It was the great Ted Lasso that said, “I believe in hope. I believe in believe.”

This is a quote that resonates with many sports fans, and I wonder whether it resonated with Wests Tigers fans leading into the 2022 NRL season.

I wonder what remains of that hope and belief after the first two rounds.

The Wests Tigers sit in 15th spot on the ladder following their 26-16 point loss to the Melbourne Storm in Round 1 and their 26-4 loss to the Newcastle Knights in Round 2.

It’s still very early in the season and much too soon to write any team off.

There are lots of teams that would be disappointed with their performances in the opening rounds, including several teams that fans think will be dominant come September like the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles.

But what I found most concerning about the Tigers, particularly on Sunday, was that it isn’t necessarily about improvement; it’s that many members of the squad look disinterested.

There were too many poor errors and too many ‘coach killer’ mistakes that, at times, made it hard to watch the game. There were simple missed tackles, dropped balls and silly penalties which handed the game to the Knights on a silver platter.

Afterwards, Tigers co-captain Ken Maumalo spoke of ‘lack of preparation’ leading into the game. That’s deeply concerning.

It’s way too soon in the season to look disinterested and fans have waited too long over the off-season to write off another year so early.

So, where to from here?

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

It’s unfair to blame a club’s predicament simply on the coach or on one person. The situation the Wests Tigers find themselves in is the result of many different decisions made by many different people.

The Tigers will not be successful if they keep the same systems and processes in place and simply replace the coach. What that will lead to is a washing machine where coaches come and go and nothing really changes (as has been the case at Campbelltown over the last decade).

With that said, the next couple of weeks are crucial for Michael Maguire if he wants to keep his job.

Some blame the squad. The squad that Michael Maguire has selected. He has to take some responsibility for that. There may be challenges in getting players to come to the Tigers, but that is not all the coach’s fault and perhaps speaks to those ‘systems and processes’ I referred to earlier.

Madge has been with the Tigers since 2019. In that time, the team has not improved their position on the ladder. They’ve not looked likely to play finals football either. Maguire must also take responsibility for that.

If results continue in the coming weeks, a decision has to be made about the future of the coach.

I can’t imagine that it’s a happy environment for coach or players at the moment and that can only lead to disaster on the field.

I enjoyed Tales from Tiger Town on Fox League last year. It’s rare that fans get the opportunity to be that up close and personal with coaching staff and I wish fans were given more access like this.

But when I watched Tiger Town, I couldn’t help but feel like it was very much about Michael Magurie. His style, his approach, his yelling at the players in the dressing room.

We heard very little from the players throughout this documentary and whilst he may believe in his methods, it doesn’t look like his players do.

The documentary almost felt like justification for the approach that Maguire was taking. An approach that has not been working.

Something has to give.

Fortunately, the Tigers have a good opportunity to rectify the situation in the next couple of weeks with games against the New Zealand Warriors, Gold Coast Titans and Cronulla Sharks coming up. None of these teams are easy beats, but it is not until Round 7 that the Tigers face a team that finished in the top four last year.

It’s not time to hit the panic button yet, but we aren’t far away.

Time is ticking for Maguire and for the Wests Tigers.

But it’s going to take a lot more than simply replacing the coach to turn things around at Tiger Town.