Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Tucker]

Who should we have signed then, we tried for Moses, Haas and Munster, also Pearce, they didn't want to come, who are these players we could have got that reach your high standard

Brisbane and Penrith just lost 5 or 6 blokes combined who played the GF. That’s a beginning. There were heaps available that we as fans only heard about after deals were signed. Our people in recruitment should have been aware and had a crack.
We need better props and centres. Brisbane and Penrith proved on Sunday you are screwed without them.
Our props are ok but have no mongrel.
Our centres are terrible.
Our wingers are pretty shit too.
These new halves are on a hiding to nothing currently.
Maybe we should bring Madge and Sheens back as a recruitment managers…They are the only guys who landed proper talent here in over a decade….and then we sacked them.

 

[Tucker]

Exactly. This club is in a deep, deep hole and it's not going to turn round overnight. The people who are being unrealistic are the ones who think a handful of free agent signings is going to make everything ok. It's always the same spoiled kid nonsense: "Why don't we just sign a bunch of players who aren't on the market?" "Why don't we sign all the players who decided they wanted to go elsewhere?" "I don't want to do another rebuild." (waa).

As it happens, I complete agree that the club is run by idiots and TBH I don't hold out a great deal of hope on that basis. But I'm equally sure that "let's balls up our salary cap for the next half decade, again, by blowing it on anyone who'll sign for us" isn't going to improve that situation.

We’ve made the finals 3 times in 24 years.
This isn’t overnight…you been having a nanna nap for the past 12 years?

 

[2041]

Patience is key. We have always had the kids, holding on to the good ones has been our biggest issue.

We actually haven't produced much talent for a long time: Moses debuted in 2014 and between him and Bula there's not a single Tigers junior who played his first game for the club who is a difference making talent. The best we've done is players who came through who we thought were going to be good but ended up disappointing: Liddle, Suli, Marsters, Talau and Simpkin, for instance. Compare our list to what the Raiders or Panthers have brought through in the same period and it's screamingly obvious where the problems lie: we're perpetually trying to build a roster out of cast offs.

 

[Telltails]

You cant overlook the role of managers when signing talent. We are the last option unless the player is looking for the last big pay out and trading on past achievements. Still can't believe we got Api and Papi - it was a possible turning point - but our actions/results since then have demonstrated to others exactly why those type of players dont see us as a good option.

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

Gagai or Olam plus Treacy would automatically make us a much better team, that defensive frailty we have out wide especially in the centres makes me wanna cry every time a team goes out wide.

Olam is past it i’m afraid… watch the semi against Penrith they exposed the f out of him

 

[851]

Brisbane and Penrith just lost 5 or 6 blokes combined who played the GF. That’s a beginning. There were heaps available that we as fans only heard about after deals were signed. Our people in recruitment should have been aware and had a crack.
We need better props and centres. Brisbane and Penrith proved on Sunday you are screwed without them.
Our props are ok but have no mongrel.
Our centres are terrible.
Our wingers are pretty shit too.
These new halves are on a hiding to nothing currently.
Maybe we should bring Madge and Sheens back as a recruitment managers…They are the only guys who landed proper talent here in over a decade….and then we sacked them.

Yes we need a good centre as a priority, and a winger if we could manage the squad numbers

 

[jadtiger]

I can remember the same thing mate, you must be my vintage.

I am 70

 

[Tucker]

You cant overlook the role of managers when signing talent. We are the last option unless the player is looking for the last big pay out and trading on past achievements. Still can't believe we got Api and Papi - it was a possible turning point - but our actions/results since then have demonstrated to others exactly why those type of players dont see us as a good option.

Madge brought Koroisau and Papali’i in.
Sheens likely leveraged their signatures to get Klemmer, Bateman and Staines.
If we leveraged these guys properly plus Bula and Steph, a Crichton or a Farnworth may have strengthened our centres as an example.
Our current strategy of chasing young unproven talent (Sezer excepted) is going to waste the good work done by others.

 

[Telltails]

Madge brought Koroisau and Papali’i in.
Sheens likely leveraged their signatures to get Klemmer, Bateman and Staines.
If we leveraged these guys properly plus Bula and Steph, a Crichton or a Farnworth may have strengthened our centres as an example.
Our current strategy of chasing young unproven talent (Sezer excepted) is going to waste the good work done by others.

Agree. Unfortunately you got Api K watching the grand final after joining our club from the stands with the spoon, while a bloke like Luke Garner gets a ring after leaving the club - who is the more content player?. We really needed to consolidate this year on the back of those signings and we did nothing.

