Tigers to re-sign Maguire but Reynolds, Packer drama highlights issues
By Michael Chammas
The Wests Tigers are moving to silence the deafening noise surrounding the tenure of their coach, set to hand Michael Maguire a one year contract extension despite more cause for concern emerging on Sunday.
A week of conjecture around the coach's relationship with his players ended with revelations out-of-favour duo Josh Reynolds and Russell Packer left Saturday night's game against Manly at half time.
When contacted by the Herald on Sunday night, Reynolds declined to comment. However sources close to the club said Reynolds, whose behaviour was out of character given his reputation as the ultimate team player, was privately fuming over suggestions that he walked out because he couldn't handle the cold.
The five-eighth, despite being told to find a new home on half a dozen occasions, wasn't required to attend the match but turned up to support his teammates, before leaving at half time.
"It's not a good look for two of our players to leave at half time," chairman Lee Hagipantelis told the Herald.
"Strictly speaking, they weren't required to be there. Russell had to warm up with the team as 19th man but Josh didn't even warm up with the team. Both players have acknowledged their action creates a perception, but perception is not reality.
"I have spoken to both of them and they've acknowledge it wasn't a good look. There was no intention on their part to show disrespect or a lack of unity. Russell suffers from an arthritic condition and had multiple surgeries in his foot to try and help him play again. Sitting there in the cold does affect him, that is true."
The players' inability to see out the match in the stands reflects poorly, but again highlights the disconnect that the club wants addressed in the offseason when it sits down with Maguire to map out its plan for the future.
The Wests Tigers has been a revolving door of coaches in recent years and the club is determined to make sure Maguire isn't added to the list, with the former South Sydney premiership-winning mentor to be given an extension on his contract despite already being locked in at the joint venture until the end of 2021.
It's an incredible show of faith when you consider the noise surrounding Maguire's tenure at the club. The murmurs of discontent in the playing ranks keep bubbling along, not to mention the fact the Tigers are likely to miss the finals for a second straight year under his watch despite a miraculous come-from-behind win against Manly on Saturday night.
The Tigers would be well within their rights to sit back and see how next year unfolds before making a decision. That's the safe play considering he still has another year to run on his deal and, to put it bluntly, rival clubs are not exactly lining up for his services.
But in a strong message to the players, some of whom are privately questioning whether he is in fact the right man to lead them out of a decade-long finals slumber, the board and executives will in the coming months add another year to Maguire's incumbency.
The Tigers and, for the large part, their success-starved fans, believe Maguire is the right man. They are behind his no-nonsense approach and want him to add a hard edge to a club long regarded for its soft underbelly.
They also know where there's smoke, there's fire. The issue involving Packer and Reynolds is evidence of that. Packer and Reynolds didn't break any rules when they left the game. Some of their teammates who weren't playing didn't even show up at all, but it's a bad look nonetheless.
The players must take responsibility for their poor choices, but there's also an onus on Maguire to evolve in the off-season and address some of the issues with his coaching style that has affected his relationship with several players at his last two clubs.
There's a misconception that the issues arise from how hard Maguire trains his players, that they can't stomach his military-like regime. The real problem stems around his communication skills, and a feeling he avoids the tough conversations.
Like when he asked Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah to approach Moses Mbye about stepping away from the captaincy last year, instead of having the conversation himself. Or, just last week, when he struggled to tell Marshall he wasn't required in 2021, asking the veteran playmaker to "give him 24 hours" despite already reaching a decision with the club he wasn't part of their plans going forward.
Maguire has the runs on the board. No one is questioning his rugby league IQ or his ability to prepare a football team. But a generational transition in players has prompted debate over how compatible his philosophies are with the modern-day footballer.
**It was evident last year in how he handled Ryan Matterson, a player who came to the club from the Sydney Roosters with a reputation for requiring a cuddle - or three - to get the best out of him.** Maguire is from a different school. The type that brings baseball bats and boa constrictors into dressing rooms to get his point across. Mollycoddling delicate footballers is not in his nature.
The Tigers possess a roster built by Ivan Cleary with personalities that suit an Ivan Cleary-coached team. Maguire will get his team in 2022, when the salary cap frees up in the first season of his forthcoming extension, but what he does between now and then will have a huge impact on whether he can attract Maguire-type footballers to the club.
Tigers powerbrokers know the club is not in a position to let quality footballers walk out the door, or turn players off joining, if it can be avoided by the coach learning to relate on a different level. Sometimes a teaspoon of cement isn't the only remedy.
There is a genuine point there, anyone who has done basic training on personalities or psychology knows there are several personality types and the key to getting best performance whether on a corporate room or team is working with all types.
The great Phil Jackson, considered a hippy knew this in the 90s working with a highly emotional and sensitive Dennis Rodman. Its much more common knowledge now than then.
