Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Tim Sheens]

One of the top 3 wingers in the game...but wing not a priority
Forwards critical rite now,and doubt whether any of our centres will be around in 26..Douhi,Toa,Naden and Olam all quest marks,whereas Tureva,Skelton and Staines all probables on the wing

He gets better than forward metres/minutes numbers week on week, which is something that our WT sorely lack and have for years now.

 

[Needaname]

If this is true, just connect the dots. The only way Woods to know is through a manager. He is managed by Isaac Moses as is Tumeth, Faagutu, Klemmer & Bateman. Likely one would be Tumeth as Sharks have limited backrow depth & could pay him minimum. Could see a future Teig Wilton in him. That’s my tip if Woods is correct.

Could be true. Harry O’Kane one of Tumeths former teammates went over there too.
Hard to know how much the sharks had Hunt on the books for but I wonder if Bateman is on their radar for the same reasons as you mentioned?

 

[tigermate]

No sir 🫡 . Not putting to much out there for the journalist ……..

Could I aak If it’s a Penrith or WT source?

Just hard not to get excited 😂

 

[851]

Six players in that squad that played SOO this year…sprinkle a few kiwi internationals, and former rep players and you call that a Good squad. Should be in the GF every year

Plus Radley a current England international

 

[SeanT]

One of the top 3 wingers in the game...but wing not a priority
Forwards critical rite now,and doubt whether any of our centres will be around in 26..Douhi,Toa,Naden and Olam all quest marks,whereas Tureva,Skelton and Staines all probables on the wing

Top winger of all of them. Defence and attack and is another forward at the start of sets.

 

[clontarfkid]

Top winger of all of them. Defence and attack and is another forward at the start of sets.

Agree..but as a finisher,Young is better..and aerial..its Lomax
But all wasted on us unless we get go forward up front
Gotta be the priority with limited spaces in top 30

 

[KCtiger]

Where do we fit Sione in next year?

Maybe the answer to our other edge backrow spot is Alex Seyfarth he does a job out there and is not gonna let his half get bashed around and it frees a bench spot for Sione to play

 

[bbobb]

Could Sione join his brother in the backrow?
Or do we consider him exclusively as a front row forward?

Could be that Samuela moves upfront and we go after another back rower. Played u/19 origin there.

 

[Camel2281]

Adam Elliott is now also available. Thoughts?

Does he come with his wife for the NRLW team?

 

[Camel2281]

I would be looking to play Da Silva next year off the bench …

He looks like he has some talent ..could be the starting 9 come 2026

Would rather Da Silva play big minutes in Cup more often than not than minimal minutes in NRL. Harden his body up and build up his motor

 

[Tom Shines]

Would rather Da Silva play big minutes in Cup more often than not than minimal minutes in NRL. Harden his body up and build up his motor

He needs to be polishing his skills against NRL players ..increase his minutes over the course of 2025 so he can start in 2026…. Api is wearing out and will probably be coming off the bench himself in 2026

 

[Camel2281]

He needs to be polishing his skills against NRL players ..increase his minutes over the course of 2025 so he can start in 2026

Doesn't yet have the strength or motor for the defensive side. Api will still take too many minutes.

 

[Tom Shines]

Doesn't yet have the strength or motor for the defensive side. Api will still take too many minutes.

That’s debatable… but he will acquire and improve those skills a lot quicker in the NRL …

 

[Camel2281]

One of the top 3 wingers in the game...but wing not a priority
Forwards critical rite now,and doubt whether any of our centres will be around in 26..Douhi,Toa,Naden and Olam all quest marks,whereas Tureva,Skelton and Staines all probables on the wing

Turuva will play centre

 

[Camel2281]

That’s debatable… but he will acquire and improve those skills a lot quicker in the NRL …

Not if he only plays 10 minutes a week

 

[Tom Shines]

Not if he only plays 10 minutes a week

So give him more minutes..simple

 

[Camel2281]

So give him more minutes..simple

Full game in Cup with Latu as 14 in NRL who can cover 6, 7, 13 and 9 is the best course of action

 

[Tom Shines]

Full game in Cup with Latu as 14 in NRL who can cover 6, 7, 13 and 9 is the best course of action

Wont be happening ..ADS is too good for Cup now and Api is declining and needs more time on the bench himself ..

