The Wests Tigers ought to be pretty good at blocking outside noise at this point, having started out the season 0-4 and currently on a seven-game losing streak.
Every week, the Tigers coach, Michael Maguire, and his playing squad are caught under speculation. This week, after a heartbreaking last-minute loss to the Gold Coast Titans, it's a shocking halfback swap and coach replacement that leads the headlines.
Let's start with the halfback swap.
While current Tigers halfback Luke Brooks has the talent to compete with most halves in the competition, his consistency and ability to elevate the players around him when it's been needed most just hasn't been shown over the past two to three seasons.
Brooks' future with the Tigers has always been a bit murky, with the former Dally M Halfback of the Year earning $850,000 this season and next.
While most have expected the Tigers to just move on from Brooks the team is reportedly considering a player swap with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The swap, according to Paul Kent ofย The Daily Telegraph, would involve Brooks being swapped to the Bulldogs for much-maligned halfback Kyle Flannagan.
The 23-year-old Flanagan, who's made 42 NRL appearances over his four-year career, is currently highlighting an impressive Bulldogs outfit in the Knock on Effect New South Wales Cup.
Now while Tigers fans may be ready to move on from Brooks, a clean swap for a halfback unable to crack his club's first-grade squad doesn't seem fair does it?
Kent revealed that a side deal will be done to square up the money side of things, ensuring the cap hit makes sense for both teams, but he also revealed the caveat to this deal - Shane Flanagan.
"The Bulldogs would happily swap him for Brooks," Kent said.
"The right bower, however, is that Flanagan will land at Leichhardt as part of a package deal that includes his father Shane."
Shane Flagan, who coached the Cronulla Sharks for eight seasons between 2010 and 2018, guided the Sutherland based side to a Premiership in 2016.
Flanagan was exiled from the game in 2018 after an investigation revealed he had communicated with the Sharks while already serving a previous 12-month ban.
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Flanagan's ban from head coaching had expired on November 1, 2021, with the former Parramatta Eels and Western Suburbs Magpie player now eligible for a top job.
While Tigers brass, as well as the club's players, have thrown their support at Maguire, Kent believes the writing is on the wall for the coach.
"The whispers gathered momentum last week but went quiet again this week, which is not always a positive for Maguire. It is always quietest just before the execution," Kent said.
"The narrative was going to be the familiar one.
"Poor start to the season, the coach had lost the dressing room, then a fallout with coaching staff followed by players wanting out."
The Bulldogs would likely be eager to have such a deal done as coach Trent Barrett looks for the right Robin to new recruit, and star five-eight, Matt Burton's Batman.
Maguire held a 56% winning percentage during his six-year tenure at the South Sydney Rabbitohs and this has dropped significantly since joining the Tigers in 2019 (currently at 36%).
