As Ivan Cleary mulls over taking on the poisoned chalice that is the Wests Tigers coaching job, he must be having reservations about taking control of a team that picks and chooses when to fight and when to lay down.

For the first 39 minutes, the Tigers fought. Everything was going their way. But when the chips were down and fortunes changed, the Tigers just didn't have the stomach to claw their way back.

The first half was everything Tigers fans wanted to see. But the performance said more about how the Tigers felt about their old coach rather than offering any insight into the qualities of their interim one.

If he was watching, Taylor must have been sitting at home wondering, 'Where the hell has this been?' as the players put their bodies in places that seven days earlier they wouldn't have even considered.

"It's easy to come out this week when your back is against the wall and say we're going to react," captain Aaron Woods said. "It was a big week ... it's easy to get up for these sorts of games. But it's how we're going to react next week when it dies down just a little bit," he said.

Regardless of how pleased the Tigers were with a perceived improvement in effort, the same old alarm bells were ringing around Leichhardt as they struggled for answers when questions were asked of them.

"They wanted to play for each other," interim coach Andrew Webster said after the game.

But the question should be asked is why haven't they wanted to do so in the past? The "big four" want to know who will be coach before they commit to the Tigers. But judging on performances over the opening month, perhaps it's the coach who should be deciding whether he even wants all four of them to pledge their allegiance to the club.

"Play for a win, not a contract," one die-hard Tigers yelled from the stands as another loss drew closer.

Take nothing away from Webster. He was impressive. But the reality is this won't be his problem in a couple of weeks. It will be Cleary's.

The Tigers will begin to ramp up negotiations with the former Panthers and Warriors coach this week, with the board having given the green light to his recruitment.

In the aftermath of last week's humiliating loss to Canberra, Woods reflected on a particular moment in the first half in which his side opted against taking a gift two points in favour of an all-or-nothing attacking raid. They came away empty-handed, and the captain was filthy with himself for not stepping in. He knew it was that sort of inability to control games and show cool heads under pressure that was costing the side.

Fast forward seven days - the Tigers were presented with two penalties inside the first 20 minutes. They took the two both time. It was boring. It was un-Tigers like. But it was the right call.

It allowed a team that normally gets caught up in the moment to regroup and reassess. It allowed them to control the game, and they were justly rewarded with a try.

"We stayed calm, built pressure and got points on the board ??? and that's when the boys started believing in themselves a bit more," the Tigers captain said.

It was a sign of maturity. It was a team finally taking some accountability for its decisions and performances. And it's about time - because the list of people left to blame is low on names. Robbie Farah - gone. The coach who was apparently enforcing a game plan that didn't suit - gone, too.

The next few months will be the making of Woods. This is his team, his town and his legacy could well hinge on whether he leads this young team out of the eye of the storm and once again has them dancing to the tune of Eye of the Tiger.

"That's life in general ??? not everything is going to go your way," Woods said. "It's how you react and how you come out of those situations. At the moment we have had a few curve balls come our way but it's how we're going to get these boys out of this situation and how I can lead them. I thought today was OK.