Rugby League Coaching Manuals

But the arrangement appears to be coming to an end with the Tigers discussing with both clubs their wish to support one strong feeder club rather than two who compete against each other.

Wests Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys said the joint venture club wouldn't get involved in the decision-making process but he hoped the matter would be resolved in a matter of weeks.

He suggested one way to ensure the Magpies' survival was for the club to adopt a new identity and charter.

"The best way to keep the Magpies current and vibrant is to focus on juniors and junior representatives," he said.

He conceded finances was a key factor in pushing the point but he also had a responsibility as the Tigers boss to secure the best football outcome for the NRL team.

"We have 34 contracted players this year with 17 in the squad each week. The excess players are loaned to Wests and Balmain," he explained. ‘There are pluses and minues to this model and there are a few on the board who share the opinion it must be modified next year."

The push has shocked fans in the Macarthur area who welcomed the black and whites to the district with open arms in 1987.

High profile former Magpies coach Tommy Raudonikis said the move sounded very much like the death knell for the club.

"I've lost a little bit of interest . . . and this makes me more disillusioned," he said.

"I'm pretty disappointed. I might just have to look forward to the reunions and remembering the past. That's all we'll have left."

Magpies Diehard foundation member Rob Pike said the club might be a dinosaur but there were plenty of supporters who wanted it to live on for a bit longer.

"We were involved in the joint venture discussions and part of that agreement was to leave a side in the NSW Cup. This would leave a bad taste . . . it could mean the end of the Magpies, the end of the road," he said.

Campbelltown Mayor Aaron Rule said it would be a sad day if the Magpies folded.

"They have a wonderful history and connection to community and it would be sad if they were lost," he said. "There is a lot of affection for the black and white jersey."

Frank McWhinnie, Magpies archivist and son-in-law of the first Magpie captain of the Kangaroos, said it would be a "sorrowful end" if the Magpies were forced out of the NSW Cup.

"It is a turning point and one that's hard to argue," he said.

Magpies chairman Mike Bailey said nothing would be decided until after the NSW finals involving both the Magpies and Balmain.