Wests Tigers football boss Tim Sheens insists under-pressure coach Michael Maguire won't be subjected to a witch hunt ahead of meetings around the battling club's football department.
Saturday night's capitulation to South Sydney has left the Tigers at 3-9 heading into the Origin period, a win-loss record from which no club has made the finals since 2006.
Sheens has confirmed the club will make use of the looming bye week for a look in the mirror and forward planning, with 14 days until the joint-venture's next match against Manly.
Some of that focus will inevitably end up on Maguire's future, with the Tigers coach only narrowly surviving an end-of-season review led by former head of football Adam Hartigan last year.
But Sheens stressed the focus would be across the whole club, including player recruitment for next season, injuries, junior retention and long-term negotiations.
"This is the stuff we are talking about, not a witch hunt," Sheens told AAP.
"Of course coaching will be looked at. As in where we are going for the rest of the season, what's our issues with recruitment and injuries.
"Coaching isn't specifically the coach, it's about coaching generally.
"It's about who we are keeping, who we are not.
"We're also talking about ongoing recruitment from the end of next year with Jackson Hastings, Adam Doueihi and Daine Laurie."
Maguire, halfway through his fourth season at the NRL club, is contracted until the end of next year.
Sheens did not comment specifically on Maguire's position on Sunday, but there is little doubt he remains under pressure,
If the Tigers were to look elsewhere, there is no obvious solution to their coaching predicament.
Cameron Ciraldo is considered the next coach in line for most clubs, but the onus would be on the Panthers assistant coach to determine if he wants to leave his current role.
Complicating the matter is that the Bulldogs are already in the market for a new coach, while the Warriors and Newcastle also have coaches under pressure.
Regardless, Sheens was insistent his club's bye week meetings had been planned for a month.
"At the end of the day Madge is buying for next year, so we have to sit down and talk about who we keep," Sheens said.
"There are players off contract. (James) Tamou, (Jock) Madden, (Tommy) Talau.
"There are hookers we have to sort out with Api (Koroisau) coming."
It comes after Maguire had insisted on Saturday night he could still take the Tigers to this year's finals, even referencing Sheens' surge to the 2005 title.
"The season is still alive," Maguire said.
"You get a run and you can go back in time at this club where you get all your players back in.
"Doueihi, (Alex) Twal, David Nofoaluma back in. You just have to have a passage of consecutive wins. I know it is in this team."
