titans.

“I don’t think one of them will be there at the end of the year. Des or Dave,” Read added.

In Hasler's first season with the Titans last year, they finished 14th, with just eight wins from their 24 games.

So it seems like 64-year-old Hasler's days as an NRL coach might be numbered. His contract with the club expires at the end of the 2026 season.

In his first stint as Manly coach, and in his time as Bulldogs coach, Hasler enjoyed tremendous success.

Hasler won premierships with the Sea Eagles in 2008 and 2011, and reached another grand final in 2007.

At the Bulldogs, he won a minor premiership and reached the grand final in his first season in 2012, then made it to another decider in 2014.

Remarkably, in the 12 seasons between 2005 and 2016, Hasler's Sea Eagles and Bulldogs teams reached the top eight every year.

But it seems that, since then, Hasler's magic dust might have run out.

Canterbury bombed out in 2017 under Hasler, finishing 11th, which led to his sacking.

He came back to the NRL coaching ranks in 2019, making a return to Manly.

This time though, he didn't have the same success. Hasler had a mixed second tenure at the Sea Eagles, reaching the finals twice, and missing them twice in his four seasons before being sacked at the end of the 2022 season.

His less than impressive finishes at the Bulldogs, and then the Sea Eagles, along with a lacklustre start at the Titans, suggests Hasler's NRL coaching career might be on life support.

If the Titans continue to struggle, and Hasler gets sacked, it's difficult to see another NRL club hiring him as a head coach.

Dan is co-host of the SmartB Sports Update with John.