Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

2041 said:
Ok, let me ask you straight up: do you think the Tigers can become competitive just by signing players?
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I know you aren't asking me this question but we have to develop out own talent. We cannot purchase established players and expect to win the comp.

I'd add that don't all have to be from our geographic area. We've signed guys like To'a and Tupou when they weren't established players and therefore we didn't pay top dollar to get them to the club.
 
earl said:
I know you aren't asking me this question but we have to develop out own talent. We cannot purchase established players and expect to win the comp.

I'd add that don't all have to be from our geographic area. We've signed guys like To'a and Tupou when they weren't established players and therefore we didn't pay top dollar to get them to the club.
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I think your add on is key Earl. Even in the previous post only Radley was a local. The rest all recruited to Roosters at junior level.
 
2041 said:
I just don't think there's a choice, though - if you're not developing your own talent you're dead in the water anyway, because you'll never be able to find enough genuine bargains on the free agent market to put together a strong, deep roster (hello the Bulldogs and Titans).

We always focus on who we're signing but the Tigers' fundamental problem for the past decade has been that it hasn't brought through any meaningful talent. Seriously, have a look at the list of club debutants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wests_Tigers_players There's not a single name you'd call a high-level talent between Moses in 2014 and Bula in 2023 apart from Addo-Carr, and we didn't manage to keep him.

That's shameful. In the same period Souths debuted Api Koroisau, Cam McInnes, Alex Johnston, Damien Cook, Angus Crichton, Cam Murray, Campbell Graham, Keaon Koloamatangi, Lachlan Ilias and plenty of others - I'm not even bothering to name the likes of Corey Allan, Tevita Tatola and others who were decent contributors.

It seems to me that there are three factors at play. One is that the talent simply hasn't been there. We seem to be resolving this now, at least based on how many players 1-3 years out we are talking about in relatively excited terms. The second is that we don't keep those players - they go elsewhere before or just after reaching first grade level, eg Papenheuysen and Addo-Carr. That seems to be improving, too, at least if the Bula extension is anything to go by.

The third problem, and the one I'm most worried about, is that we don't turn good talent into first-grade output. I honestly don't know if Liddle or Talau or Marsters or any of those ever had it in them to be as good as we thought they might - but they sure as hell didn't reach what we thought their potential might have been at the Tigers.
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There is a way to beat teams like Penrith , is to wait till they discover the talent and since there’s so much to choice from u then poach them , they can’t keep them all . Watching there ball and Flagg sides wii pay big dividends
 
pawsandclaws1 said:
It is true the Panthers have a big junior base, but so do we and it is continuing to grow. Take a drive to the construction of the Wilton Ridge development on the Picton Rd, it is just huge. Our issue has been the inability to retain our best youngsters. We have made great strides in our Pathways system. I remain optimistic Marshall and his team right through the grades to the juniors are on the same page and recognise the necessity to build the club from within hence bringing in former 2005 players on staff.
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This could take years , and I don’t think the tigers brand can wait for it because if it fails we may never recover
 
bptiger 0 said:
U can’t compare the panthers to many other clubs they have a massive junior base , I live at erskine park and have coached at st Clair over the years and the talent that doesn’t make is more than makes it , the islander kids out here make up more than 60% of the kids , and they make up a large portion of the panthers teams
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There are two clubs who can compete with Penrith when it comes to juniors. Us and the Broncos.

It's on us to secure the best locals and nurture them into elite NRL players like the other two clubs do.
 
Corey Oates is set to knock back proposals from rival clubs and take a pay cut to sign a 1 year extension with the Broncos. Despite losing his job as starting winger to Jesse Arthars, he’s prepared to fight for a place.
 
pawsandclaws1 said:
My observation is success is built from within the club and is not purchased via big name signings. The Panthers are the best example with the team having developed together with replacements for losses coming through their system. We hang on to our best youngsters and success will come.
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I think most importantly, the Panthers at the moment have a real affinity with their community. The players are always talking about what it means to represent THEIR communities, I think that means something. For me it's a big reason juniors will stick tough in the hope of coming through there. That and being able to play with Nathan Cleary, who is a "franchise player". It will be a similar story for the Broncos I think.

Posters on here who seem to know what they are talking about believe this lot of juniors have a genuine care for the club. The move back to Campbelltown and Leichhardt is a good one. Hopefully we can discover a franchise player or two from within (fainu, da silva, galvin). We must continue making signings in areas of weakness though. They cannot continue to spin us as a "development club" to cover up a lack of quality signings.
 
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bptiger 0 said:
This could take years , and I don’t think the tigers brand can wait for it because if it fails we may never recover
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We're seeing the first of the next wave come through with the young hooker Da Silva. Pole, Bula and Tupou came a little earlier but all four imo have the potential to be above average NRL players. We've locked down the best of the next wave who may achieve accelerated promotion due to ability, size, maturity and opportunity. WTs' brand will be well-served by our youthful roster as it was when Woods, Brooks, Tedesco and Moses played.
 
Wearyfan22 said:
I think most importantly, the Panthers at the moment have a real affinity with their community. The players are always talking about what it means to represent THEIR communities, I think that means something. For me it's a big reason juniors will stick tough in the hope of coming through there. That and being able to play with Nathan Cleary, who is a "franchise player". It will be a similar story for the Broncos I think.

Posters on here who seem to know what they are talking about believe this lot of juniors have a genuine care for the club. The move back to Campbelltown and Leichhardt is a good one. Hopefully we can discover a franchise player or two from within (fainu, da silva, galvin). We must continue making signings in areas of weakness though. They cannot continue to spin us as a "development club" to cover up a lack of quality signings.
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What u all are missing is for every one the panthers brings through about 80-100 miss out , what we need to do is watch there games as close as we watch our own and pick one or two from that 80-100 who miss out , because a lot of talent slips through the cracks
 
The Parramatta Eels are pleased to announce the signing of Kelma Tuilagi who has agreed to a two-year contract which will see him become an Eel until the end of the 2025 season.

Kelma has played 44 NRL games after making his debut for the Wests Tigers in 2021 before moving to the Manly Sea Eagles in 2023.

He also represented Samoa in last year’s World Cup, highlighted by an appearance in the World Cup Final.

General Manager of Football Mark O’Neil said “We are pleased that Kelma has chosen to join the Club for the 2024 and 2025 season. At 24 we think his best football will be ahead of him and will provide a strong contribution to the squad next season.”

Kelma will join the NRL squad for preseason training when they resume next month.
 
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