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Why Bateman signing is a gamechanger for Wests Tigers
Edit: source Daily Telegragph
There is a new air of optimism at Wests Tigers for 2023 with the Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall combination working to bring in some exciting signings for last year’s wooden spooners. So what can we expect from the team from the West in 2023? Find out here.
2022 RICH 100 REPS: 5
Luke Brooks (No. 9, $960k), David Klemmer (28, $800k), Adam Doueihi (78, $560k), Joe Ofahengaue (87, $550k), David Nofoaluma (91, $500k)
FREE AGENCY WRAP & RATING
The club’s biggest coup is Englishman John Bateman on a four-year deal. Bateman’s competitive edge and nature, his unwavering desire to win, makes him the most important signing for the club in recent times.
He was not only the buy of the year back in 2019 but a cornerstone in the Canberra’s run to the grand final that year. Bateman’s work ethic, tenacity and ability to lift others around him will be the difference between another disappointing season and a competitive Tigers outfit.
Bateman is the cherry of a strong recruitment drive, which includes the signing of former Penrith dummy-half Api Koroisau to solve the side’s No. 9 conundrum.
No player has been able to own the position since Robbie Farah’s retirement in 2019. The Jacob Liddle, Jake Simpkin combination did not reap results and while Harry Grant starred there in 2020, he wasn’t a Tiger.
But Koroisau’s is more than an elite rake, he brings with him the one ingredient that has been missing at Concord – winning. The club must do everything to harness that side of the three-time premiership winner’s game.
The hit to backrow stocks, in Luciano Leilua, Kelma Tuilagi and Luke Garner, is remedied by the signing of grand finalist Isaiah Papali’i. The club is rightly backing it’s own talent to rebuild depth putting faith in the likes of Shawn Blore and rising star Justin Matamua.
David Klemmer’s arrival from Newcastle adds much needed aggression to a forward pack that has lacked physicality.
Overall, the club has made some astute signings but the inability to keep Jackson Hastings, who was their best in 2022, when halves stocks are thin should sound alarm bells. Only results driven by Koroisau, Papali’i, Klemmer, and Bateman, will ease the fears of Tigers faithful.
Rating: A-
COACH STATUS AND SAFETY RATING: Tim Sheens (2024)
It’s been over a decade since Tim Sheens last coached in the NRL, but talking to the premiership winner, you wouldn’t know it. Sheens‘ knowledge, garnered over 50 years in the game, is unquestionable.
He’s signed for two seasons and for the sake of stability and the side’s rebuild, the club have no choice but to stick with Sheens for the duration.
His assistants, and club legends, Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall have dabbled in specialist coaching but are otherwise untried at the NRL level.
Despite their inexperience, Sheens must lean on them, Marshall in particular, whose time as assistant will double as an apprenticeship before he takes over for the 2025 season as head coach. Getting rid of Sheens early, will raise questions about whether Marshall has had enough on the job training to be at the helm.
The more experienced David Furner has also been added to the staff, where his know-how in both attack and defensive structures will be an invaluable resource.
Rating: A-
LIKELY DEBUTANTS
Apisalome Saukuru – ‘Lome’ is a star of the future. The 20-year-old backrower is big and physical and is developing well in the lower grades. His path to the NRL was clearer when Kelma Tuilagi and Luke Garner moved on but the talented rookie will have to bid his time behind the likes of Shawn Blore and Isaiah Papali’i. Lome joins Brandon Tumeth as part of a rising crop of second row forwards at Concord, who will push for debuts over the course of 2023. Both are on development contracts.
Josh Feledy – Feledy, 18, is young but the Tigers were willing to blood seven rookies last season, including winger Junior Tupou, so a debut for the centre in 2023 is a distinct chance. On paper, the Tigers have plenty of outside back options with experience. But even the spot of veteran David Nofoaluma, who was demoted to NSW Cup, in the side wasn’t a certainty. There are spots up for grabs and Feledy, the try scoring machine, who crossed for 29 tries from 17 games across Harold Matthews and SG Ball, would not look out of place in an NRL side – when the time is right.
WHO TAKES THE NEXT STEP?
Tommy Talau – Fully fit, the 22-year-old has a round one starting spot in his sights. Ken Maumalo is in our best 17 but his defensive efforts and reads, particularly in the back end of the season, were not up to standard putting his place in jeopardy. It’s a chance for Talau to force a shake-up in the outside backs. Talau was supposed to be the antidote to the crushing blow of losing fullback James Tedesco, according to Benji Marshall. The early signs were good, skilful and capable of finding the tryline, he scored 19 tries in 35 games. But an ACL injury meant he didn’t play a single game in 2022.
Daine Laurie – Laurie has to find another gear if he is going to ward off new recruit Charlie Staines, who is also gunning for the no. 1 jumper. For Laurie, it’s the difference between starting every week at fullback or fighting for a spot on the bench as a utility. He’s a natural footballer and has played at five-eighth but Adam Doueihi is the better option there. Though, the Tigers are skinny in the halves and Laurie will inevitably provide cover there over the season. It’s less of a do or die scenario for Staines, who will take up his place on the edge if he doesn’t win the race to the fullback spot in round one.
