Stay of execution Tigers delay call on Maguire as meeting abandoned

The Wests Tigers have delayed a decision on coach Michael Maguire’s future after an expected board meeting was scrapped on Monday.

The club’s directors, who were expected to vote on whether the coach would survive the club’s highly documented review, didn’t meet as intense speculation grows about the premiership winner’s future at the club.

Maguire, 47, is fighting for his career at the Tigers, which has been in the spotlight since the club’s embarrassing 38-0 loss to wooden-spooners Canterbury in the final game of the season.

Maguire has previously enjoyed backing from several influential directors, and it was widely reported that he would learn his fate on Monday after a meeting of the club’s board.

They were due to discuss the findings of the review, which was headed by chief executive Justin Pascoe and head of football Adam Hartigan.

Incoming coaching director Tim Sheens, who has not returned to Australia from the United Kingdom due to COVID complications, also played a role in the review, which involved interviews with senior players.

But the scheduled meeting did not take place, meaning Tigers supporters will have to wait a little longer to find out if Maguire will start a new two-year deal that is due to run to the end of 2023.

The Wests Tigers have delayed a decision on the future of coach Michael Maguire.Credit:Getty

Maguire will be given a 12-month payout worth about $750,000 if the club elects to scrap his new deal.

The Tigers have put a freeze on all recruitment and retention until they make a decision on the coach, despite having $1.6 million to spend on four players in next year’s roster. They also have to make decisions about Maguire’s assistants Wayne Collins and Shane Millard.

Penrith assistant Cameron Ciraldo looms as the frontrunner for the Tigers job if they part ways with Maguire, but he won’t even consider any interest until the premiership campaign is over. The Panthers will face minor premiers Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a spot in the grand final.

Senior Tigers players such as James Tamou and Luciano Leilua have publicly supported Maguire since their final-round drubbing, which prompted the coach to insist he was still the man to revive the embattled club.

But that will ultimately be the call of the Tigers board, which has watched the NRL side slip from ninth to 11th and then 13th this year under Maguire’s watch before a promising batch of juniors are ready for the top grade.

Despite not having made the finals for a decade, the Tigers are in a strong financial position and have spent $2 million more on the football department than during Jason Taylor’s final season in 2017.

The $75 million centre of excellence at Concord will open in February or March next year.

But who will be the coach to have first use of the facility is still up in the air.

UK Super League stars Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart are the only confirmed arrivals at Concord next year as the club finally starts to balance its salary cap following the early release of Moses Mbye to the Dragons and the retirement of Russell Packer.

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