New Zealand Warriors reject Michael Maguire based on dismal Wests Tigers record
Sacked Tigers coach Michael Maguire has been linked to the vacant Warriors job, a rumour Warriors owner Mark Robinson has dismissed in no uncertain terms.
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Warriors owner Mark Robinson has ruled out Michael Maguire for the top job amid speculation the sacked Wests Tigers coach could succeed Nathan Brown in the New Zealand hot seat.
Breaking his silence on the search for Brown’s replacement, Robinson said he will take at least a month to finalise the Warriors’ next coach, but insists Maguire will not be calling the shots across the Tasman in 2023.
In the wake of Brown’s departure on Tuesday, Warriors CEO Cameron George said his preference was to employ a coach who is “a bit of a hard arse” – raising the prospect of the hard-nosed Maguire being a frontrunner.
But Robinson said the man who delivered a premiership to Souths in 2014 – breaking a 43-year title drought at Redfern – is not on his radar following Maguire’s termination by the Tigers on Wednesday.
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Asked if Maguire is on his hit list, Robinson said: “No he’s not.
“I don’t really know Michael Maguire but he didn’t get results at the Wests Tigers, so we’re not going in that direction.
“He is also coaching New Zealand and I don’t want a coach who has his fingers in other interests like a national team.
“I’m not interested in that.
“It takes the focus off your own club, so I will be looking elsewhere.”
News Corp understands a Warriors faction has thrown their support behind former Cowboys and Queensland coach Paul Green.
While Green had an unhappy stint as Maroons coach last season, he had seven largely successful seasons at the Cowboys, masterminding North Queensland’s maiden premiership victory in 2015.
Former Cronulla premiership winner Shane Flanagan is another option, while Maroons and Sharks assistant Josh Hannay is keen to coach in the NRL, but Robinson says it’s crucial he does not hit the panic button.
“We’re a month away from making a call on a coach,” he said.
“At the moment, we are taking a deep breath and sitting back to look at our options.
“Stacey Jones will do a good job as interim coach, he has won a grand final with the under-20s and he is well respected, but he doesn’t want the job full-time.
“I am off to England for a holiday then I will come back to New Zealand and talk about what we do after we are back from Australia playing games at our home ground.
“There’s plenty of people already showing interest but we need to work out what will be best for us for the next four years.
“There might be a good assistant coach at another club or some talent out there.
“Browny has just gone, so I’m going to panic and jump into a decision.
“We will have a good scout around, as long as we get someone by September or October, that would be the plan.”
There is a view Brown, who was reluctant to move to New Zealand, conveniently jumped before being pushed by Warriors powerbrokers, but Robinson insists he was not sacked.
“Me and ‘Browny’ are pretty close and that’s the way he wanted to play it and I’m happy with it,” he said.
“I was actually looking to get Browny over to New Zealand and we would have looked at a two-year extension, so Browny would have had three more years in New Zealand.
“He has travelled the world in coaching and his family have had enough of travel and want to settle in Australia.
WESTS STAR’S EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO AXED COACH
Wests Tigers star Jackson Hastings has paid tribute to Michael Maguire, the coach he wanted to play for the rest of his career, in an emotional message on Wednesday morning.
Hastings is the first Tigers player to publicly address Maguire’s axing.
“Appreciate you coach, and everything you’ve done for myself and my family. Wish you nothing but happiness and success in your future endeavours,” Hastings said on social media.
On Tuesday night, the playmaker also posted a photo of Maguire and himself deep in conversation following a Tigers match, highlighting the close bond the duo have forged during their time together at the club.
Maguire offered Hastings an NRL lifeline after being exiled to England, where he was crowned the Super League’s best player in 2019, following ill-fated stints at the Sydney Roosters and Manly.
The Tigers decision to terminate Maguire’s contract is likely to have a flow on effect to the club’s roster with at least 12 players to hit the open market from November 1, including Hastings, Luke Brooks, Adam Doueihi and Daine Laurie.
In May, Hastings told The Daily Telegraph he is open to extending at the Tigers long-term with Maguire at the club alongside him as a show of loyalty to the coach.
“I’d love to play for Madge for the rest of my career. Ideally that would be at Tigers with him coaching here for a number of years and me playing under him,” Hastings said.
“He’s taught me a lot both on and off the field. He holds a special place in my heart, so does this club.
