2024 Pre-Season

[king_sirro]

Chris Faagutu - Behind The Roar

BTR Pre-season Podcast: Chris Faagutu

Wests Tigers official podcast Behind The Roar is shining a light on some of the club’s younger players as pre-season training heats up over the summer.

www.weststigers.com.au

Has dropped from 101kg to 97kg due to intense pre-season training. Sees himself more as a ball-playing middle than your typical Polynesn impact middle. I think the Club will progress him as a ball-playing prop (not lock) given our plethora of locks.

I think we will lose someone. Laulilii and Faagatu both too small for front row and both skilful enough for lock. Throw in Galvin if he goes down the lock path and something will give.

As far as pure lock goes, I would prioritise Laulilii. Physical speciman with aggression and nice skillset at the line. IMO he gets a fair bit of time off the bench in 24 he is that good.

 

[ancient_magpie]

I think we will lose someone. Laulilii and Faagatu both too small for front row and both skilful enough for lock. Throw in Galvin if he goes down the lock path and something will give.

As far as pure lock goes, I would prioritise Laulilii. Physical speciman with aggression and nice skillset at the line. IMO he gets a fair bit of time off the bench in 24 he is that good.

Put Faagutu in the second row get rid of the pommy. Lots of backrowers around 100 kg

 

[king_sirro]

Put Faagutu in the second row get rid of the pommy. Lots of backrowers around 100 kg

I think you raise an interesting point. I believe we need to start experimenting with some of our middles in the off season to see if any are capable of transitioning to an edge. I know they did that with Pole last year, and it appears he is more suited to the middle, but at least they had a look at it.

We may just be surprised by how well a middle goes on an edge, or maybe we won't. Twal runs a hole very well, defends great and has a huge motor. I'm not saying he would be good on an edge, but I think it's worth a little look. That allows Stef, Klem, Pole and Blore to play middle. Twal probably lacks that little bit of speed though.

 

[ancient_magpie]

I think you raise an interesting point. I believe we need to start experimenting with some of our middles in the off season to see if any are capable of transitioning to an edge. I know they did that with Pole last year, and it appears he is more suited to the middle, but at least they had a look at it.

We may just be surprised by how well a middle goes on an edge, or maybe we won't. Twal runs a hole very well, defends great and has a huge motor. I'm not saying he would be good on an edge, but I think it's worth a little look. That allows Stef, Klem, Pole and Blore to play middle. Twal probably lacks that little bit of speed though.

I think Pole is better I the backrow has a good step a little light for front row I think

 

[Tiger Stripes]

I think we will lose someone. Laulilii and Faagatu both too small for front row and both skilful enough for lock. Throw in Galvin if he goes down the lock path and something will give.

As far as pure lock goes, I would prioritise Laulilii. Physical speciman with aggression and nice skillset at the line. IMO he gets a fair bit of time off the bench in 24 he is that good.

I have quoted before, Faagatu, Luke Laulilii and Feledy all good players but undersize to handle the week to week NRL grind. (Kit, in the backline a greater chance)
Would not have been on my identification radar as future NRL stayers.

 

[king_sirro]

I have quoted before, Faagatu, Luke Laulilii and Feledy all good players but undersize to handle the week to week NRL grind. (Kit, in the backline a greater chance)
Would not have been on my identification radar as future NRL stayers.

Kit is a lock

 

[Tiger Stripes]

Kit is a lock

Sorry, the other way around then.

 

[Tiger_Fanatic3]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1730426542746931231

 

[The Chad]

I think there will always be a way to fit guys like Fa'agutu & Lualili'i into the same forward pack.

They are both shorter than some we see, but if you run hard, with conviction & use holes & momentum well, size is a little overrated. Our middles in the next few years look VERY promising. Pole & Utoikamanu are already established, these 2 added to that give a very dynamic group.

Galvin, I suspect, plays a little wider.

 

[AceofSpades]

Hopefully he puts it back on.

At 178cm and 97kgs he'd be the smallest prop in the comp.

