Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns believes Wests Tigers will snare a top-eight berth this season – but he says under-fire coach Michael Maguire will still be weighed down by a mountain of pressure even if they do.
The Tigers are set for a critical match against the 10th-placed Sharks in Rockhampton tomorrow. They will then face the second-placed Panthers and last-placed Bulldogs over the final two rounds of the regular season.
And while Johns thinks the Tigers will snag a top-eight position despite sitting 13th on the ladder, he says that won’t necessarily save Maguire’s job.
“No, I don’t think so. Look, they haven’t made the semis for 10 years, so that tells you something’s not right in the organisation,” Johns said on Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour.
“I know he’s trying to turn things around, Michael Maguire. I think [making the finals] will take some pressure off.
“Once again, something’s broken there, whether it’s the roster or whatever. They seem to finish ninth or 10th every year. Something needs to be done there.”
Late in the Tigers’ underwhelming 2021 campaign the joint-venture club has lost former skipper Moses Mbye, who’s been released from the final year of his $850,000 contract to join the Dragons.
Mybe told the Sydney Morning Herald that he had begun to feel like “a burden” on the club, given his fading form and the fact he had already been on the roster before Maguire’s arrival.
Mbye signed with the Tigers ahead of the 2018 season and Maguire took control ahead of the club’s 2019 campaign.
“I think it’s great honesty [that Mbye said he was a burden],” Johns said.
“He’s not blaming anyone else; he’s not blaming the coach, he’s not blaming whatever. He’s just upfront and honest, which is really refreshing.”
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