Rugby league: Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire's halftime eruption backfires as Warriors bounce back

Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire kicks a chair during his halftime address to his squad. Photo / Fox Sports

Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire exploded at his side during the halftime break against the New Zealand Warriors, despite his men holding a six point lead at the time.

The spray then backfired spectacularly as the Warriors struck early in the second stanza with three straight tries to snatch back the lead.

The Warriors' sacrifice this season has been well publicised after moving to Australia for the season, but despite farewelling stars after last week's game and bringing on more loan players, the side hit the lead for the first time with a Peta Hiku try in the corner after 58 minutes.

In fact it was an 18-0 start to the half before the Tigers made it interesting late after a Tommy Talau try after 73 minutes made it a six-point ball game.

But it wasn't enough as the Warriors won its fourth game of the season.

During the Fox League halftime show, Mal Meninga was talking about the half when the footage went to the sheds with Maguire exploding and even kicking a chair out of frame.

"The Tigers started really well with a great kick chase game, relying on the Warriors' errors to give them some points early and then there was a swing back again to the Warriors," Meninga said.

"Michael Maguire kicks the chair and he's obviously not very happy with the possession swing the other way and the Warriors getting back into the game."

Fox Sports reporter Lara Pitt spoke to some players on the bench about what Maguire was unhappy with and the message was blunt.

"We asked the Wests Tigers bench what he didn't like about the first half and they said he didn't like any of it," she said.

"He was ramming home the message 'don't wait for things to happen, make them happen'."

Post-game and after the loss, Maguire's mood was summed up when he was asked if it was more frustrating than the Titans loss earlier in the season "not happy".

He tore into his team lashing the team's attitude after scoring a couple of early tries.

"If you're going to play NRL, you've got to do it all the time," he said. "That's what we've all got to take ownership of. You can't slip in attitude. I go back to our defence, that was a poor performance tonight. To talk about the things we're good at, you may be good at them but you've got to do it every week, that's called the NRL. And that's where we need to go."

As for his spray at halftime, he said his side needed leadership and "everyone to own their jobs" but the side wasn't willing to do the hard work.

"I know where I want, with the team, to take this club and you have these things along the way," he said. "We need to make sure it's not like that performance because that was not a Wests Tigers performance anymore, that's not acceptable in and around the club and the boys understand what's acceptable and what we're doing moving forward."

Maguire said it was disappointing to concede 18 offloads and promised an "honest week".

In the next set, the Warriors scored to level it up at 14-all with Peta Hiku forcing his way over the line through three Tigers players.

Balmain legend Steve Roach said: You should be able to make the tackle that close to the line, there are three Tigers around him. I reckon that's what Michael Maguire would have been talking about on goal defence, you've got to be able to stop that."

Earlier, the Tigers were hot to start, having scored twice in the opening 12 minutes before the Warriors responded.