Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[weststigers]

Can nobody tell me if hunt after 12 minutes on the field was injured or taken off by the coach.

Sorry for the late reply mate. Just called Craig Fitzgibbon and he said he was keeping him fresh.

 

[clontarfkid]

Mate you complained about losing Bateman because he is a Tier 1 international, but you say you don't want him back.

Now Stef is picked on potential and we hoped he would be better, but you are complaining he is gone and Hunt is worse.

The only one we haven't replaced (depending on how you see Bird) is Ice, but I don't think we'll miss him.

Either way, the season is still going. I could understand the panic a month out, but finals are still going on. Plenty of time.

Firstly,no one is " complaining "about anything..simply stating the raw facts that our forwards atm are weaker than this year
I've attempted to explain why
If yr unwilling or unable to see that. losing 3 big names will make us worse next year replaced by a cple of benchies,gr8..yr fully entitled to have yr own opinion.yr very welcome
But the maths aren't complex..or are they?

 

[Kaito]

The dumb screws might bring stuff in for them, I have been offered quite a bit of money to bring stuff in for them, but I am not that stupid. Some inmates will tell you things they probably shouldn’t if you give them a chance. I worked with lifers and guys serving over 30years, plus remand inmates, pretty much the whole gambit

Bro, I can imagine. Dirty inmates F em

 

[Year_of_the_Tiger]

To'o is worth 10 Tanielas?
Put down the bong bud (It's only early)
I wouldn't swap a Fit Tuiaki for 2 Brian To'os'
But you do you....

I have watched him, and he's limited....
As many times as i've said
- None of you clowns have come back to me telling me how good in the air he is, or how fast he is...

I'll settle it with,
I like Wingers who can do more than 1 thing - You don't
Simples.
You pray as you wish
- I pray, He doesn't end up here so we have to pay massive money to witness first hand
how limited he really is outside an Elite team.

A fit TT was in the same league. He wasn’t super fast or an aerial specialist though.

 

[Telltails]

Pretty sure he did toyota cup with Melbourne. I remember a story at the time that he "asked" Bellamy to meet him in the carpark

That probably backs up what he said in the Club Podcast with Paps Munster and Hughes that some players were probably entitled to punch him in the face after the way he use to speak to them, that you wouldnt get away with it these days and he has toned down a lot. Still loves the F Bomb.

 

[Tucker]

"3 representative forwards"...
It's a great sales pitch.
But in reality they weren't representative forwards when they pulled on the Wests Tigers jersey.
So I don't buy it.
The replacements will probably be better on the field wearing the wests tigers than those 3 ever were.

Why will they be?
If our coaching staff couldn’t get current internationals firing, how will they get these blokes working?

 

[BAGNF05]

Seriously dont do this to us. But now were going to start hearing all the experts on here telling us why we shouldnt. Hes a game changer and would be massive at our club. Its as simple as that. Pay the money Richo. we waste enough on garbage, its seems like we have a lot of players earning a couple of hundred more than there worth here lets pay one that actually deserves it.
Ask yourself If we pay Bud $500 a season how much is To'o worth

$900 trillion

 

[mikey]

Freddo's!

Top shelf mate.

Freddo Pie Shop is a poor imitation of itself now. Last one I ate I wish I hadn't.

 

[Tiger-ferret]

Reported he was on 675-800k....
Too much for a Winger.

Way To’o much

 

[Lestronge]

Probably neither. He doesn’t have a lot of minutes in him. You are going to get so tired of people calling him overweight and unfit next year. You know it’s coming.

Did you watch that 12 mins though ? He was absolutely devastating. I’m surprised they hooked him . In fact when they did the cowboys just started making line break after line break .
I know it was only 12 minutes but he was the best forward on the field for all 12 of those .
What that means for us , I dunno , but it’s not like we are getting some plodding guy who lacks impact .
If he can come on and shift momentum , especially in our usual clock off between minute 28-40 , go into half time , play another 10-15 minutes then I’d be rapped with that .
2024 Stef will not be hard to replace IMO . 2027 Stef , who maybe works out he’s biggest guy in the field , and plays with heart , might maybe . That’s if it ever happens .
We need to get more minutes into Poles legs, and hire the best jujitsu coach we can . They guys have to get stronger around the ruck , and fighting through contact .

 

[twentyforty]

So Richo takes a 3 week trip to the UK mid season to offload and recruit…and what came of it???…nothing…nada…..no signings, no offloads…

Sezer?

 

[Tiger_Yoshi]

Sezer?

Sezer and the WT didnt take up the mutual option for 2025, so he was snapped up by Hull FC...Richo didnt do it while he was OS

 

[Vicious]

I also agree that our forwards are currently a lot weaker than this season.
I really don’t think the likelihood of cutting ties with Bateman hurts us much, but in saying that we need to recruit at least one edge back rower, whether it be a starter or depth, otherwise we are asking too much too soon of our emerging players.
If we sign Kobe Hertherington or Jack Williams, then we adequately cover 13, but I still worry we are also one quality, intimidating big man short. That’s where the more I think about it, the more I think RCG would be very handy if we could somehow get him for 2 years at a decent price.
Then we no doubt need a quality outside back, Montoya would do.

