Taylor’s Tigers slashing
Cleary the frontrunner to win gig
THE Wests Tigers said the decision to axe head coach Jason Taylor had not been an easy one.
Current Wests Tigers assistant coach Andrew Webster will take on the role of interim head coach after the club decided to let go Taylor three rounds into the season.
“On behalf of everyone at Wests Tigers I’d like to thank Jason for his commitment and contribution to the club during his time as head coach,” Tigers chair Marina Go said.
“Jason has overseen significant change within the club over the past two seasons and we thank him for his efforts.
“Our position has always been to make sure that the head coach’s contract is tied to performance and that hasn’t changed.
“We are committed to building a side that will be in a position to win NRL premierships and believe that this decision is the correct one for the future of the club.”
The frontrunner to replace Taylor long-term, Ivan Cleary, refused to confirm or deny whether he was headed to Leichhardt.
Cleary remained tight-lipped when contacted by the Daily Telegraph, increasing speculation he will replace Taylor.
The former Panthers and Warriors coach and now NRL match review and referees adviser said: “Thanks mate but I’ve got nothing to report.”
The NRL has not heard from Cleary about his future plans. He spent yesterday working with the referees at Homebush in a review of their round three performances.
There has been speculation also linking Cowboys assistant coach Todd Payten who, like Cleary, would be ready to start immediately.
An exclusive online poll revealed Cleary as the frontrunner to take the helm at the Tigers, with 50% of voters naming him the ideal coach to take the joint venture forward.
The Telegraph understands Tigers board members made the decision to move in another direction after Sunday’s thumping 46-6 loss to the Canberra Raiders.
It had also become clear superstar fullback James Tedesco, skipper Aaron Woods, five-eighth Mitchell Moses and halfback Luke Brooks were not prepared to sign new contracts while Taylor was the NRL head coach.
All have hesitated in recent negotiations because of the uncertainty over the coaching position.
The players do not dislike Taylor but feel they need new direction to become better players and win a premiership at the Wests Tigers.
Taylor took over as coach in 2015, replacing Mick Potter, and had 20 wins from his 51 matches in charge.
The club has not made the finals under his stewardship but were in contention until Round 26 last year and would have finished eighth if they’d beaten the Raiders in their final match of the season.
One of the most notable aspects of Taylor’s time with the club was his ongoing feud with Robbie Farah, which resulted in the former skipper leaving the club in bitter fashion at the end of last season.