Sharks legend Paul Gallen has directed blame away from under-fire Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire and dumped it on the club’s “insane” roster management.
Maguire is fearing for his job after the Tigers committed to an internal review revolving largely around his position, following his side’s final-round 38-0 humiliation at the hands of wooden-spooners the Bulldogs.
READ MORE: Iconic French footballer dies after 39 years in coma
But instead of adding to the pressure mounting on Maguire, Gallen has pointed out the long list of top-line players the club has lost during its 10-year finals exile.
While State of Origin representatives James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Aaron Woods headline the many departed stars, the list extends well beyond those names.
“I look back at letting guys like Chris Heighington go, Beau Ryan, then you look at Tedesco and Moses,” Gallen said on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.
“Some of the guys they’ve let go have just been insane.
“You can’t keep them all; I understand that. But you’ve got to keep some of them.”
READ MORE: Shelby Rogers says she’ll have ‘9 million death threats’ after US Open meltdown
Gallen’s rant wasn’t limited to management of the Tigers’ roster.
“Then you look at the coaches they’ve been through: (Tim) Sheens and (Mick) Potter and (Jason) Taylor,” Gallen said.
“Now Maguire’s there (and) they want to get rid of him, too.
“There’s got to come a time where they’ve got to stick with someone and just understand that it’s going to take a long time to rebuild.”
Gallen, in agreeance with former NSW Blues coach Phil Gould, also said on Nine’s 100% Footy this week that a chief reason for the Tigers’ demise was their Concord base.
Gallen and Gould both believe the Tigers must relocate from Concord to Campbelltown.
READ MORE: Sensational calls for relocation hit embattled Wests Tigers
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here