SYDNEY (AP) The Wests Tigers have fired head coach Jason Taylor three weeks into the National Rugby League season following back-to-back losses to Canberra and Penrith.
Taylor, who held the point-scoring record when he retired as a player in Australia's top-flight competition in 2001, was in the final year of a three-season contract at Wests Tigers.
The club issued a statement announcing the decision Monday, ending days of speculation about Taylor's tenure.
''Our position has always been to make sure that the head coach's contract is tied to performance and that hasn't changed,'' Wests Tigers chairwoman Marina Go said. ''We are committed to building a side that will be in a position to win NRL premierships and believe that this decision is the correct one for the future of the club.''
Taylor took over as head coach in 2015. The team finished next-to-last in his first season in charge and improved to 9th place in 2016, a season overshadowed by the acrimonious departure of Robbie Farah, the club's most capped player.
Assistant coach Andrew Webster will be the interim head coach.
