When you're on the clock and you're the chief executive of a struggling NRL side, it seems there is nowhere to hide.
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In Tamworth on Thursday to spruik Wests Tigers' clash against Cronulla at Scully Park on August 13, Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe perhaps had hoped that being 400km from Sydney would provide him with a respite from the intense media glare there.
But having been in the role since 2015, he probably knew that that was a forlorn hope.
And so it came to pass that on a spectacular winter's day, Pascoe stood before a small contingent of local media, on the celebrated Scully Park surface, and was grilled by a young TV reporter reading a series of questions that had probably been sent to her from the station's Sydney headquarters.
After saying that Wests Tigers had "unashamedly" pursued Cameron Ciraldo to replace their recently sacked coach Michael Maguire, and he remained their "No 1 target"; Pascoe was asked whether the 14th-placed club planned to release veteran No 7 Luke Brooks with a year remaining on his contract.
Pascoe did not answer that question, but reports claiming that stand-in Tigers coach Brett Kimmorley planned to drop Brooks for the side's next match were "untrue", he said.
The CEO also said he was "confident" players would not leave the Tigers because of Maguire's demise, and he denied there were "a lot of leaks" emanating from the club.
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And then the go-for-the-jugular question, which Pascoe must have sensed was coming: "And just one last one, Have you had any thoughts about leaving your post, considering how tough the last few years have been for the club?"
Pascoe replied that he was "more passionate about the club" than ever and "believed in the direction" they were headed, while expressing "frustration" over the side's poor performances.
"But no, I've got no thoughts at all of leaving; I'm here for the long haul," he added.
"I liked your questions better," he then said to another media member, as the press conference concluded.
"Sorry," the young TV reporter said.
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