Fullback, Brooks, Nofaluma, Right edge D and goalkicking...

[Yanz 85]

We saw today why the Tigers and looking for a half with a footy IQ and why we have not signed Laurie.

Brooks had a shocking game....nothing between his ears, you can see AD is frustrated with him.

Laurie, makes fundamental fullback mistakes that cost us results....no excuse for letting the ball bounce off a kick like he did twice today...As soon as he is eligible Bula will get a run at -fullback...he scored a slashing try in the Magpies win...

Nofo joins Brooks as having no footy (or any other IQ)....we should offload him

Disappointing result today...they let 14,500 fans down....

Bula isnt till rnd 10 ? season will be over by then im shocked bula is not top 30. He looked awesome for the mighty magpies

 

[Yanz 85]

Hughes comparison is laughable too.

Yep nothing like hughes at all. and wests are not like storm, they have a culture of control, defence and hanging in games for 80min as you seen thursday night. Laurie and brooks gotta go

 

[tigerap]

Never thought I’d be suggesting this, but, if we don’t get Moses, and we won’t, I’d be looking to bring Mitchell Pearce to the club for 2-3 years until the up and comers are ready…

 

[tony soprano]

Bula isnt till rnd 10 ? season will be over by then im shocked bula is not top 30. He looked awesome for the mighty magpies

Clearly the best fullback we have.

 

[TheDaBoss]

Never thought I’d be suggesting this, but, if we don’t get Moses, and we won’t, I’d be looking to bring Mitchell Pearce to the club for 2-3 years until the up and comers are ready…

Welsby &George Williams

 

[tony soprano]

Never thought I’d be suggesting this, but, if we don’t get Moses, and we won’t, I’d be looking to bring Mitchell Pearce to the club for 2-3 years until the up and comers are ready…

I said pearce ages ago, who's partners him in the halves tho?

 

[crazycat]

Brooks and Laurie both need to go. If they resign brooks my 38 year support of this disaster of a club will be over. My family is massive Wests supporters but the merger has been a failure since day 1. I was never happy with the sheens Benji appointment 2005 was 20 odd years ago the game and rules are different

The appointment got me too. I almost quit the forum and everything.

Then I saw who we recruited, clearly some players believe in the appointment.



We needed better football heads at the reigns. The merger allowed for a wests vs balmain structure. Then the reform where those issues subsided.

Now?

I think we need to set a tough standard. Sheens has a good squad and far better then what McGuire had. Bateman is out, so I shall cut him a little slack. I was saying Round 6, truth round 10 should be a cutoff for performance improvement. Not win every game, not wooden spoon. Demonstrate some improvement.

We still don't look or train like a first grade team.

 

[SeanT]

Because we have a great fullback in nsw cup but like all our gun kids they get stuck behind bums

Great? He's barely played yet. No Tiger player should be associated with the word great haha

 

[Sco77y]

Not probably...def...and by far.

Has no idea where to be on D and can't catch balls in crowds. Massive holes in a FB's game.

Looks okay in broken play, but so do most NRL players.

His fundamentals are atrocious and will cost us weekly.

And a fullback can also play an important part in organising the team's defence. He can't even organise his own defence, so the team has no hope with him back there.

 

[tigerap]

Welsby &George Williams

If we can get either of them, yep

 

[Bigtom]

Never thought I’d be suggesting this, but, if we don’t get Moses, and we won’t, I’d be looking to bring Mitchell Pearce to the club for 2-3 years until the up and comers are ready…

 

[Bigtom]

I’ll have what you’re smoking

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Bula isnt till rnd 10 ? season will be over by then im shocked bula is not top 30. He looked awesome for the mighty magpies

Be careful not to overhype yourself seyfarth is a gun in state cup

 

[Vicious]

Be careful not to overhype yourself seyfarth is a gun in state cup

Jerome Hughes, Cody Walker, Damien Cook, Harry Grant, Nicho Hynes, the list goes on of players who were stand outs in Qld/NSW Cup long before becoming NRL stars.
The chances are quite higher that if players regularly stand out in Qld or NSW Cup at a young age, they generally become NRL stars.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Jerome Hughes, Cody Walker, Damien Cook, Harry Grant, Nicho Hynes, the list goes on of players who were stand outs in Qld/NSW Cup long before becoming NRL stars.
The chances are quite higher that if players regularly stand out in Qld or NSW Cup at a young age, they generally become NRL stars.

I totally understand what you are saying but how many games has he had in cup.

 

[Vicious]

I totally understand what you are saying but how many games has he had in cup.

Agree that one good game doesn’t guarantee star status, but it was a very good sign.
Not only Bula, but the majority of our KOE Cup Team are 21 or under and a few of them have and continue to show enough to be potential NRL quality IF they continue to improve as young players normally do.
Bula, Tupou and Kautoga are potential superstars, we haven’t had young 19 year olds with their superstar potential for quite some time. Keep in mind they are the flashy players, quite a few others in this current KOE Cup squad are the nuts & bolts type of players who can also potentially become very valuable at NRL level.

 

[Camel2281]

He has looked good so far this season. I don't know what he would be like in the halves. Brooks might come good but I'm not sure if he'll ever become effective when we are in the attacking zone. I'm not sure if Simpkins could do this as well but it might be worth a shot.

I wouldn't have picked Brooks last week with hindsight and I definitely wouldn't pick him this week. He might come good at some point though. Brooks problem is that there is a lot to like about his game but the lack of creativity in critical attacking positions and his mistakes are unacceptable. I don't think he is good enough to not prove himself in reserves when he is lacking match fitness.

Brooks has all the athletic attributes to be a very capable NRL halfback. Unfortunately he's dumb as a box of hammers.

 

[Pascoes_barber]

We still don't look or train like a first grade team.

Huh? They train the house down every offseason…

 

[Camel2281]

Welsby &George Williams

Welsby and Lewis Dodd

 

[crazycat]

I don't see the evidence that Staines is a tried and tested and proven fullback ?
Laurie is big on effort but I agree not contesting a bomb on our line is pretty inexcusable.
It seemed to me that the Benji /Tim brand of up tempo fast paced footy turned into frantic hot potato football with a lot of half breaks not amounting to many points .
Last year Brooks was very structured pass the ball and kick on the 5th but this year he ran the ball on almost every play without much success .If they just calm down a bit it might get better . Thought Nofoaloma had a reasonable game but Tommy Talau had a poor game and don't know why they left him on the field so long as he could barely walk
Even Papalii a proven star had a poor game by his standards .

Totally agreed with everything you say here.

That is the thing with Brooks, he has to show that Judgement of when to run, when to pass, who to pass too and what plays to take. That's what a good halfback should be doing.

Laurie seems to be missing some skills at the back and I think they are coachable. Yet I don't see Laurie holding down NR1. Honestly I think pair him with Naden and put Laurie in the centers, yes he would have to beef up but Naden can hold his own as a winger.