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In recent weeks, the media has ravaged the Wests Tigers and in particular their coach. While the scandal has now receded back into some form of serendipity, it is not without leaving sands of catastrophic damage.
As a pro-Potter activist, I can tell you now he is as good as gone. Unfortunately has been placed in a position where he quite simply needs to go. This isn’t really any doing of his own – the blame can be squarely put on the media.
Whether Potter did in fact have the support or still does have the support of his players has become irrelevant. I am not going to sit here and tell you that the Tigers abysmal performances over the last few weeks have been because the coach has zero support from his group, for all we know he could still be quite popular with the majority, if not all, of the playing group.
But the damage has been done. The implications that he struggles to communicate with players, motivate them or command respect can be understood to have done just as much damage as this being the truth.
This is the only reasonable explanation for how a team could be proclaimed as finals dark horses a month ago and within the space of a fortnight receiving the second-biggest losing margin in the club’s history.
They then followed this up with an equally appalling 44-point loss to the Roosters.
Since the media attack began in Round 20, the Tigers have conceded a staggering 168 points and managed only 30 in attack. The Tigers sit on a negative points differential of -192, 138 of which has been amassed in the space of a month.
Michael Potter has done a good job in extremely difficult circumstances this year and is certainly deserving of a contract extension.
However, what’s done is done and the club requires a drastic overhaul. This will see Potter become a casualty, along with CEO Grant Mayer and the entirety of the board.
Potter’s tenure was an incredible necessary one, but so is his demise. He has been responsible for introducing an almost entirely new playing roster with infinite potential. Martin Taupau and Tim Simona have graduated to the ranks of international players for New Zealand. Adam Blair has regained his form and subsequent place in the aforementioned team.
Aaron Woods has become a starting Origin prop and the likes of Luke Brooks, Mitch Moses, James Tedesco, James Gavet, Curtis Sironen and Sauaso Sue have gained invaluable experience and developed rapidly.
The Potter era will be praised for the dismantling of a toxic playing roster and the introduction of fresh talent, but sadly the next introduction will have to be a new coach.
It will need to be a man whose hands are not red with the blood of the current administration. Here’s looking at you, Todd Payten and David Kidwell.
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