Keith Galloway says he and his Wests Tigers teammates are to blame for the side’s woes and not coach Jason Taylor.
Taylor was in the firing line of Tigers fans following their 35-12 mauling at the hands of Penrith at Leichhardt Oval last weekend.
After centre Tim Simona was taken from the field with an ankle injury, the Panthers exploited the Tigers’ brittle left side.
Many questioned why Taylor moved second-rower Kyle Lovett to the centres after Dean Whare and David Simmons brutally exposed the youngster, running four tries past him before he was finally hooked.
After the game Taylor said the match wasn’t lost because their backline was badly out-classed, and defended not moving Chris Lawrence into the centres sooner.
The Tigers have won just two of their past 10 and are equal last with just five wins.
They made a big noise about drawing a line in the sand following their win over South Sydney three weeks ago however that has been washed away after losses to Manly and Penrith.
Galloway says the Tigers playing group needs to take ownership for the slump and Taylor and his coaching staff are not to blame.
“We’re working hard and things like that,” Galloway said on Thursday.
“It’s definitely not from effort or things like that.
“The coaches put a pretty good game plan together and we didn’t execute it well enough (against Penrith).”
Against Parramatta on Monday, the Tigers will have to find a way to win without their State of Origin stars Robbie Farah and Aaron Woods.
Galloway urged patience from fans, some of whom booed Taylor at Leichhardt Oval last week.
“It’s obviously very tough on the fans. We started the year fairly well and we haven’t been going too well lately,” he said.
“But we’re trying hard and we’re working hard.”
pete bloor
Guest
I hope they fire him, looking to rebuild a team and 1. making a decision inside the first season and 2. basing that decision on wins (discrete pass fails) not for and against (which gives a cumulative whole of season assessment) belies a level of ignorance that will doom the tigers forever which is great for everyone else. I'm not sure if he's the right guy or not but I am sure we don't have the information to make that call right now. I would say you'd have to be amongst the least insightful and capable people involved in rugby league to fire him right now - but that honour would belong to the schmuck that took the job after him.
Parra
Guest
Look at the Titans and Penrith who have had challenging seasons for different reasons but are competitive and seem to want to play footy. The Wests Tigers on the other had with a very talented playing group don't appear to want to play for each other or the coach? If the coach is unable to inspire and get the most out of the players then you find someone who can, simple.
Jimmmy
Guest
Very noble Keith but Taylor icily never get the best out of this playing group. The sooner he goes the better.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
I would back them to get at least a couple of wins before the season is done -- they'll have their first grade quality centres back by the time they play the Knights at Campbelltown, and they should be able to find one more win somewhere (Raiders away and Warriors at home are both games they could plausibly win).
The eye
Guest
Tigers have won 2 from 10..with 10 weeks to go and with an eye on the draw and the injuries,its more than probable they'll finish 2 from 20...fans are going to have a lot more to boo about by the seasons end..
Epiquin
Roar Guru
That's interesting. So much for Taylor needing to be sacked!