Smith unfazed by media speculation surrounding his future

Under-pressure Warrington head coach Tony Smith says he has taken no notice of reports suggesting he will be replaced by Michael Maguire.

Former Wigan boss Maguire was sacked by South Sydney yesterday, adding fuel to the fire that he is about to take over at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Having reached both major finals and won the League Leaders’ Shield last season, Warrington have endured a nightmare 2017 and are currently playing in the Qualifiers.

Speaking to the Warrington Guardian, Smith said: “It’s up to people what they write but I don’t read anything. It’s got no bearing on what I do whatsoever, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent from fans or the media.

“My job is to get my team back into Super League and do the best we can, and that’s what we’re doing. For me to focus on anything other than that would be crazy.”

Despite winning all four games in the Qualifiers so far, the Wolves have come under heavy criticism for their lacklustre performances, having scraped past both Halifax and London.

In their last outing against the Broncos on Saturday, Smith’s men nearly let a 20-point lead slip in the final stages as the Championship side came within a whisker of stealing a draw.

“You go through ups and downs in every season,” Smith added. “We’re still looking for a bit more consistency and hopefully that will come in the next three games.

“We spoke at length about it and we want to put that right. We certainly don’t want to go into those patches of mediocrity like we did at London.

“We’d like a big response this week and a more complete performance over the 80 minutes.”