Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire says he is happy to work with Tim Sheens next season after his job was saved in an extraordinary meeting of the NRL club's football committee on Tuesday.
After a whirlwind 24 hours in which Maguire was expected to be sacked at a board meeting before the club confirmed his job was safe, the premiership-winning mentor has spoken for the first time.
It followed a post-season football department review after the Tigers missed the finals for the 10th season in a row, with the team finishing ninth, 11th and then 13th during Maguire's tenure so far.
In a statement released to media on Wednesday, Maguire said he is open to self-improvement and wants to continue to work on developing the club into a top-four team after three years of poor on-field results.
"After all the speculation, I'm pleased to move forward with the Wests Tigers," he said.
"A lot has been said publicly. I wish for this statement to put an end to the public period of examination and a return to the quiet work of crafting a winning team.
"I'm happy to keep working with every member of the organisation on our vision to turn around the fortunes of this proud club.
"My belief never wavered that in the fullness of time the club will be a rugby league force.
"Our recruitment policy won't deviate - we will look to bring players in that complement our team and salary cap position.
"We want players to join our club that have the passion to help the club return to its winning ways, along with our juniors growing a stronger foundation.
"I'm looking forward to working with Tim (Sheens) to build a strong and sustainable roster.
"As a coach, self-improvement is always a path that I am hungry for.
"The game evolves, our competitors evolve, we need to take the squad to a higher level every day because that's what it takes to compete at a top four level all the time.
"You need to continually put yourself into that space to play and win a grand final. That's what I'm focusing on."
In a pitch to the committee on Tuesday, Maguire pleaded his case to see out the remaining two years of his contract and agreed to make structural and procedural changes to his staff.
It's expected Tigers' 2005-premiership winning coach Sheens will have a greater involvement in the coaching department, after being brought on as head of football performance this season.
Sheens is still in England and so far this year has been unable to be as involved as the TIgers would like.
Maguire is in Queensland holidaying with his family with the Tigers to return to pre-season training on November 1.
Tuesday's developments allow the club to resume recruitment for next season and beyond after discussions were put on hold until the football review was complete.
Australian Associated Press
