NRL Tackle: Paul Crawley’s likes and dislikes from the first week of pre-season trials
It’s only the pre-season but Wests Tigers fans looking for a glimmer of hope were left deflated with a raft of disappointing signs. Paul Crawley’s LIKES and DISLIKES from the trials.
Paul Crawley
Paul Crawley
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7 min read
February 20, 2022 - 5:52PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
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DISLIKES
TIGER TORMENT
Tim Sheens is one of the modern game’s great football brains.
But I reckon even the cagey four-time premiership winning coach would have walked away concerned about the enormity of the job ahead when he watched the Wests Tigers against Manly on Friday night.
Without question, it was the most underwhelming and uninspiring performance of the weekend.
And I know the Tigers had half their top team missing, but so did Manly.
Yet it wasn’t so much the 28-4 scoreline that did it for me, it was more to do with the body language.
Yeah, for a while they showed some resolve in defence.
But while the Tommy Trbojevic inspired Sea Eagles played with so much enthusiasm and confidence and sheer enjoyment, the Tigers looked strained and nervous, even scared to make mistakes.
I even heard James Tamou talking after the game about how they had set out to keep things simple. You couldn’t help but wonder what their mindset must be.
It was only last week that Benji Marshall was talking up Luke Brooks for this year’s Dally M halfback of the year, it really had me excited to see what changes would come from Sheens’ influence over the summer.
Yet on Friday night Daly Cherry-Evans took Brooks back to school. And it wasn’t just the under fire halfback who looked to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Even more worrying is what comes next, because they now take on the Sydney Roosters this Friday night who will have the majority of their big guns back (and no doubt they’ll be out to make a statement in their final hitout before the season gets underway).
And if the Tigers get lapped again, how will that then set them up for their season kick off against the might of Melbourne in round one?
I’ve been around long enough to know you don’t write a team off after one poor trial performance.
But what you can’t do is sugar-coat the bleeding obvious, and that is I don’t think anyone would argue it will be a major shock if the Tigers make the finals this year.
CAPTAINCY SHAM
Still on the Tigers, I was embarrassed for Tamou to have to answer questions from the sideline (live on Fox Sports) about whether or not he will remain as captain this year. Seriously, the club have had all summer to get this sorted - yet they leave it to Tamou to try and talk his way out of a predicament he should not have been put in.
It’s only the pre-season but Wests Tigers fans looking for a glimmer of hope were left deflated with a raft of disappointing signs. Paul Crawley’s LIKES and DISLIKES from the trials.
Paul Crawley
Paul Crawley
Follow
7 min read
February 20, 2022 - 5:52PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
0 comments
DISLIKES
TIGER TORMENT
Tim Sheens is one of the modern game’s great football brains.
But I reckon even the cagey four-time premiership winning coach would have walked away concerned about the enormity of the job ahead when he watched the Wests Tigers against Manly on Friday night.
Without question, it was the most underwhelming and uninspiring performance of the weekend.
And I know the Tigers had half their top team missing, but so did Manly.
Yet it wasn’t so much the 28-4 scoreline that did it for me, it was more to do with the body language.
Yeah, for a while they showed some resolve in defence.
But while the Tommy Trbojevic inspired Sea Eagles played with so much enthusiasm and confidence and sheer enjoyment, the Tigers looked strained and nervous, even scared to make mistakes.
I even heard James Tamou talking after the game about how they had set out to keep things simple. You couldn’t help but wonder what their mindset must be.
It was only last week that Benji Marshall was talking up Luke Brooks for this year’s Dally M halfback of the year, it really had me excited to see what changes would come from Sheens’ influence over the summer.
Yet on Friday night Daly Cherry-Evans took Brooks back to school. And it wasn’t just the under fire halfback who looked to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Even more worrying is what comes next, because they now take on the Sydney Roosters this Friday night who will have the majority of their big guns back (and no doubt they’ll be out to make a statement in their final hitout before the season gets underway).
And if the Tigers get lapped again, how will that then set them up for their season kick off against the might of Melbourne in round one?
I’ve been around long enough to know you don’t write a team off after one poor trial performance.
But what you can’t do is sugar-coat the bleeding obvious, and that is I don’t think anyone would argue it will be a major shock if the Tigers make the finals this year.
CAPTAINCY SHAM
Still on the Tigers, I was embarrassed for Tamou to have to answer questions from the sideline (live on Fox Sports) about whether or not he will remain as captain this year. Seriously, the club have had all summer to get this sorted - yet they leave it to Tamou to try and talk his way out of a predicament he should not have been put in.