“I’m fiercely loyal to people loyal to me. I’ve learned over time that people that give you time, respect and effort, you have to pay that back.
“And Madge is one of those people and this club is one of those organisations. I’ll definitely do the right thing by the club, I’ll listen to offers. It would be ideal to stay here and build combinations.”
Maguire’s four years at the helm of the joint venture came to an end on Tuesday after the Tiger’s board ended months of speculation by terminating the premiership winning coach’s contract with the club.
Maguire had put the players through their paces at a training session earlier that day, ahead of Wests’ game against Manly at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Five-Eighth Luke Brooks had fronted the media only an hour before Maguire was sacked and insisted the players were in the dark over what was about to unfold.
“We haven’t been told anything, it’s speculation. We’ve been in (at training), Madge (Maguire) has been in… it has been business as usual. We haven’t heard anything,” Brooks said.
Knight fright: Why O’Brien should be worried
Newcastle have emerged as a surprise contender for Cameron Ciraldo as the chased for the in-demand Penrith Panthers assistant coach heats up.
On the day Nathan Brown and Michael Maguire were both removed from their positions at the New Zealand Warriors and Wests Tigers respectively, Newcastle’s Adam O’Brien is the latest head coach to come under pressure.
While O’Brien still has another two seasons remaining on his current contract, there have been rumblings about his position given the Knights' poor form.
Ciraldo, 37, has been linked to the head coaching role at the Tigers and Bulldogs, having built a stellar resume at the Panthers.
There are those at the Knights who would like to see him return to Newcastle, where he played 43 games between 2008 and 2011.
Ciraldo has told friends he could one day be drawn back to Newcastle, a region much loved by his young family.
While there are currently no moves to remove O’Brien, his record over the past two seasons has yielded a modest success rate of 48 per cent.
This season, Newcastle have won four from 12 games and sit 12th on the NRL competition table.
Knights’ powerbrokers are demanding more success with O’Brien’s men $11 outsiders to reach the finals again this year.
His Newcastle side has played finals footy for the past two seasons, dipping out in week one on both occasions.
Injuries have disrupted this season with several leading players falling short of their potential.
However, with Kalyn Ponga, Dane Gagai, David Klemmer, Tyson Frizell and Daniel and Jacob Saifiti on their books, Knights officials have much higher expectations of the team.
TIGERS JOIN RACE FOR NRL’S MOST WANTED COACH
Wests Tigers are set to step up their pursuit of Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo with Tim Sheens declaring they want a development coach following Michael Maguire’s axing.
Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis confirmed chief executive Justin Pascoe and head of football Sheens would begin putting together a wishlist of candidates after the club made the decision to sack Maguire on Tuesday, ending months of speculation over their coach’s future.
Ciraldo will be at the top of that list and the Tigers will exhaust all avenues in an attempt to convince him that his future lies with them.
They face competition for his signature – Canterbury are also believed to be eyeing him off while Penrith want to extend his deal – but it is understood Ciraldo has been making subtle inquiries about the Tigers in the background to establish whether the club would be a good fit for him and is leaning towards choosing the Tigers over the Bulldogs.
In describing what he wanted as the next coach Sheens essentially summed up Ciraldo’s strengths.
“If we’re going to be a younger development club we will have our highs and lows,” Sheens said. “Until they get 50 games we are going to be struggling. We need to development the players, give our local juniors first option.
Doesn’t mean we won’t buy a senior player or two. We have a couple of good buys coming in next year.
“My phone will run hot the next few days. Of course (Ciraldo will be linked). The usual names will be thrown around. My name many of times has been in that. Fitzy (Craig Fitzgibbon) was used as the next big thing.”
While Ciraldo is the clear favourite, Hagipantelis insisted no decision had been made about Maguire’s successor.
Melbourne premiership winner Brett Kimmorley will take on the interim role.
“Tim and Justin will now commence a process of reviewing alternatives,” Hagipantelis said.
“They will commence that process and they will eventually come to the board with a recommendation whenever appropriate.
“Our preference would have been to retain our head coach and continue to improve and grow. Not only have the last three and half years been disappointing …. but your focus has always been on the next three and half years.
“Our pathways program is starting to bear fruit and the club formed the decision that Michael was unlikely to be the coach over the next three to four years.
