Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has insisted that his club will not be making any immediate decisions on the future of under-pressure coach Michael Maguire.
Following the Tigers' 44-18 thrashing at the hands of the South Sydney, the club confirmed that Tim Sheens would conduct a review of the first half of the season, with the football boss set to relay his findings to the board at an upcoming meeting.
Despite the ongoing speculation surrounding Maguire’s future, Hagipantelis was adamant that no decision would be made on the coach until the internal review had concluded.
“As of today, 31st of May 2022, Michael Maguire is the contracted coach of the Wests Tigers,” Hagipantelis said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“There is nothing before me to indicate that that is going to change.
“Will I guarantee anyone’s employment (following the review)?
“Whether that be the head coach, the head of commercial or the CEO’s role?
“No; I will not give that guarantee.
“At the moment, we are somewhat disappointed where we sit on the table.
“Do we need to make some changes? I suspect we do.
“We’ll just leave it to the great man (Sheens) to come back and report to us.
“We’ll see what he comes back with.”
The Tigers had a poor start to the season in which they went winless after the opening five rounds for the first time in the club’s history. The team had appeared to turn the corner and ease the pressure off Maguire following consecutive one-point wins over Easter against the Bunnies and the Parramatta Eels.
The Tigers have won just one match in their past five which prompted the club to launch a review during the State of Origin and bye round period. Hagipantelis insisted that the review was looking at all aspects of the club and not just the position of head coach.
“We put a lot of stock in Tim Sheens and that’s why we brought him back to the club; for this role,” Hagipantelis added.
“He’s just found an opportune time at the middle of the year where there is a two-week hiatus where he can just do a little health check.
“Just to have a look at where we are sitting and why we are three from 12.
“What do we need to do to improve and what changes may or may not need to be made.
“From the board’s perspective, it’s business as usual.
“Tim will come back to the board at the appropriate time with some recommendations.
“He’ll let us know what, if anything, needs to be done to get this club back on track.”
The Tigers have the bye in Round 13 before hosting the Manly Sea Eagles on June 12.