THE THREE BURNING ISSUES
Luke Brooks – Brooks has had one foot out the door for 12 months with constant speculation about his future but the club has instead opted to cut arguably their best playmaker, Jackson Hastings, to the dismay of fans. Benji Marshall has always been an advocate of Brooks’ but if assistant can’t take help mould the halfback into the player the side needs, it’s time for the Tigers to let Brooks move on, so both he and the club can have a fresh start.
Halves depth – With Hastings following Jock Madden out the door, the Tigers halves stocks risk running thin. There’s no obvious graduate from the NSW Cup side to fill the gap and the best external offering is former Bulldogs playmaker Brandon Wakeham, who is currently without a club for 2023. Daine Laurie can provide cover in the halves, and he played there with competence for Penrith in the NSW Cup. Even if Laurie takes up a utility role, Sheens will have no option to dig into junior stocks. At this stage only forwards Christian Ma’anaima and Kitione Kautog, and centre Josh Feledy have been added to the development list.
What does tigers DNA look like?
There’s been a lot of talk about people like Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall injecting Tigers DNA back into the club. But what does that actually look like? Whatever is going on at the club, and in the last decade, isn’t working. Micheal Maguire tried to install a DNA based on tough love and hard work and that fell flat. Winning hasn’t been part of the club’s DNA for a long time. To win you need hard work, just ask any of the dominant sides in recent years Penrith, Roosters, Melbourne. So where does that leave Sheens and Marshall? In a very difficult place of coaching success into a roster that has barely tasted it. Both will need to lean on Bateman, who oozes tenacity, as a shot in the arm to their DNA endeavours.
CRYSTAL BALL
The Tigers have recruited well enough to avoid back-to-back wooden spoons. How far off the bottom of the ladder they finish will be determined by how much of a winning culture can be created in a single summer. Injecting three-time premiership winner Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’i and John Bateman will help. So too, coaching duo Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall. But will that be enough to rid the joint of the stench of a decade of failure? Eventually yes. Immediately, it rests on how quickly Bateman and Co. can drive cultural change.
PREDICTION: 14th
Finish the last five years
2022: Last
2021: 13th
2020: 11th
2019: 9th
2018: 9th
2023 ODDS
Premiership: $51
Minor premiership: $201
To make grand final: $23
Top four: $15
Top eight: $6
Most losses: $7.50
Edit: source Daily Telegragph
There is a new air of optimism at Wests Tigers for 2023 with the Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall combination working to bring in some exciting signings for last year’s wooden spooners. So what can we expect from the team from the West in 2023? Find out here.
2022 RICH 100 REPS: 5
Luke Brooks (No. 9, $960k), David Klemmer (28, $800k), Adam Doueihi (78, $560k), Joe Ofahengaue (87, $550k), David Nofoaluma (91, $500k)
FREE AGENCY WRAP & RATING
The club’s biggest coup is Englishman John Bateman on a four-year deal. Bateman’s competitive edge and nature, his unwavering desire to win, makes him the most important signing for the club in recent times.
He was not only the buy of the year back in 2019 but a cornerstone in the Canberra’s run to the grand final that year. Bateman’s work ethic, tenacity and ability to lift others around him will be the difference between another disappointing season and a competitive Tigers outfit.
Bateman is the cherry of a strong recruitment drive, which includes the signing of former Penrith dummy-half Api Koroisau to solve the side’s No. 9 conundrum.
No player has been able to own the position since Robbie Farah’s retirement in 2019. The Jacob Liddle, Jake Simpkin combination did not reap results and while Harry Grant starred there in 2020, he wasn’t a Tiger.
But Koroisau’s is more than an elite rake, he brings with him the one ingredient that has been missing at Concord – winning. The club must do everything to harness that side of the three-time premiership winner’s game.
The hit to backrow stocks, in Luciano Leilua, Kelma Tuilagi and Luke Garner, is remedied by the signing of grand finalist Isaiah Papali’i. The club is rightly backing it’s own talent to rebuild depth putting faith in the likes of Shawn Blore and rising star Justin Matamua.
David Klemmer’s arrival from Newcastle adds much needed aggression to a forward pack that has lacked physicality.
Overall, the club has made some astute signings but the inability to keep Jackson Hastings, who was their best in 2022, when halves stocks are thin should sound alarm bells. Only results driven by Koroisau, Papali’i, Klemmer, and Bateman, will ease the fears of Tigers faithful.
Rating: A-
COACH STATUS AND SAFETY RATING: Tim Sheens (2024)
It’s been over a decade since Tim Sheens last coached in the NRL, but talking to the premiership winner, you wouldn’t know it. Sheens‘ knowledge, garnered over 50 years in the game, is unquestionable.
He’s signed for two seasons and for the sake of stability and the side’s rebuild, the club have no choice but to stick with Sheens for the duration.