“If that is the case, you might as well make the difficult decision now.”
Rugby league’s day of the long knives began bright and early with the sacking of Warriors Nathan Brown.
Within hours that news was swamped by the Tigers’ decision to terminate their contract with Maguire after four fruitless years in charge.
As Brown was being told his time at the Warriors was over, a flurry of phone calls were underway at the Tigers. The pressure had been building on Maguire for months. There were some members of the board who wanted him removed late last year but they didn’t have the numbers to hold sway.
Remarkably, Maguire took training on Tuesday morning only hours before his fate was resolved. At that point, Maguire likely believed he would be coaching the side against Manly on Sunday afternoon.
Sheens said when he decided Maguire would not be at the club long-term he knew a change had to happen.
“Madge is a realist,” Sheens said. “He knew he was under pressure. We need someone for at least three or four years to see that through. We can’t say he will be our coach in three years time then he shouldn’t be here and now is the time to do it.
“He shook my hand very firmly. He took it like the man he is. He can coach there’s no doubt about that. He has proven that. It’s not the fit for us at the moment.”
After talks between Sheens, Pascoe and Hagipantelis, the decision was made to call a board meeting for 1pm where the directors heard from Sheens, who has been conducting a mid-year review into the club.
At that meeting, the decision was made to sack Maguire and start the search for a new coach.
Pascoe and Sheens informed Maguire of his fate before Hagipantelis joined them to speak to the playing group.
“It was determined this morning to proceed down this particular path,” Hagipantelis said.
“The media speculation for the last 24-48 hours in particular was unhealthy for all concerned, for us and Michael. It felt it was such a toxic environment at the moment in terms of media speculation, very unfair to him and the club. We needed to impose some certainty on the uncertainty”
Ciraldo aside, premiership winners Shane Flanagan and Paul Green and former Cronulla coach John Morris have been mooted as likely candidates while Brown looms an ideal development coach.
SACKED: MAGUIRE AXED BY TIGERS AFTER DISMAL STINT
—Brent Read and David Riccio
The Wests Tigers have parted ways with head coach Michael Maguire.
The Tigers board have ended months of speculation by deciding the time has come for a change of coach, ending Maguire’s four-year stint at the helm of the joint venture.
Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis is at the club’s headquarters at Concord, where he will address the playing group.
Brett Kimmorley will take over as interim head coach, having most recently been the club’s Harvey Norman NSW Women’s premiership team coach.
Maguire had put the players through their paces at Concord on Tuesday ahead of Wests’ game against Manly at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday.
The Tigers released a statement confirming they had terminated Maguire’s contract.
“Wests Tigers sincerely thanks Michael for all his hard work and effort over the past three and a half years,” The club said.
“As this is no doubt a challenging time for all parties, the club would like to respect Michael’s privacy, wish him all the very best and will make no further comment. For the rest of the season Brett Kimmorley will take over as Interim coach.”
The Tigers have been on a steady decline under Maguire’s watch.
They finished ninth in Maguire’s first year but then 11th and 13th in the years that followed.
Heading into round 14 this year, the Tigers have won only three games and sit third last on the ladder.
Maguire, who led South Sydney to the premiership in 2014, has won only 37 per cent of his games in charge of the club.
His inability to turn the Tigers into premiership contenders had placed immense pressure on his place as head coach.
There was speculation Maguire would be sacked at the end of last season but he survived, the club opting to give him another chance to turn them around.
The Tigers started the season poorly and Maguire was under the pump from the opening round.
Results haven’t been helped by a spate of injuries but the Tigers had no doubt had loftier expectations before the season began given they had recruited the likes of Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart.
Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo is believed to top the Tigers’ wishlist and if he turns them down, they are no shortage of options.
The Tigers would likely move towards St Helens boss Kristian Woolf, as well as premiership winners Shane Flanagan and Paul Green.
NRL assistants John Morris, Ben Hornby, Steve Price, Jason Ryles and Josh Hannay are also well regarded in rugby league circles.
Maguire’s departure comes on the same day that Nathan Brown’s coaching tenure at the Warriors officially came to an end.
The Warriors decided to sever ties with Brown prior to a scheduled meeting on Tuesday morning with CEO Cameron George and owner Mark Robinson.
Maguire is the third coach to lose his job this season following Trent Barrett’s departure from the Bulldogs.
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