ADS is No 2 hooker at the club now and needs to be ready to take over as starting 9 if Api is injured so get him up to speed agsinst NRL opposition

 

[TIGERS]

I never really understand this. I mean, if it was just a question of doing a really hard pre-season surely everyone would just do that? It's not like it's a trade secret or something. I suspect Melbourne are actually doing lots and lots of things right, it's just that the ones that involve working really hard get noticed because that's the kind of thing fans (a) understand and (b) put most weight on.

The other thing is, presumably Blore did at least one preaseason with Penrith - I know he didn't play first grade there but he was in their setup aged 19-20 so would have done preseason. If that was also much less demanding than Melbourne it suggests to me how hard you get worked in the preseason isn't actually that much of a guide to success, seeing as how Penrith seem to have managed to be competitive in recent years.

They mix some brilliant ideas with some absolutely rotten ones. And they push those ideas HARD. Current and former Storm players are explicitly not allowed to discuss training practices or say anything in public that validate the perception that the Storm deliberately and relentlessly look for ways to dominate teams by wrestling. If they do they're out of the clubs inner sanctum.

- - Nothing to hide, nothing to fear eh.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Royce Hunt called Corey Horsburgh a ‘weak-gutted dog’. Now he hopes they become teammates

By

Christian Nicolussi

Royce Hunt has inked a three-year deal with the Wests Tigers – now he hopes to be joined by one-time nemesis, and the man he famously labelled a “weak-gutted dog”, Corey Horsburgh.

The Tigers announced on Tuesday they had signed Hunt until the end of 2027 after Cronulla agreed to cut the Samoan international loose from the remaining 12 months of his deal.

Hunt will add some experience and grunt to the pack – and if things go to plan, fiery Raiders forward Horsburgh will be joining him at the joint venture next year.

The pair memorably clashed during a game in 2023, with Hunt saying at the time, “I’ve never seen a front-rower hide behind his halfback”. Horsburgh later posted a meme of him holding a baby, with Hunt’s face superimposed, and the caption: “Really happy for my little boy watching Daddy score two tries”.

Horsburgh was suspended for the return bout late last season, but Hunt told this masthead at the time: “I still have a debt to settle with him. Hopefully he doesn’t cry this time. If he wants a challenge, we’ll lock horns and see who comes out on top. I’m a bit heavier than him. He’s got that ‘dad bod’.”

Hunt was delighted to have sorted his future, and said he would love the chance to strike up an on-field combination with ‘Big Red’.

“I spoke to their recruitment guy and [the Tigers] are keen on Big Red. He’s a good guy and would be a great buy,” Hunt told this masthead. “I was actually at Canberra with him for a while. We’re two guys who won’t back down. If they get him, we can go there and ramp up their forward pack.

“I’m sure we’ll get into the wrestling room and throw down a few times. I haven’t seen him since that game in Canberra.”

The 29-year-old met with Tigers coach Benji Marshall at a local cafe in Padstow, and liked his vision. Jarome Luai, a fellow Samoan, is also bound for Concord next year and Dragons utility Jack Bird was spotted taking a tour of the Tigers’ facilities on Tuesday.

“I met Benji on Monday last week, and it moved really fast. It was pretty much done Tuesday. He was pretty cool. He said to me there were a lot of kids, and he wanted someone with experience to get to that next level.

“I told him, ‘I can help you with that’, and how at the Sharks we had built a good culture where the young boys weren’t afraid to ask for help, and they know ‘steel sharpens steel’. If they come for our spots every week, it makes the older boys better, the younger boys better, and it raises the overall standards at the club.

“He also spoke about me wanting to play more minutes, and I told him I’d earn every minute you give me.”

Hunt was given permission to test the market in June because of the abundance of middle forwards at Cronulla.

After the Sharks added Addin Fonua-Blake to a pack that already featured Braden Hamlin-Uele, Tom Hazelton, Oregon Kaufusi, Toby Rudolf, Jack Williams and Jesse Colquhoun, Hunt was resigned to continuing his career elsewhere.

South Sydney showed brief interest, but the Tigers moved quickly following the departures of middle men Stefano Utoikamanu and Isaiah Papali’i, who play their last games on Friday at a packed Campbelltown Sports Stadium before linking with Melbourne and Penrith respectively.

I think he’ll be disappointed at the state of our wrestling room. If we even have one