NRL 2021: Michael Maguire has five games to save Wests Tigers job
The last five games of the season will prove career-defining for besieged Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire, after yet another humiliating loss in Round 20.
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A 70-year-old Wests Tigers legend is in charge of deciding if coach Michael Maguire stays or goes.
Tim Sheens, the club’s only premiership-winning coach, will lead an all-encompassing review of the Tigers football department.
Amid the worst losing season in the club’s history, Maguire is safe for now and will remain in charge for the remainder of the season.
However, the last five games of the Tigers season will prove career-defining for the besieged coach with Sheens set to lead the review in September.
Sheens, who took the club to grand final glory in 2005, is on his way home from the UK to take up a role as the Tigers head of football performance.
Tigers management are loath to make any major decisions surrounding the coach until Sheens arrives.
However, there is an increasing sentiment within the Tigers inner-sanctum that despite Maguire’s passion, commitment and best efforts, they are a club trapped in quicksand.
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When it comes to measuring club success, the heavily-weighted combination of results and recruitment have dried-up.
The Wests Tigers have achieved just five wins in 2021 - their least amount of wins ever and currently two short of last season’s seven game win-record.
The heat on Maguire has only intensified after the Wests Tigers slumped to their 13th defeat of the season against a second-string Warriors side on Friday night.
With their opponents missing 11 players through injury, suspension and personal reasons, the Wests Tigers found a way to give up a 10-0 lead and dash their finals hopes in the process.
Fox League panellists Cooper Cronk and Braith Anasta believe Maguire is under the pump - but added key players Luke Brooks and Adam Doueihi needed to also share blame.
“I think obviously Michael Maguire will come under pressure,” Cronk said.
“But the halves with 10 minutes to go in Luke Brooks and Adam Doueihi came up with some poor options.
“Michael Maguire had been riding that Tigers rollercoaster all year long and I think the rollercoaster just stopped,” Cronk said.
“It could be over,” Anasta added.
“No Fonua-Blake, no Tohu Harris, no Ah Mau, no Egan, no RTS, no Harris-Tavita, no Lodge and they still beat the Wests Tigers.
“It is unbelievable. An incredible result.”
A clearly disappointed Maguire said the loss came down to a “lack of concentration.’’
“We were in a position to really take control of the game there,’’ Maguire said.
“The simple tries they gave up (were disappointing). Two shoulders turned out and they went through. We made it hard for ourselves with a couple of errors, but you’ve got to learn to concentrate through those periods.
“We’re all very disappointed. It was obviously a big moment for all of us, you work every week to continually give yourself an opportunity, and the second half was definitely not the style we planned.
“We made an error early, a cheap penalty and a couple of turnovers and put pressure back on ourselves. We didn’t get a hold of the game after that – we could have if we stuck to the things we did in the first half.”
In an attempt to explain why he was part of the solution going forward for the perennial underachieving club, Maguire pointed to the 14 debutants he had exposed to first grade during his three-year tenure.
“I’ve got a group of young men that I’ve blooded over a period of time. They’re having experiences - sometimes highs and sometimes lows – and they’ve learned how to play the game.
“I had Kelma (Tuilagi) debut today, I had young Tuki Simpkins a couple of weeks ago, I had Shawn Blore come back. I’ve actually been giving a lot of young men an opportunity.
“Unfortunately, today we had a number of our senior guys that weren’t there, but our expectation as a group is you’ve got to turn up and get the job done.
“They are going through a lot of experiences at the moment that are going to be the makings of what this group is about.”
Adding further misery for Maguire was the loss of rookie fullback Daine Laurie with a suspected broken leg.
UNDER PRESSURE
Michael Maguire (coach)
Winning rate of just 38.1 per cent since taking over in 2019. Despite premierships at Wigan and South Sydney, he has struggled to replicate that success at the Tigers. Contracted until 2023.
Justin Pascoe (chief executive)
In charge since 2015 and now on to his third coach. The Tigers have not played a finals game since he joined the club. Responsible for securing funds for the centre of excellence which is in the process of being built at Concord.
