- REVIEW FINDING #3: INABILITY TO ATTRACT BIG NAMES AND IMPROVE SENIOR PLAYERS
The Wests Tigers didn’t need a review to discover the club’s shortcomings in the recruitment market.
It’s been well documented how often they have struck out under Maguire when it comes to landing the big fish, but the arrival of Tim Sheens added significant pulling power to the club.
The signature of Jackson Hastings has so far proven to be hugely beneficial for the Wests Tigers, picked up from the Super League on a relatively cheap deal looking for one last chance in the NRL.
While the signing of Parramatta backrower Isaiah Papali’i was all but done under the watch of former general manager Adam Hartigan, Sheens and Maguire combined to pull off the acquisition of Panthers premiership-winning hooker Api Koroisau for 2023 and beyond.
The club found that it had no issues recruiting good young players over the years but they have lacked the financial backing to retain them when the big clubs come knocking.
The club has recently agreed to significantly boost the funding of its juniors to ensure they not only attract the best talent, but keep them. Having club legend Benji Marshall helping develop the young players has added to the appeal of the program.
That has also been reflected in the appointments of Matt Betsy and Brett Kimmorley, who have overseen the overhaul of the club’s pathways system in the past 12 months.
The other concern that was raised from some of the senior players in the review was a belief that they weren’t improving as individuals. That case is obvious with halfback Luke Brooks.
The club believes it contributed to senior players at rivals clubs baulking at the prospect of playing under Maguire, which ultimately pushed the club down the path to target youth.
The review found that some of the younger players weren’t having the same issues as the senior players, given the development of Stefano Utoikamanu, Jake Simpkin and Daine Laurie over the past 12 months.
- REVIEW FINDING #4: NEED TO ESTABLISH A WESTS TIGERS CULTURE
Sheens has been quite vocal in trying to get the Tigers to buy into the All Blacks culture, which places a huge emphasis on respect for the entire organisation.
Whether it be cleaning up the dressing rooms after the players are done, turning up to home games in suits or placing an emphasis on discipline and punctuality at training, Sheens is driving a set of standards he wants implemented from the NRL right down to Harold Matthews
It’s not only a certain culture that the club wants implemented across the board. There are now systems in place to have the whole of club working towards a “Wests Tigers” brand of football.
Similar systems are in place at clubs like Penrith and the Roosters so that young players can easily transition into first grade.
- REVIEW FINDING #5: INCONSISTENCY IN ATTACKING PLANS AND TEAM CHANGES
While there has been a notable improvement in the team’s defence, the same can’t be said about the attack so far in 2022.
When comparing the first six rounds of last season to this season, a highlight is that the defence has improved significantly. The attack, though, based on points scored per game, has regressed.
The Tigers’ attack is better than only one other team in the NRL, the Bulldogs, scoring 68 points in six games to open the year. Last year they managed 108 points in the same period.
One of the talking points out of last year’s review was to do with confusion as to why the Tigers trained the whole preseason with a certain attacking structure to adapt to the new rules, only to throw it out the window after the first month.
The constant changing of players in and out of first grade was also raised as a problem, which Maguire appears to have addressed. The majority of changes over the first six weeks have been forced due to injury and suspension.
However, after five rounds without success, Maguire did decide to make a number of key changes for the game against the Parramatta Eels last week, resulting in the Tigers’ first win of the season.
The club will be hoping that handing the keys of the castle to Hastings will release the shackles from Brooks and finally deliver a halves pairing capable of leading the team to finals football.
- REVIEW FINDING #6: MIXED MESSAGING AND COMMUNICATION
There were concerns raised in the review around the messaging from the coaching staff and management to the players.
It wasn’t purely regarding game plans and strategies but also concerned contracts and negotiations.
There were also concerns raised about the terminology and messaging coming out of press conferences, with the feeling being the club was not portraying a united front.
Certain players also expressed frustration that Maguire, who they believed was enamoured with Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis, continually referenced his past achievements at South Sydney and Wigan.
Maguire has won two premierships in two different competitions and has seen first hand what it takes to achieve success.
