Coaching Insider: Round 8
Wests Tigers Coach Michael Maguire says he's noticed marked improvements in his side over the past fortnight but urged his side to continue to repeat those efforts this Saturday against Penrith.
Chasing three straight wins for the first time this year, Maguire emphasised that strong wins in the past fortnight over the Cowboys and Bulldogs had brought with it an uplift around training off the back of improvements on field.
"We are [starting to see improvements] but we're well aware we've got to do it again and again to be able to engrain it in who we want to be," Maguire enthused.
"As a Wests Tigers player, we put the jersey on and we want to perform week-in and week-out for 80 minutes.
"That's something we've all taken on board.
"Both sides of the game has been impressive. Our defence has definitely shifted upwards.
NRL.com preview Panthers clash
"We're aware of the opposition we're playing and they'll definitely be throwing plenty against us, so it's going to be a big test for us in that department.
"In attack, we're all doing our job for each other so there's a lot of energy around us and that's the key for success all teams are after."
Match: Wests Tigers v Panthers
Round 8 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
8th Position
away Team
Panthers
2nd Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Maguire was under no illusion about the difficulty of Saturday's clash against the Panthers — a side sitting just one point off the top of the ladder heading in to Round 8 — but emphasised his side's focus would be on their effort areas, as was displayed in Thursday's clash between the Storm and Roosters.
"Everyone knows who the dangers for Penrith are," he said.
"But our focus on what we want to do for each other has been the biggest shift lately. Making sure we're there for each other — whether that's in attack or defence — is the key.
"You look at the game last night [between the Storm and Roosters] and it was purely about effort and all the little plays that came off. There were times defensively in the game when a team would just hang on and they'd go down the other end so it was a good display of rugby league.
"That's the level you need to be at if you want to be a long-term successful team and that's what we're chasing. We want to put the jersey up where those two teams have been at for some time."
