Drop a frog into a boiling pot of water and it will immediately jump back out. Place a frog in tepid water and it will sit there, not sensing the danger, and it will eventually be boiled alive.
We have seen it before at Wests Tigers, and it happened again on Tuesday afternoon.
Just hours after the New Zealand Warriors announced Nathan Brown had been replaced by Stacey Jones, Wests Tigers issued a statement on their website that Maguire’s contract had been terminated.
Maguire becomes the sixth coach punted by the organisation since 2012.
“Wests Tigers head coach Michael Maguire has today been terminated from his role, effective immediately,” the press release began on the team’s website.
“Wests Tigers sincerely thanks Michael for all his hard work and effort over the past three and a half years. 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.”
That was it?
A meagre 88 words slipped in late on Tuesday afternoon just before the squad was to be announced for their home match on Sunday against Manly-Warringah. Just hours earlier Maguire was on the field at Concord taking the side through its paces.
The blowback will be mostly lost in the State of Origin hype ahead of New South Wales and Queensland, with Game 1 kicking off Wednesday evening.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Many fans would agree Maguire’s time was probably up.
But he also never had the manpower to compete with the heavyweights of the premiership.
It also shows a desperate lack of leadership and support from the front office at the club. Maguire had a target on his head for a long time.
At no time did Maguire have a roster to compete for a title or even be a competitive force in September.
It’s back to the starting line for Wests Tigers with the decision made by director of football Tim Sheens.
The great survivor, CEO Justin Pascoe, has evaded the knives again.
On Tuesday night Sheens fronted the media and admitted the club was set for several more dark years as they continue along as a “development club”. It’s an interesting choice of words from Sheens considering how little they have developed in the last decade.
Just four local juniors have been named in Wests Tigers 17 to play the Sea Eagles at Campbelltown.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Two outstanding young forward prospects lost by Wests Tigers could end up in Manly’s final squad: Narellan’s Sean Keppie and All Saints Liverpool’s Taniela Paseka.
A small crowd will turn out with little hope of victory and zero faith in the club.
The club’s best chance of sustained success in the future is to invest heavily in keeping and developing their all-conquering Harold Matthews Cup team that won the 2022 title undefeated.
Kimmorley as interim coach makes sense.
He has been working with junior clubs and travelling from his home in the Shire and helping kids from Balmain down to the Macarthur and Southern Highlands region. He understands the nuances of the joint venture.
The way the club is going, Kimmorley may end up grabbing the full-time gig under Sheens for the next few seasons, such is the stench coming off the franchise right now.
Recruits Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i will help carry the burden next year, but it won’t make much difference. They are also losing young star Kelma Tuilagi (Sea Eagles), the enigmatic Luciano Leilua (Cowboys) and workhorse Luke Garner to the Penrith Panthers.
Maguire’s time at Wests Tigers will be forgotten quickly as the media cycle goes on, but he must be given some credit for sticking it out and making the club make the decision. Nobody could have done a better job with the roster he had to play with.
The club can release all the documentaries they want and build a centre of excellence on the far side of the moon if it makes them happy, but it makes little difference to what we have seen unravel in front of us for over a decade.
Simply put, they have achieved nothing and gone backwards.
It’s easy to put the boot into the club right now, but nobody deserves it more.
Their poor fans are used to feeling empty, bemused and frustrated, so you can’t blame them for not having much confidence in what’s coming next for Wests Tigers.
G money
Roar Rookie
Bravo, may you have as much success as sheensy moving forward lol
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
"despite not having had success in any form in this millennium."
G money
Roar Rookie
16 years ago lol.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Soot on… plant them in the SW and work like hell with the region or relocate altogether
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Manly’s rotating door CEO situation has definitely been a problem, but not an insurmountable one. It’s has been nowhere near as significant an impact as having a bad coach in Barrett there for a few years. Since his return Dessie has got us into the finals a couple of times despite the front office instability. Ironically Maguire, who was actually offered and turned down the Manly job after Barrett on the grounds that he felt the Tigers were a better and more professionally run club. If that doesn’t raise questions on the bloke’s judgement nothing will.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I wish they could, but general incompetence is not a strong enough reason for the governing body to intervene. In spite of everything, the Tigers follow the rules and are not in financial jeopardy.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Pretty sure a premiership and Kangaroos' successes at least count for something.
