Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire has hit back at suggestions that his side have yet to hit rock bottom and insists they are heading in the right direction.
The Tigers have lost their opening five games and are priced at 25/1 to make the top eight and play finals footy for the first time in 10 years.
Tigers mauled by Sharks
The Tigers season took another turn for the worse when they were hammered 30-6 by the Sharks on Sunday.
During the commentary for the game NRL immortal Andrew Johns suggested Maguire’s men had not hit rock bottom yet and felt things could get even worse.
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However Maguire hit back at such talk and says he can see the hard work that is going on behind the scenes.
"I disagree (with Johns)," Maguire told reporters "He is able to have his comments. But what I see is what is going on in internally. I have been able to see what it looks like at a number of organisations. And the commitment of the players every week have really turned up.”
Play the long game
Meanwhile Maguire is calling for patience and says it will take a bit of time to get things right.
"Of course, every fan wants to win. We all want to win," Maguire said. "But you just can't wave a magic wand when you have to change a few things in an organisation. It's about looking at all the smaller areas.
"There are so many good things going on at our club from juniors upwards. But it takes time.”
