Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter has toned down his intensity for the coming NRL season, according to star forward Liam Fulton.
Potter will start the year as a coach already under pressure for results following the Tigers’ horror campaign in 2013, after which his job was reviewed.
But despite the burden of expectation Potter is carrying into Sunday’s opener against St George Illawarra and their equally desperate coach Steve Price, Fulton revealed the Tigers mentor had found a way to relax around his playing group.
And Fulton says the time has come for players to step up for their beleaguered coach.
Last year was a stern test of Potter’s mettle and, although he showed his toughness, it wasn’t without collateral damage.
Things went sour with departing superstar Benji Marshall as he tried to guide his struggling team through a horrific injury crisis, all while the club’s board bickered in the background.
An end-of-season review resulted in a clean-out of the Tigers’ support staff, but Potter was given another chance.
Fulton says the Tigers have appreciated seeing a new side to Potter’s personality and are eager to take the heat off by delivering with some early wins.
“He’s a bit more cruisey this year. He came in a bit hard last year, which was expected,” said Fulton.
“He’s been great. He’s got a great attitude, he works hard.
“You read the papers already, the season hasn’t even started and coaches are under pressure. No doubt we’re going to have to win.
“It’s like players come off contract and have to play well to keep their careers going.
“We really like Mick as our coach here and we really want to put in a good year for him.
“He deserves to stay here and it’s time for us to step up and be counted for him.”
The 29-year-old Fulton is one of just four remaining players from the Tigers’ 2005 grand final triumph – alongside Robbie Farah and prodigal sons Pat Richards and Dene Halatau.
Wests Tigers dined out on that fairytale premiership for many years, but Fulton has made it clear the club’s senior players are no longer satisfied with past glory.
“That was ages ago now, and I can’t even remember the grand final to be honest. It was that long ago,” he said.
Fulton admits Sunday’s clash at ANZ Stadium will be a desperate affair, with the Dragons also under the microscope after an underwhelming year in 2013.
The Tigers have some injury dramas of their own, with Keith Galloway, Tim Simona, Curtis Sironen, Halatau and Tim Moltzen unavailable.
But Fulton says the Tigers have a golden chance to knock off the Dragons, who are without NSW State of Origin star Josh Dugan.
“Dugan is a world-class player so any team that doesn’t have Dugan in it is going to be a bit easier,” said Fulton.
“They’ve probably got a good replacement anyway, but not having Dugan there is probably going to be better for us.
“We both had poor seasons last year so there’s no doubt (both sides will be desperate).”
