Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor is comfortable with former skipper Robbie Farah's decision to see out his remaining contract, with the club commencing pre-season training for 2016 on Monday.
Having sacrificed the captaincy at the club – with a decision on the Tigers' leadership to be announced on a later date – Taylor was confident he has and will continue to act professionally within his relationship with Farah.
Admitting it was "unusual" for the incumbent New South Wales vice-captain and hooker to be in contention for NSW Cup duties, Taylor said it was a matter now of getting on with the job and seeing how things unfold with the make-up of his first choice team.
"The thing with both Robbie and I is that's it has obviously been a tough situation. It's been a strange relationship but we have both managed to handle it in a really professional way," Taylor said.
"We have had numerous meetings where we shake hands beforehand and shake hands after. The first thing we did [on Monday] was shake hands and that's what we'll be doing for the whole season if that's how it pans out.
"I'm extremely comfortable if Robbie remains. We're both professionals and we'll work through that. It is possible that Robbie could still go to a rival club and get a new lease on life and play some great footy.
"[Robbie] will still be considered for the first grade team every week as will every other player who is in the squad. The decisions around the team will be based on how individuals train and how we train as a team over the course of the next few months."
With the ongoing events surrounding Farah and the departure of influential figure Martin Taupau from the club last week among other things, Taylor denied he had been handed an ultimatum by the club concerning the team's performances and his own future.
In what has been a challenging period for both he and the Tigers, Taylor said the decisions which have been made are in the best interests of the club, including moving off the foot of the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder.
2015 signalled the fourth consecutive season the Tigers had failed to make the finals, with their points' differential proving the saving grace in avoiding the wooden spoon.
"Every single coach is under pressure to perform. Every single one, so no I haven't been handed ultimatums but it wouldn't matter if I had because it wouldn't change decisions that are made," Taylor said.
"It wouldn't change the fact we want to move this club forward in the best and fastest possible fashion and that's what our decisions are based around every single day. We make decisions we believe are best for the club in the future.
"Sometimes they can be emotional for fans and members but the facts are we have been on the bottom of the competition for a number of years and some tough calls have had to be made for us to move our way back up the table – and I don't shy away from that."
