NRL 2021: Michael Maguire admits rebuilding plan could “kill” him off as Wests Tigers coach

As the Tigers prepare for a potential watershed game against the Broncos, Michael Maguire opens up on his tumultuous time at the club and the star he’s confident of turning into a matchwinner.

Michael Maguire is keen to sign unwanted Bronco Tevita Pangai Jr as the embattled Wests Tigers coach vowed to push on with a club rebuild he concedes could ultimately lead to his sacking.

In a wide-ranging interview with News Corp, Maguire opened up about the delicate tightrope he is walking between planned success and his potential dismissal as he prepares for Sunday’s clash against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

This clash crystallises the Sliding Doors moment for Maguire. He was interviewed for the Broncos job in 2018, only to lose out to Anthony Seibold in a Red Hill snubbing that paved the way for Maguire to clinch the Tigers post for 2019.

Wild Wests: Tales from Tiger Town is a FOX SPORTS Original Production and will be available to watch on Foxtel and stream on Kayo, premiering in primetime at 7.30pm on Monday, July 19.

Michael Maguire is determined to drive a youth policy without Band-Aid solutions.

When Maguire stepped off the Tigers team bus to train at Brisbane‘s old training ground on Saturday, the sight of the Broncos’ opulent $27 million headquarters was a reminder of the resources he could have enjoyed at the NRL’s richest club.

Instead he finds himself plotting the Broncos’ downfall with the struggling Tigers, one of the most maligned teams in the league who many believe should either be relocated to Perth or killed off completely.

But Maguire has no regrets about missing out on the Broncos job and insists he is the coach to deliver the Wests Tigers‘ first premiership since 2005.

“I definitely want to be here,” he said. “It‘s a 24-7 job and I want to be around for the success. I want the Wests Tigers to win another premiership.”

THE REBUILD

There is a view Maguire is a dead-man walking. In April, he was rocked by reports Tigers bosses were set to hold crisis talks about his future, a claim Wests chiefs denied.

In the past three weeks, the Tigers have leaked a whopping 144 points, hitting rock bottom with a dismal 66-16 loss to the Storm that questioned whether Tigers players are responding to Maguire’s intense style.

The 47-year-old is contracted to the Tigers until the end of 2023 and pledged to keep faith in his long-term vision for the Tigers amid calls for his head.

“Look, I know this approach could kill me as a coach,” said Maguire, who broke South Sydney’s 43-year title drought in 2014.

“But I want to set the club up in a way that the Tigers can succeed long term, rather than Band-Aid solutions and quick fixes.

“I understand we are all judged by what happens on the field, which is fair enough, but I‘m determined to build the right foundations so the Tigers can prosper as a club.

“I am enjoying it, but I’ll be honest: this has been the toughest project of changing of a team I’ve experienced. I’ve had to learn a heap around management of the salary cap and its impact on a club.

“I am working hard on developing a stronger squad and that means getting the right people with the right character and the right desires to want to take the club further up the ladder.

“In the past we’ve blown our salary cap and it can set you back years. We can’t afford to do that again.”

Maguire and his Wests Tigers players arrive in Queensland as part of the Covid relocation.

KNIVES ARE OUT

A loss to the Broncos on Sunday and the roar for Maguire to be sacked will be deafening. But more than a decade in the coaching furnace has helped Maguire weather the brickbats. He says he is so comfortable he hasn’t asked Tigers bosses if his job is on the line.

“No I haven’t gone to them seeking that (assurances),” he said. ”I am very open with my dialogue with everyone at the club. I don’t go around asking about my future. I understand it’s what the game is about, but I want to be here for the long term.

“I’m handling it (scrutiny of his job) OK. Experience helps you deal with it. That’s the narrative of the game. At some stage, if you are at a club where results ebb and flow, the criticism will come, but I’m focused on building and staying the path.

“I believe I am the right guy for the job.”

THE BRONCOS

Maguire was short-listed for the Broncos job with Seibold, Kevin Walters and Jason Demetriou as Wayne Bennett‘s potential successor. On paper, he was the only coach with an NRL premiership on his resume, but Broncos bosses opted for Seibold, whose appointment turned out to be a disaster.

Now Walters is in the Broncos hot seat Maguire would have relished, but the Tigers mentor is at ease with the way the cards have fallen.

“I have to be careful what I say here,” he says with a laugh. ”Look I had interest in the Broncos job but the club went another way and it opened the opportunity for me at the Tigers.

“I see the Tigers as a massive club and we are similar to the Broncos in scope.

“People don‘t realise the size of area the Tigers have within Sydney. The beauty of the Brisbane market is it gives you the ability to have so many people loving and playing the game and the Broncos have had great resources over the years. Some of the greats of the game have played for the Broncos.

“But I do want to be here at the Tigers. I have put in a lot of work over the last two years with management to take the club to the next level. The club is in better shape than people think.”

Unwanted Bronco Tevita Pangai Jr has been linked with the Tigers.

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PANGAI POWER

The Tigers have tabled an offer for Pangai Jr and Maguire believes he can extract the best of the inconsistent Broncos forward.

“I have no idea if Tevita is coming but I am certainly interested,” he said.

“I don‘t know where it’s at but I would definitely have a player of his calibre.

“I think I can help Tevita become the best he can be and that‘s the environment I want at the club, I want players to be their best and have the right training ethic because that reflects the way you play.

“You look at Joe Ofahengaue (Pangai Jr‘s former teammate), he came here from the Broncos and I’ve been extremely proud of how hard he worked to put himself back in the Origin arena.

“The change has been good for him. He has responded and a new environment can do that for a player.”

EXTINCT TIGERS

Maguire scoffs at calls for the Tigers to be relocated or shut down to reduce the number of Sydney teams.

“This club well and truly has a future in the NRL,” he said.

Maguire insists the erratic Tigers have a future in the NRL.

“Look at Penrith. It took them a while to establish themselves as a premiership contender but they had to pull things apart at the top end to create opportunities for their young players to come through.

“We are building a $65 million high-performance centre that will be finished in January so it will be state of the art. Talk of relocating the club is over the top. People don‘t realise how big this club can be.

“At Souths, we hadn’t won a premiership for 43 years and we broke that drought.

“We have two foundation clubs in Balmain and Wests and when things do rise at the Tigers, we will get enormous momentum.”

HOW TO WATCH WILD WESTS: TALES FROM TIGERTOWN

All episodes will be available on FOX LEAGUE Channel 502, FOX8 & Kayo

Episode 1: Monday, July 19, 7.30pm AEST

Episode 2: Monday, August 9, 7.30pm AEST

Episode 3: Monday, August 16, 7.30pm AEST

Episode 4: Monday, August 30, 7.30pm AEST