Maguire was let go on Tuesday afternoon after fronting the board.

He had two years remaining on his contract, however, consecutive 12th-placed finishes in 2016 and 2017 brought the axe.

Crowe described Maguire as a man with integrity who helped re-shape South Sydney to the club it is today.

“Michael has given South Sydney six dedicated years, he brought us a premiership, brought us out of the 43 year wilderness,” Crowe said.

“I hold him in the highest regard as a coach and as a man.

“The fact that the board, the chairman, the CEO, the GM of football and Michael were able to talk frankly about future direction and come to an amicable and mutual agreement speaks to maturity of our culture which Michael has given so much effort to building.”

Rookie coach Anthony Siebold is considered the front-runner to replace Maguire who has been linked to Super League club Warrington and the Gold Coast Titans.