Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter and captain Robbie Farah in damage control

MICK Potter spent more than an hour at Robbie Farah’s apartment on Monday as the pair attempted to erase the damage of a nightmare 24 hours.

Wests Tigers Training at Concord Oval . Captain Robbie Farah talks with coach Mick Potter

EMBATTLED Tigers coach Mick Potter spent more than an hour at skipper Robbie Farah’s apartment on Monday as the pair attempted to erase the damage of a nightmare 24 hours for the joint venture.

The meeting inside Farah’s Breakfast Point living room was the flashpoint of another dramatic series of episodes at the Tigers, including:

* Gorden Tallis taking aim at Farah on radio for a second time in as many days, comparing the NSW Origin hooker’s handling of the truth to infamous drug cheat Lance Armstrong. The latest comments came after Farah labelled Tallis a “dog” on the field after full-time in Sunday’s game;

* Farah complaining to Tigers management about the editing of a recent press conference, from which direct quotes supporting Potter were initially cut and not broadcast on the club’s official website; and

* Revelations that a clause in Potter’s two-year contract only contemplated a third year should the side reach the 2013 finals.

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Potter understood that he would be given another chance if the side reached this year’s finals and had been campaigning for a three-year extension.

Despite receiving a stay of execution at Sunday night’s board meeting, Potter’s future beyond Round 26 is highly uncertain.

Monday’s meeting with Farah, who lives in the same riverside apartment complex, was the first tentative step to getting the football department back on the same page.

Their relationship suffered a major blow on Sunday, when Tallis accused Farah of telling him that Potter was a poor communicator on Triple M.

Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter talks during a press conference with Robbie Farah.

That claim triggered a private 20-minute talk in the bowels of ANZ Stadium just prior to kick-off in the fixture against St George Illawarra, but there was more air to clear at Farah’s home on Monday.

Farah’s manager, Sam Ayoub, attended and said there were no problems going forward.

He also stressed there was no chance Farah would ask for a release from the remaining three years of his current deal.

“The big thing is that the conversation Gorden was referring to happened 15 months ago, when the team was struggling,” Ayoub said.

“That hasn’t been made clear and it needs to be made clear. What people also don’t know is that Robbie and Mick have always been up front with each other, going back that far.”

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Tiger's Robbie Farah and coach Mick Potter.

While Farah refused to comment publicly on Monday, Tallis again went on the front foot after being accused of misrepresenting a private conversation from last May.

When asked about Farah’s version of events on Brisbane’s Triple M Radio Grill team show on Monday, Tallis responded: “It’s a bit like Lance Armstrong.”

That swipe is sure to have Farah fuming, particularly after he and Tallis shared an expletive-laden exchange on the pitch after full time on Sunday.

Tallis attempted to get an interview, was called a “dog” and received a reply along the lines of: “Why the hell would I talk to you?”

Farah then proceeded to launch into Tallis for talking out of school, and, judging by his two-year grudge against Matty Johns, will not be accepting interviews from the former Maroons skipper for some time to come.

Upset over reports that have painted him as the architect of Potter’s woes, Farah was also angry at Tigers officials for failing to speak-up in his defence.

Until a statement was released on Monday, he felt there was an internal conspiracy against him, a fate Farah has deliberately attempted to avoid by asking CEO Grant Mayer six weeks ago to be omitted from any conversations regarding Potter’s future.

But Farah’s concerns were heightened on Sunday night, when he discovered that quotes from a pre-match press conference supporting Potter had been edited-out of the clip that originally broadcast on the Tigers website.

Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter talks during a press conference with Robbie Farah.

His anger was conveyed to Mayer, who ordered the full version to posted on Monday.

“Robbie was disappointed and his feelings were made known to us,” Mayer said.

“There was nothing deliberate about it. It was simply a matter of him being asked questions on the same topic for three or four minutes, and the video team felt the point had been made.

“We have now put the full version on the site, so that proves there is nothing to hide.”

Mayer also released his own statement on Monday, describing the focus on Farah as “damaging and disrespectful”.

Originally published as Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter and captain Robbie Farah in damage control