Canterbury coach Des Hasler admits he is shocked by Raelene Castle's decision to stand down from her post as chief executive of the NRL club at the end of the year.
Castle on Thursday announced she would end her five-year tenure despite extending her contract last year until the end of the 2018 season.
Her departure comes as a surprise to two-time premiership-winning coach Hasler, who praised Castle for her impact on the club.
"It's a bit of a shock, but at the same time Raelene was very unselfish in the way she went about it," he said.
"It's great that she'll stay on until the end of the season, which won't cause any disruption. We'll continue running as normal."
It is not yet clear what move Castle, who is also one of four chief executives on the salary cap advisory committee, will make next.
Hasler hopes Castle isn't lost to the game.
"Not just because of her perspective, but she's very astute and very good at what she does and how she conducts herself and how she conducts her business," he said.
Hasler also denied there had been tension with chairman Ray Dib following reports Castle sent an email to rival clubs complaining about a breach in protocol by the players' union.
The Rugby League Players' Association allegedly met with a select group of club chairmen that was set up by Dib, over the ongoing collective bargaining agreement talks.
"I just think that's speculation. In this business, there's always going to be honest and open discussion amongst all chairmen and all CEOs. I don't see that as a reason at all," Hasler said.
"I just think she thought at this stage her tenure here, she always stated it'd be about four-five years."
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