Souths president David Taylor said although the club, halfway through a three-year plan, was ``pretty happy'' with Hawkings' performance, he could not, right now, guarantee Hawkings' position at the club next season.

``We are also not about to axe him halfway through the 2008 season, when it is so hard to find rugby coaches,'' said Taylor, who wouldn't say if the club was looking for a replacement or if Hawkings' duties might be divided up.

``In any case, I don't think his coaching has been reflected by the scorelines we've seen. I've been in the dressing room and it is hard to fault his approach, yet the players just often don't follow his instructions and we've had to often field some young and inexperienced sides.''

Indeed, critics of Hawkings and the sides he has selected, point to Souths matching many other teams for at least half a game before falling away badly towards the end. Hawkings last week unsuccessfully spent time trying to convince returning Wallaby, Clyde Rathbone, to join Souths (he went to Easts) as the club's debating and fund-raising luncheon was being held adjacent to the clubhouse.

He remains frustrated by a club system that favours the more high-profile Sydney clubs such as Eastwood, Sydney University, Easts and Randwick.

``I think something has got to be done,'' Hawkings said. ``The competition is so heavily weighted in two to three teams, who are really going hell bent on recruits. It is as though they think that, `We don't really need them [new players], but we'll sign them, so we don't have them play against us'.''