Cam
Roar Rookie
I don’t understand the logic of sacking a coach mid season. An interim coach inherits the same players, who exhibit the same failures. Invariably, all 16 NRL teams have very similar patterns of play, similar structures and similar training systems and an interim coach dropped into an underperforming team can bring nothing new to the table. For those board members who think they will get some sort of response or bounce-back from the playing group, they are completely delusional. Dutch economist Dr Bas ter Weel looked at the 140 coach sackings in the Premier League and compared those to teams who stuck with their coach during form slumps. The results were almost identical, with the clubs who stuck by their coach marginally in front (10%). Ask the Bulldogs fans how many matches they have won since Barratt has been sacked. The Tigers are currently 13th on the ladder, let’s see where they sit at seasons end (give you a tip, it won’t be top 8). It further destabilises the team and has a negative economic effect as the club must pay the coaches’ contract out. As to the report the Tigers are looking at a 5 year deal to land Ciraldo, seriously, did they not see what happened at the Broncos when they signed a rookie coach to a long term deal? Anthony Seibold should be a cautionary tale to all clubs when contracting untested coaches.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
In every full season Madge was at the helm, their finishing ladder position was worse than before. He lost any respect I still had for him last year when he abandoned his team at half time when they were getting monstered by the Storm and told them to sort it out themselves. That was literally his job and he just dropped the players cold when they desperately needed guidance and leadership. Zero respect for that.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
Maguire dropped too many balls, missed to many tackles and took too many wrong options in attack. Oh wait....
G money
Roar Rookie
Great response.. and I cant disagree with any of your points. I'm not wanting to 'support' high tackles, but feel that a crackdown like what rugby union has done will fundamentally change the sport. At the end of the day, it's a contact sport and trauma to the head will occur.
Adam
Roar Guru
I think the NRL has got it almost to the sensible point with high contact. I still think they need to penalise in a few more instances, but they've come a reasonable way in the last few years. But Gus Gould has white-anted the organisation the entire time when they've gone after high tackling because it would apparently ruin the fabric of the game or using the example of them hurting each other in training as some sort of strawman to suggest that the high contact was ok. I'm not naïve in thinking that high contact will ever be eliminated. But it can certainly be minimised and penalised appropriately. I'm not entirely sure why so many are prepared to die on the hill on supporting high tackles
G money
Roar Rookie
Definitely a common denominator. Sheens has fallen upwards into so many great roles.. despite not having had success in any form in this millennium. So strange
G money
Roar Rookie
What would you like to see RE high contact?? It is a high impact sport.. You can eliminate contact to the head, by banning tackling.
Paul
Guest
Which home stadium would the NRL be developing for the Tigers? It must be so confusing for Tigers supporters to go to home games to support them. Where’s this weeks home game again? Who set the Tigers up to fail? It was West’s & Balmain’s decision to combine as one club. After all these years, what’s the factional fighting about? It was also the Tigers decision to take Pascoe from the Panthers, doing an under the table deal with him, to get him to take up the position of chief executive. Plus to bring his staff with him. Or was that some secret plan to destroy the Tigers , set up by Penrith & the NRL? It’s also not Ivan Cleary’s fault , which players the Tigers decided to buy, when he was there. Was he carrying the cheque book around? Don’t think so.
Davico
Roar Pro
It would be a pretty big decision to give up on the Macarthur area!
Redcap
Roar Guru
They wouldn't necessarily have to re-brand, unless Balmain objected and actually had a legal basis to block the name being used. Was more talking about it becoming a properly standalone corporate entity with an independent board. That said, I think the club being relocated or abolished is more likely than that.
Davico
Roar Pro
They may be Wests, and I agree that they should be based out of Campbeltown fulltime and for basically all games, but they will not rebrand from the Tigers. For to many fans it is all they know, and young kids don't want to follow a Magpie.
Darren
Guest
I believe the nrl appointed some of the board, the nrl helps lobby government to help fund the stadium builds. So yes the nrl have a big say in how things are run.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Something has to give. At what point does Wests - and I use the term Wests deliberately because I think that's the geographical area the club should focus on - become its own club, rather than an amalgam of two relics?