 

[Kelce68]

Freddo Pie Shop is a poor imitation of itself now. Last one I ate I wish I hadn't.

That's a shame to hear.

They were quite the attraction in the 90s.

 

[Gazman]

Do you live in beautiful Kempsey Gazman?

Sure do BZN pm me if passing through always great to chat to a forumer and tragic fellow supporter

 

[The Chad]

Improved wing meterage (hopefully- Turuva, Skelton, Montoya....To'o) will alleviate some of the metres lost by Utoikamanu.

Pole & Klemmer actually (statistically) make up a good amount of running metres between them as well. Royce Hunt, as much as I'm not sold on him, should offer some good impact. Think what Pole or Sione Fainu offered- but possibly better in some ways.

Then there is Sione Fainu (hopefully) to add to the mix as well. I don't think we are short impact. If anything- we are overloaded.

What we need/lack now is that reliable starter to step into Utoikamanu's role. I don't believe Hunt is THAT guy. And other than spending big on RCG or NAS, I'm not sure THAT guy is even available now.

Which means we NEED the wingers to take some of the slack & we NEED either Pole, Hunt, Twal or some miracle signing to step up. This is why Klemmer remains important- he's the consistent starting option that can be relied on.

I think Pole, Hunt & Sione Fainu is as much impact as the team needs on gameday. In fact, if they are ALL benchies- it's too much.

So, by process of requirement & need- I think Pole has to be thrown into that starting role. He's the guy MOST LIKELY to be a consistent 1st grade front rower. That is where you spend your forward money.

This doesn't allow for our #13 position. Kobe Hetherington makes great sense in that he can ALSO cover #9 while filling the role needed at #13. He's a good defensive player- which will be needed. Bird may be an option here as well, but I don't think he brings the defensive workload.

Bateman's situation offers either a solution or another headache. I still believe he is one of our most consistent wide defenders & if he comes back- I can be satisfied that he fills that role. If he doesn't come back- Alex Seyfarth probably has the inside running on that spot (or Jack Bird, if you think he's a forward). I think both are a downgrade, regardless of how much I might like Seyfarth. Bateman alongside Bird (centres) will GREATLY improve our defence on one edge.

We really need to invest in that #13 spot, potentially a back row starter depending on Bateman & then, just as importantly, 2-3 guys for the KOE that are JUST a step below starting. If we can bring players into the top grade that are 1st grade ready when injury strikes, our season will be greatly improved. Laugh all you want- but that is where a Liam Martin, Joe Stimson type signing (or signings) has great value. If we don't HAVE to bring Kit Lualili'i or Matamua or Jordan Miller into 1st grade next season- we are better already.

I don't know how Benji fits Latu Fainu & Da Silva onto the bench with Hunt/Pole, Sione Fainu, Twal, Seyfarth etc all trying to get into the 17. Our forward pack simply isn't strong enough to run with 2 rotational middles & a hooker as well as a second 5/8.

If Bateman doesn't come back, and Jack Bird goes to the second row....although it's been scoffed at before- that COULD open up a starting position for Latu Fainu in the centres. Remembering that great players like Laurie Daley & Brad Fittler both broke into the top grade in the centres but went on to be dominant halves.

For a club that has 3 wooden spoons- I don't think we have the luxury of not putting our best players on the field. Parramatta played Blaze Talagi all across the backline & nobody laughed at that. What we have seen of Latu Fainu, he's one of our best attacking players in the club. I don't think we can risk having him rot in KOE & give other clubs the idea he could be made available.

 

[weststigers]

Firstly,no one is " complaining "about anything..simply stating the raw facts that our forwards atm are weaker than this year
I've attempted to explain why
If yr unwilling or unable to see that. losing 3 big names will make us worse next year replaced by a cple of benchies,gr8..yr fully entitled to have yr own opinion.yr very welcome
But the maths aren't complex..or are they?

Can you see it from my perspective?

You've said we are losing 3 big names and we'll be worse off. Btw Bateman is coming back as it stands, so it's 2 names.

Then you said those guys were shit anyway.

Then you circle back to saying losing them will make us worse.

It's a little contradictory. I'm not having a go at you. Just trying to understand your logic.

 

[Buttface]

I have had and enjoyed a few croc pies over the years as well but have never heard of the Freddo ones and judging by your comments i will avoid them like the bubonic plague

You’ve never heard of them?
That’s strange, bcoz the sign out the front says they are “World Famous”.
On that basis I assumed I was one of few not to have tried them, so I yanked on the handbrake and got in there. I’m pretty sure they have rubbed out the “in” on the sign.
On a more serious note they used to do a mini sausage roll that I cannot drive past. My favourite part of a sausage roll is “the cats arse, extra bloody” so a couple of mini sausage rolls beats a full size one every time.
Mmm the cats arse.

By the way I reckon we should sign a good prop.

 

[Demps]

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[batboy]

A fit TT was in the same league. He wasn’t super fast or an aerial specialist though.

He was quicker than To’o and had size