Adam Hartigan (head of football)
Joined the club in 2019 after a long association with the Roosters. Identified some of the NRL’s best young talent in Stefano Utoikamanu, Daine Laurie, Kelma Tuilagi, Junior Pauga and Tukimihia Simpkins, many of whom were in demand from rivals. Has been unable to land a big signing despite chasing plenty.
POWERBROKERS
Tim Sheens (head of football performance)
The Tigers’ only successful coach makes his return. He will lead a review into the club and his recommendations could prove pivotal in shaping Maguire’s future. Has already reached out to players mangers despite his arrival being delayed by Covid-19.
Lee Hagipantelis (chairman)
Appointed Tigers chairman in November, 2019. Is also the club’s major sponsor. Won’t stop until he can transform the side into a premiership threat. Has publicly backed Maguire recently.
‘TIGERS DARKEST MOMENT’: INJURY THROWS WESTS SEASON IN CHAOS
—Joel Gould
The Tigers finals hopes are in tatters after star fullback Daine Laurie suffered a suspected season-ending right ankle fracture in the opening minute of a disastrous 18-16 loss to the inspired and brave Warriors.
When Laurie, the shining light in a dark season for Wests, was assisted from the field the gloom was palpable on coach Michael Maguire’s face high in the coaches box at Suncorp Stadium. It was well justified concern and the pressure from a loss they could not afford to have will only increase scrutiny on Maguire.
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Veteran Peta Hiku returned early from shoulder surgery to captain the Warriors side and said pre-game he was determined to lead with the spirit of former skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck as inspiration. Hiku delivered on his promise against a lethargic Tigers outfit that don’t deserve to play finals football based on this dire performance. It was one of the Warriors bravest wins.
The Tigers collapsed in a screaming heap in the second half. Leading 10-nil at the break, they clocked off as the Warriors came storming home.
Wests were complacent and the Warriors made them pay with barnstorming centre turned back-rower Euan Aitken and Bunty Afoa charging over. Aitken snaffled a short Luke Brooks dropout – retro style like Mark Geyer in the 1991 grand final - to give the Warriors an 18-10 lead. They hung on.
MAGUIRE GUTTED
“We are all very disappointed. It is a big moment for all of us,” a devastated Maguire said.
“You work every week to give yourself an opportunity and the second half was not what we planned.
“It got frantic. We have the opportunity next week to put ourselves back into a potential finals contention. It makes it hard but we will fight.”
Maguire confirmed the news on his gun fullback was not good.
“It’s a broken leg so he will have to go to hospital,” he said.
ROGER THAT
The Warriors were only able to name 20 players for the clash earlier in the week, but didn’t turn it up.
A season that started with such promise went south largely due to a massive injury toll. When Tuivasa-Sheck was farewelled from rugby league on Thursday with a haka it was not a goodbye to belief or guts. With at least seven of the Warriors regular starting 13 out, the rest lifted.
Coach Nathan Brown said the spirit of Tuivasa-Sheck was with his team.
“One thing Roger always did was compete well and he showed great leadership at the club, and I think the boys wanted to put a good one in for his departure,” he said.
“Don’t forget Leeson Ah Mau was one of the most consistent players in the game and one of the game’s great human beings that we also lost as well.
“It is a result that is good for our young players and the fans back in New Zealand who got to see a new generation of player they are going to get to support.
“We had a number of young guys whose backsides were hanging out and then they got a second wind. They should get some confidence out of that.”
A play that summed up the Tigers attitude was when Joe Ofahengaue played the ball on the Warriors tryline at the death with no dummy-half in place.
For the second time this year, Brooks thought he had scored the winning try only to be overruled by the bunker when a charge down was correctly ruled to have struck his arm.
This was the moment the Tigers, stuck on 14 points and two wins outside the top eight, had to seize but they fluffed their lines.
Laurie had blazed the path for them this year with his 13 linebreaks and 13 linebreak assists creating plenty of spark. When he left the field the light went out in Tigertown.
Maguire insisted he was still the man to lead the Tigers forward.
“We are judged by what happens on the field so we will come back together and find our game,” he said.
“I have a group of young men I have blooded over a period of time and they are having experiences, sometimes high and sometimes low.They are going through a lot of experiences that are going to be the making of what this group is about.”
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