Michael Maguire denies he's throwing teenage debutant Jake Simpkin into the deep end with the Wests Tigers in crisis management mode as they attempt to rebound from Sunday's dismal defeat The Tigers coach was stunned when his team gave up a 28-6 halftime lead - earning boos from their own fans - in their loss to North Queensland at Leichhardt Oval and he has shuffled the pack looking for an instant response. Maguire dropped Jacob Liddle in place of 19-year-old hooker Simpkin, who will make his NRL debut against high-flying South Sydney on Saturday. He is confident the scars of last week's loss will be of no consequence for Simpkin, who has been in hot form in reserve grade. "At the end of the day he didn't experience that one so he can come in with a real open mind and just play," Maguire said on Friday. "That's the thing that he's been doing in the last five weeks in reserve grade and performing really well and getting the team around the park and that's all I'm asking of him. "He reminds me a bit of Steve Walters actually, back in the '90s. "He'll develop his own style and how he goes about it. He's a tough kid."
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