His assistants, and club legends, Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall have dabbled in specialist coaching but are otherwise untried at the NRL level.
Despite their inexperience, Sheens must lean on them, Marshall in particular, whose time as assistant will double as an apprenticeship before he takes over for the 2025 season as head coach. Getting rid of Sheens early, will raise questions about whether Marshall has had enough on the job training to be at the helm.
The more experienced David Furner has also been added to the staff, where his know-how in both attack and defensive structures will be an invaluable resource.
Rating: A-
LIKELY DEBUTANTS
Apisalome Saukuru – ‘Lome’ is a star of the future. The 20-year-old backrower is big and physical and is developing well in the lower grades. His path to the NRL was clearer when Kelma Tuilagi and Luke Garner moved on but the talented rookie will have to bid his time behind the likes of Shawn Blore and Isaiah Papali’i. Lome joins Brandon Tumeth as part of a rising crop of second row forwards at Concord, who will push for debuts over the course of 2023. Both are on development contracts.
Josh Feledy – Feledy, 18, is young but the Tigers were willing to blood seven rookies last season, including winger Junior Tupou, so a debut for the centre in 2023 is a distinct chance. On paper, the Tigers have plenty of outside back options with experience. But even the spot of veteran David Nofoaluma, who was demoted to NSW Cup, in the side wasn’t a certainty. There are spots up for grabs and Feledy, the try scoring machine, who crossed for 29 tries from 17 games across Harold Matthews and SG Ball, would not look out of place in an NRL side – when the time is right.
WHO TAKES THE NEXT STEP?
Tommy Talau – Fully fit, the 22-year-old has a round one starting spot in his sights. Ken Maumalo is in our best 17 but his defensive efforts and reads, particularly in the back end of the season, were not up to standard putting his place in jeopardy. It’s a chance for Talau to force a shake-up in the outside backs. Talau was supposed to be the antidote to the crushing blow of losing fullback James Tedesco, according to Benji Marshall. The early signs were good, skilful and capable of finding the tryline, he scored 19 tries in 35 games. But an ACL injury meant he didn’t play a single game in 2022.
Daine Laurie – Laurie has to find another gear if he is going to ward off new recruit Charlie Staines, who is also gunning for the no. 1 jumper. For Laurie, it’s the difference between starting every week at fullback or fighting for a spot on the bench as a utility. He’s a natural footballer and has played at five-eighth but Adam Doueihi is the better option there. Though, the Tigers are skinny in the halves and Laurie will inevitably provide cover there over the season. It’s less of a do or die scenario for Staines, who will take up his place on the edge if he doesn’t win the race to the fullback spot in round one.
THE THREE BURNING ISSUES
Luke Brooks – Brooks has had one foot out the door for 12 months with constant speculation about his future but the club has instead opted to cut arguably their best playmaker, Jackson Hastings, to the dismay of fans. Benji Marshall has always been an advocate of Brooks’ but if assistant can’t take help mould the halfback into the player the side needs, it’s time for the Tigers to let Brooks move on, so both he and the club can have a fresh start.
Halves depth – With Hastings following Jock Madden out the door, the Tigers halves stocks risk running thin. There’s no obvious graduate from the NSW Cup side to fill the gap and the best external offering is former Bulldogs playmaker Brandon Wakeham, who is currently without a club for 2023. Daine Laurie can provide cover in the halves, and he played there with competence for Penrith in the NSW Cup. Even if Laurie takes up a utility role, Sheens will have no option to dig into junior stocks. At this stage only forwards Christian Ma’anaima and Kitione Kautog, and centre Josh Feledy have been added to the development list.
What does tigers DNA look like?
There’s been a lot of talk about people like Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall injecting Tigers DNA back into the club. But what does that actually look like? Whatever is going on at the club, and in the last decade, isn’t working. Micheal Maguire tried to install a DNA based on tough love and hard work and that fell flat. Winning hasn’t been part of the club’s DNA for a long time. To win you need hard work, just ask any of the dominant sides in recent years Penrith, Roosters, Melbourne. So where does that leave Sheens and Marshall? In a very difficult place of coaching success into a roster that has barely tasted it. Both will need to lean on Bateman, who oozes tenacity, as a shot in the arm to their DNA endeavours.
CRYSTAL BALL
The Tigers have recruited well enough to avoid back-to-back wooden spoons. How far off the bottom of the ladder they finish will be determined by how much of a winning culture can be created in a single summer. Injecting three-time premiership winner Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’i and John Bateman will help. So too, coaching duo Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall. But will that be enough to rid the joint of the stench of a decade of failure? Eventually yes. Immediately, it rests on how quickly Bateman and Co. can drive cultural change.
PREDICTION: 14th
Finish the last five years
2022: Last
2021: 13th
2020: 11th
2019: 9th
2018: 9th
2023 ODDS
Premiership: $51
Minor premiership: $201
To make grand final: $23
Top four: $15
Top eight: $6
Most losses: $7.50
