Newcastle has appointed Anthony Field to replace Peter O'Sullivan, who left the club for a role with the Brisbane Broncos.
The change comes as Bradman Best's contract extension talks remain unresolved. The New South Wales centre reportedly rejected Newcastle's first offer before the Knights' one-point grand final loss.
Best is expected to attract lucrative offers from rival clubs if he has not signed an extension by November 1. Parramatta is among the teams tipped to pursue him.
The 23-year-old is set to make his Kangaroos debut against Fiji at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night.
Without naming O'Sullivan directly, Best joked about the negotiations: "I know the person who was handling the contracts, a few people were upset, but now he's gone so hopefully we can get something there done".