Wests Tigers boss Grant Mayer has moved to quell increasing speculation over the future of coach Mick Potter with a passionate letter to members of the NRL club.
Eight rounds out from the end of the NRL regular season Potter remains unsigned for next year.
The Tigers started the 2014 season well with impressive wins over Manly and South Sydney stamping them as legitimate finals contenders but after a tough middle third of the season they have slumped to 10th position, two points outside the eight.
The joint venture's inconsistent efforts have again led some to point the spotlight on Potter's future.
The former Super League coach of the year struggled in his first year in charge of the Tigers in 2013, when his injury-hit outfit finished second last amid reports he might not see out his two-year contract.
Potter was kept on for this season, but with Wayne Bennett last week signalling his exit from Newcastle at the end of the year, Potter's future has become further muddied.
This week assistant coach Todd Payten has also been linked to the Tigers' top job.
But Mayer urged calm and said a decision based largely on an independent assessment of the club's coaching staff by former NRL coach Brian Smith would not be rushed.
"Over the past week there has been much speculation about the future of Mick Potter at the Wests Tigers," Mayer's letter began.
"First and foremost I have no desire to enter a public debate on the topic. Opinion and unnamed sources does nothing but jeopardise the team's focus on making the NRL finals.
"It's unhelpful and distracting at a time that we all need to be single minded about achieving a well publicised goal about making the top eight."
The letter appears to indicate Potter's hope of having his tenure continued at Concord depends on him getting the Tigers to the finals.
"Running concurrent to the club's finals push is the board's decision on our coaching structure and head coach for 2015," Mayer continued.
"We've had independent input to this process and a number of players and staff have been consulted.
"The results of this review have highlighted many areas to address and we will do so privately and without comment.
"These decisions will not be rushed and will be made in the best interests of Wests Tigers."
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