The Warriors realised it was time for a change, a fresh perspective if you will, but only one that wouldn't ruin their progress.
That's the message coming from Warriors boss Jim Doyle after the club announced the signing of Stephen Kearney, a face familiar to the club, on a three-year deal as head coach.
The recently departed Kiwis boss was a foundation player for the club and represented the then Auckland Warriors 79 times.
The fact he's been here before is an important reason Doyle's thrown him the keys and asked him to steer the team back to the NRL finals.
Jim Doyle address the media (Getty Images)
"I think Stephen brings a lot of attributes to the club," said Doyle. "He's played here before, he understands the club well."
"He's obviously come through and worked with a couple of significant mentors in both Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett."
Kearney will know the majority of his team well, recently calling 11 of the Warriors into the Kiwis wider training squad for next month's clash against the Kangaroos in Perth.
For the players he doesn't know, Kearney can lean on Andrew McFadden for help.
McFadden's been retained by the club as an assistant coaching role, and despite the demotion, he told Newshub there's a feeling of unfinished business fuelling him on.
"As I've said all along, I feel I can still add value to the club. Happy to do it in a different role," said McFadden.
For Kearney, getting the chance to work alongside his players each week is something that Doyle believes will take the Warriors a step forward, all while not upsetting the apple cart.
"We've been really conscious that things have really improved a lot in the last couple of years.
"The results unfortunately haven't reflected that on the field, so if you're not getting the two points you need to think what needs to change.
"We just felt like we needed a fresh voice, some fresh thinking, but at the same time we're conscious of continuity."
Newshub.