 

[tigertragic]

Dragons: Kyle Flanagan and Hame Sele.
Bulldogs: Stephem Crichton, Jaeman Salmon, Bronson Xerri, Blake Taafe.
Titans: Keenan Palasia.
Dolphins: Jake Averillo, Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler.
Manly: Luke Brooks, Aitasi James, Jaxson Paulo, Tommy Talau.
Cowboys: Jake Clifford, Viliami Vailea.
Parra: nobody.

That's the bottom half of the ladder and I'll give you two clubs we could perhaps be envious of. The Dolphins I think are a bit of a special case given their combination of cap room, the Queensland factor and Wayne Bennett. With the Dogs we're talking about one player, aren't we? I'd rather have anyone we've signed than the second best player they've signed.

So what you're saying basically comes down to "I wish we'd signed Stephen Crichton". Even there, isn't the story that he wants to play fullback - which we don't need?

I think I’m saying more than Crichton and you need to consider these other clubs (titans, manly, cowboys and Parra) existing player rosters, they don’t need substantial roster change.
The bulldogs have performed worse than the tigers over the past 5 years but have still managed to acquire about 6 quality/game breaking first grade players in the last 2 years ( Crichton , Burton, Xerri, Mahoney, addo Carr, TPJ (although boxing now) and are looking for more
Bateman and Klemmer bring experience but aren’t game changers, whilst Ice and API are in any team.
We were lucky to ‘find’ Bula given he ‘by chance’ rocked up to training with one of our existing juniors and we just gave him an opportunity
I doubt the dolphins cap room would be any better than the tigers ( but QLD/bennett are attractions)

Most experts suggest you need at least 4 top quality players to be competitive, I would think we have 1 in API. Check out most of the teams in the top 8.

Nothing will change with our current roster trajectory and there is no guarantee our ‘good’ juniors won’t follow in the footsteps of teddy, Moses, etc

I hope I’m wrong, but I think we need more than hope our juniors perform and stay because Klemmer/Bateman will be done in 2 years.

 

[Tucker]

Agree. Unfortunately you got Api K watching the grand final after joining our club from the stands with the spoon, while a bloke like Luke Garner gets a ring after leaving the club - who is the more content player?. We really needed to consolidate this year on the back of those signings and we did nothing.

100%.
This year was an unforgivable abortion of a campaign. Easily our worst season ever. Totally wasted that talent. Those recruits are now all a year older…maybe a bit jaded. What will their 2024 look like?
Unprofessional performance from all coaches and trainers this year. They bottled it completely.

 

[TigerSJ]

It’s impossible to put our plight down to just one issue - it is a whole bunch of factors that range from the top down. Management and Admin right through to coaching and player roster, the latter being a major problem of course.
Many Posters may not agree, but I actually think we were generally a better team this season than last. We were in the match for the most part, apart from a handful of games where we caved, and we mostly played with more desire and hunger than in past years. Certainly our forwards were not as badly manhandled as they have been in the past.
Through injury we were without our first preference halves as well as some of our strongest players for a large chunk of games and had no quality depth to fill in. We definitely have blatant issues in certain positions and were exposed because of them. We also have no genuine match winners or strike players (apart from Api) and in this score we are probably the worst endowed team in the comp. Note that even the best teams are average when you take out their rep quality players.
So are we a handful of key elite players away from success? They would certainly help us to win more games. Maybe we could scrape into the eight, but until we address all our other issues and get the whole club united and moving forward together with one goal, with quality people in all positions of management and coaching, I don’t see us reaching and then maintaining the level of the top 4 clubs.
How long could that take?? Who knows - maybe you start with the easy fixes and other problems start to come together, maybe it’s these juniors that can bring the desire and culture through, start winning and then everybody pitches in and rides the wave together. Let’s hope so.

 

[Kelce68]

Once more, as it stands right now, whenever someone is asked, 'OK, who should we go after and what would you offer them?', there is never a list of targets. It's far easier to speak in generalities than to be specific when it comes to bemoaning the current predicament of the squad.

For example, there is zero star power on the market for next year. That ship has sailed. And it was a relatively barren ship at that.

The only two names worth mentioning were Farnsworth (who has only continued to grow AFTER signing with the Dolphins) and Crichton. What exactly would it have taken to get Farnsworth to the Wests Tigers to play centre? And Crichton. Going to the dogs to play fullback, on $1 million-odd under his former coach and with several of his former tight-knit team mates. What exactly would it take to have got him here instead? 1.2? 1.4? Most definitely the fullback jersey, despite him being an out and out centre and which is now Bula's to keep.

