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Tigers coach upbeat but NRL finals elusive

Scott BaileyAAP
Tigers coach Michael Maguire insists his side is building for the future.
Camera IconTigers coach Michael Maguire insists his side is building for the future. Credit: AAP

Michael Maguire has been forced to defend his position as Wests Tigers coach again as the club stare down the barrel of a 10th straight season out of the NRL finals.

The Tigers' 18-16 loss to the Warriors of Friday night will go down as one of the most frustrating of their season, after a horror second-half collapse.

After leading 10-0 at halftime the Tigers produced a number of glaring errors, most notably failing to get a man to dummy-half on their last real attacking raid.

The result leaves the Tigers likely needing to win their last five games to make the finals, with even that possibly not enough if results go against them.

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Maguire has had his future questioned several times this year during his third season at the club but is adamant the Tigers are developing for the future.

"I've got a group of young men that I have blooded over a period of time," Maguire said.

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"They are having experiences, sometimes high and sometimes lows. And they are learning how to play the game."

Maguire copped another blow on Friday, with his best young player in Daine Laurie likely having his season ended early with a fractured leg.

Beyond that, the embattled coach has debuted six players this season, including Kelma Tuilagi on Friday night along with Junior Pauga and Tuki Simpkins two weeks ago.

But there is no doubting that consistency remains a significant issue at the club.

They are yet to win three games straight during Maguire's entire reign, while their tendency to switch off for moments within games has often proved costly.

Regardless, Maguire insisted his younger group would benefit from 2021.

"They will learn a lot out of those sorts of things," Maguire said.

"Today we had a lot of senior guys that weren't there. But our expectation as a group is you have to turn up and get the job done.

"Everyone wants it now, myself and the players want it. But they are going through a lot of experiences today which will be the making of what this group is about."

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