It's good that we have forwards of different sizes and builds but i can't think of any other props in the comp that are under 100kgs

Chris Faagutu - Behind The Roar

BTR Pre-season Podcast: Chris Faagutu

Wests Tigers official podcast Behind The Roar is shining a light on some of the club’s younger players as pre-season training heats up over the summer.

www.weststigers.com.au

Has dropped from 101kg to 97kg due to intense pre-season training. Sees himself more as a ball-playing middle than your typical Polynesian impact middle. I think the Club will progress him as a ball-playing prop (not lock) given our plethora of locks.

This kid is one of our next stars here without a doubt. Accolades wise he's accomplished everything at schoolboys level and he finds success so it'll be good to see how it translates and he was the second biggest in our SG Ball team behind Jordan Miller so I think he'll be fine

 

[Tiger_Fanatic3]

Chris Faagutu - Behind The Roar

BTR Pre-season Podcast: Chris Faagutu

Wests Tigers official podcast Behind The Roar is shining a light on some of the club’s younger players as pre-season training heats up over the summer.

www.weststigers.com.au

Has dropped from 101kg to 97kg due to intense pre-season training. Sees himself more as a ball-playing middle than your typical Polynesian impact middle. I think the Club will progress him as a ball-playing prop (not lock) given our plethora of locks.

Good listen
Go well young cub

 

[Tigers_Wests]

This kid is one of our next stars here without a doubt. Accolades wise he's accomplished everything at schoolboys level and he finds success so it'll be good to see how it translates and he was the second biggest in our SG Ball team behind Jordan Miller so I think he'll be fine

I'm backing him to have a rise similar to Pole over the coming seasons. A debut in the 2nd half of 2024 in which he won't look out of place and will only get better from there. Have watched him live a few times and I believe he has what is needed to take the next steps forward.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Blore is back!

Gallery: Pre-season Week 5

The players are feeling the heat as pre-season training enters week five under the summer sun at Concord.

www.weststigers.com.au

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I think there will always be a way to fit guys like Fa'agutu & Lualili'i into the same forward pack.

They are both shorter than some we see, but if you run hard, with conviction & use holes & momentum well, size is a little overrated. Our middles in the next few years look VERY promising. Pole & Utoikamanu are already established, these 2 added to that give a very dynamic group.

Galvin, I suspect, plays a little wider.

Les Boyd was 5ft 9inch or 175cm tall. He wasn't nicknamed the baby faced killer for being pleasant on the field. Lack of height did not stop him from being a Kangaroo.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Put Faagutu in the second row get rid of the pommy. Lots of backrowers around 100 kg

Fa'agutu has the skillset to play in the second row.

 

[cktiger]

My goodness you can come up with some 'stuff'

You forgot to add
- Back in 1980 when 5'9" was considered tallish and the game had next to no Polynesians.

Humans generally are much bigger now than they were then.
Les Boyd is a generation in front of me,
And the different in the size of men in that generation to the one after me is well worth mentioning.

Making your point - not much of a point at all....
It's like saying cars are faster now than they were in 1954

Seriously 🤣
5’9” was NOT considered ‘tallish’ in 1980.
However Boyd was built like a brick shithouse and hard as nails.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Seriously 🤣
5’9” was NOT considered ‘tallish’ in 1980.
However Boyd was built like a brick shithouse and hard as nails.

Yep and played prop for the Kangaroos and second row for Wests. A hard and feared man. A very good player is a very good player regardless of the era. Also Jim Commans era did not commence until early 80s,

 

[davey_farrell]

Blore is back!

Gallery: Pre-season Week 5

The players are feeling the heat as pre-season training enters week five under the summer sun at Concord.

www.weststigers.com.au

thanks for the info blackwhitegold, jake looks very fit and bulked and if i was not mistaken Blore looks like he has trimmed down a bit . Sam Fainu looks to be a big and fit too. I didnt recognise a lot of the young fellas there

 

[tiger_one]

Les Boyd was 5ft 9inch or 175cm tall. He wasn't nicknamed the baby faced killer for being pleasant on the field. Lack of height did not stop him from being a Kangaroo.

But Boyd had ticker, in every game.

 

[Halbrowne61]

Blore is back!

Gallery: Pre-season Week 5

The players are feeling the heat as pre-season training enters week five under the summer sun at Concord.

www.weststigers.com.au

I often wonder if there is a real need to train these guys in the heat of the day ? Surely indoor training / gym etc from 1-4pm then field training 4-8pm more suitable imo.
And also considering the number of night games.