Are these realistic targets? And even if they were, were we ever an option for them?

So, onto 2025 and (possibly) agitate for an early release, which is not the norm..

Firstly, Nov 1 is not for a month, so nothing official or otherwise should be happenning as of yet. Who's on that list that we must be chasing?

Unfortunately, again, there's not bucket loads.

At centre I've got Best, Taylan May and Isaiah Tass. On the wing Kiraz, Cotric and Reimis Smith.

In outside backs, the market doesn't exactly scream 'flush with freely available options'.

So, again, who exactly are these gigantic upgrades that we can target for the next couple of years? What will they cost and are they even a legitimate chance of entertaining Wests as a destination?

It may be, just perhaps, the reason the club has gone all in on junior development. Unequivocally the correct move, given the market scarcity, the rise in the salary cap and the current appeal of this club.

But, as always, there needs to be balance there in external recruitment, just not pie in the sky superstar chasing, especially when no one can name a legitimate target moving forward.

 

[bptiger 0]

Have u watch him all season like I have when on tv or u just been evil

 

[Lestronge]

100%.
This year was an unforgivable abortion of a campaign. Easily our worst season ever. Totally wasted that talent. Those recruits are now all a year older…maybe a bit jaded. What will their 2024 look like?
Unprofessional performance from all coaches and trainers this year. They bottled it completely.

Were you in a coma for 2022? Also if you were an adult in 2001 and 2002, you would have a real different opinion.
Some serious research bench bias going on there .
For the rest of us I present you Hopoate , Field , McGuiness , Mc Craken broken neck ( I know he did it in 2000 but we still had hope going into 2001) halves of such quality as Lincoln Withers (gun utility and number 9 , but not a half) Ben Black , Ben Jefferies And on and on it goes .
No even though we got the spoon last year was not our worst year . Not even close
Sorry Matt seers and his bullshit … If teams could attack like they can now , we would have had 60 on us each game .

 

[Dennisspicer1]

I remember the days when it was 1st grade 2nd grade and 3rd grade, Leichhardt Oval ran east/west and the grand final was played Saturday arvo.Change can be but is not always a good thing

From the time we had left Birchgrove and started at Leichardt oval, I never missed a game at Leichardt
And for the life of me I cant remember Leichardt oval running East to West, it always ran North to South.

 

[tigerman 0]

It’s TRACEY. Not Tracy or Treacy or whatever. It’s really not that difficult

 

[Tucker]

Were you in a coma for 2022? Also if you were an adult in 2001 and 2002, you would have a real different opinion.
Some serious research bench bias going on there .
For the rest of us I present you Hopoate , Field , McGuiness , Mc Craken broken neck ( I know he did it in 2000 but we still had hope going into 2001) halves of such quality as Lincoln Withers (gun utility and number 9 , but not a half) Ben Black , Ben Jefferies And on and on it goes .
No even though we got the spoon last year was not our worst year . Not even close
Sorry Matt seers and his bullshit … If teams could attack like they can now , we would have had 60 on us each game .

2022 we had an injury riddled side, no proper stars, our coach sacked mid season, players let go mid season, an interim coach who had never performed at top level, players lent out to other clubs….they had no option but to come last, yet they still tried.
2023 we had our injured players back on deck, we had our premiership winning coach in charge, we had our two favourite sons helping him, we brought another experienced coach in to help, we had three blokes join the team who played in the previous years GF, we had an international join the team who featured for a teir 1 team in the previous years WC, we had an experienced prop join us who has done it all, we unearthed a fullback who won a heap of awards by the year’s end, …should I go on? 23 was a vastly worse year.

Now you bring up 2001 and 2002 and I laugh at you expense and utter desperation.
2001 saw us win 9 games and draw another. Big difference to this year. We scored 100 more points than this year, with a worse roster as you pointed out. 2002 saw us win 7 games. Not great but better than our 4 this year. We again managed over 100 points more than this year, despite our roster.
Uppercut yourself champ, I’m out of town.

 

[Go_You_Good_Things]

Ex Berala Bears , some guns in that team Bill Kain was in the same side

Was Barto (Brian) in that side too ? Blocker(Dave) would have been as well.

 

[jadtiger]

From the time we had left Birchgrove and started at Leichardt oval, I never missed a game at Leichardt
And for the life of me I cant remember Leichardt oval running East to West, it always ran North to South.

It became north to south in the 70's because the ground was rebuilt then and we played at the old Sydney sports ground during that period