Rugby Australia [RA] could be left without two of its chief Wallabies coaching options should Joe Schmidt choose to walk away after this year's British & Irish Lions series, with both Dan McKellar and Les Kiss stating emphatically that they intended to see out their contracts with the Waratahs and Reds respectively.
While both Schmidt and the governing body had hoped to have settled on a path forward by the new year, the Australian rugby community is still eagerly awaiting the Kiwi's decision.
Surprisingly, there have been no leaks from Schmidt's inner sanctum nor the top brass at RA, the latter notorious for its loose-lipped management, suggesting that both parties may still be working on a plan that keeps the 59-year-old in the green and gold through to Rugby World Cup 2027.
RA boss Phil Waugh had previously stated that he was prepared to get "creative" to entice Schmidt to stay on, perhaps giving way to a situation where the Kiwi did not travel on certain tours or was granted longer periods of leave at home.
Schmidt has been torn by the desire to spend more time with his family in New Zealand -- his son suffers from severe epilepsy -- and the chance to continue his promising start with the Wallabies for a further two years, particularly after the team's stunning victory over England at Twickenham in November.
But should Schmidt decide the Lions series is enough, RA may well be left looking at only Brumbies boss Stephen Larkham as a viable option after McKellar and Kiss on Thursday both reinforced their long-term Super Rugby commitments.
"I'm contracted here for the next three years, so that's all I'm worried about," McKellar told reporters in Sydney. "We'll give Joe the space he needs to make his decision, and we'll crack on."
While McKellar had probably slipped down the pecking order after his disappointing stint at Leicester, where, ironically, he has been replaced by former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, Kiss was understood to have been among the governing body's first-choice contingency options after his impressive first season at Ballymore.
Kiss -- who is signed by the Queensland Rugby Union through to end of the 2026 Super Rugby season -- has also previously worked with Schmidt in Ireland, meaning there would be some familiarity or at least continuity for the wider Wallabies group if he was to assume the reins from the Kiwi.
But the odds of that happening may too be lengthening, with Kiss telling ESPN he was keen to fulfil his contract with the QRU.
"Myself, Zane Hilton, Brad Davis, Hayley Cronin, they're my key performance people, we've got a contract here for this year and next year, that's our focus," Kiss said.
The former Queensland State of Origin player also said he did not want to "disrespect Joe" by buying into the ongoing speculation around the Test coach's future.
"He's got those things in his place and he can make decisions when he wants to," Kiss added to ESPN.
Also speaking on Thursday was star code-hopper Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who fronted the media for the first time in Waratahs colours.
Suaalii is coming from what is largely uncharted territory given he played Test rugby for the Wallabies before lacing up a boot in Super Rugby, the 21-year-old sensation lauding Schmidt's involvement in his fledgling professional rugby career.
"Joe's a great man and he looks after his family first, and I feel like that's what most people would do," Suaalii told reporters in Sydney. "Any time that we get to spend time with Joe, for myself, I'm just trying to learn as much as possible because he is honestly one of the greatest coaches I've had, and I just love learning off what he does, what he brings to the group is second to none.
"I'm not sure what he's going to do after the Lions tour, but every time I or the boys in the Wallabies camp spend time with him, you're trying to take as much as you can in because Joe's a one-of-a-kind coach."
If Schmidt does depart in August, and Kiss and McKellar both see out their current Super Rugby contracts, Larkham would be an almost walk-up start for the Wallabies job he previously missed out on when the New Zealander was hired.
Two years into his second stint as Brumbies coach, Larkham previously worked as a Wallabies assistant under Cheika between 2015 and 2018, before he was made a scapegoat, of sorts, for Australia's flailing fortunes in the run to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Suaalii, meanwhile, reflected on his first rugby involvements as a professional, telling reporters just how much he had enjoyed the Wallabies' spring tour of the U.K. and Ireland.
"I didn't realise how big the game of rugby is up north, every time I was on the bus driving in, you'd see the crowds, honestly it was unreal," he said.
"Playing at Twickenham, I didn't realise how many people were in the crowd until you actually get out there and you're singing the anthem, that was great stuff. Playing in Ireland, Wales and Scotland as well, just to experience the cities and travel as a 21-year-old, it's a great thing."