Monday Buzz: Peter Doust feeling the pressure, while Jason Taylor fights on
THE Tigers-Dragons clash pitted under-siege Jason Taylor and Peter Doust on opposing sides. PHIL ROTHFIELD analyses what the future holds.
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IT was a day when we were always going to be writing an obituary.
We just weren’t sure of the subject out of under-siege Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor or embattled St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust.
Such are the pressure and demands of the NRL that 80 minutes of footy at this business end of the season can make or break a career.
At the end of the day, Taylor was the survivor, temporarily at least.
Whether he was right in sacking club legend Robbie Farah, only time will tell. We’ll have to see them against a good side and a club that can defend better than St George Illawarra did on Sunday afternoon.
They play the Cowboys, Titans and Panthers in the next month, which will be the real test — presumably without the state’s number one hooker in the 17.
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Doust is a different story. With another St George Illawarra loss he is now under more pressure than at any other stage of his 16 years in the job. An unbelievable 85 per cent of club supporters called on him to resign in a Sunday Telegraph poll.
Social media went into meltdown about the Dragons over the weekend, before and after the game.
Their fans are renowned for their passion. They don’t accept mediocrity. They don’t accept the soft defence that allowed first-half tries to David Nofoaluma, Luke Brooks and James Tedesco.
And they want answers.
How did Doust let the club get into $7 million of debt?
How did the club let Brett and Josh Morris, Jack Bird and Trent Merrin go? Why are crowds at their lowest in eight years?
One wishy-washy statement on the club website on Saturday afternoon that failed to address any of the major issues is hardly satisfactory. So the “Oust Doust’’ campaign will continue. Members march on. They insist he has to go.
As for Taylor, his future will be one of the bigger stories in the run home to the finals.
In the boardroom he has only lukewarm support, despite his friendship with the chair Marina Go. Interestingly, Go no longer carries much sway on the board since its recent restructure.
There are now five Wests Magpies directors, two from Balmain and two independents.
The Wests directors vote together and will ultimately decide whether Taylor survives — or whether Farah goes. We’ll be writing an obituary for one of them. It’s just a matter of when.
Originally published as Monday Buzz: Peter Doust feeling the pressure, while Jason Taylor fights on
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