Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[The Chad]

Miller has messed up but Fa’agutu probably just gonna go back home to QLD. Don’t have any inside info just my guess. Never thought he was gonna be here for the long haul.

If that is the case, I hope Fa'agutu ends up at the Dolphins or Titans. He's a talent, and would get a crack with both clubs in the next year or so.

 

[Glenji95]

Concerning that none of these issues have been dealt with. Bulldogs cut ties with JAC prior to November 1, Dragons have done the same with Hunt and it looks like the Eels with have Gutho off the books.

For us we still have a number of relatively cheap players that we have chosen not to pay out. Sukkar and Tumeth stand out to me as players that would be on minimum wage that aren't in our plans.

It's almost like we're waiting for Bateman and Doueihi to find new clubs before we do anything.

A lot of the deals like Sukkar and Tumeth were done before Richo came in, all done by Sheens and Pascoe. Good chance they aren’t as cheap as we think.

 

[Betterdays22]

A lot of the deals like Sukkar and Tumeth were done before Richo came in, all done by Sheens and Pascoe. Good chance they aren’t as cheap as we think.

I imagine lots of unnecessary clauses and complications

 

[Glenji95]

If that is the case, I hope Fa'agutu ends up at the Dolphins or Titans. He's a talent, and would get a crack with both clubs in the next year or so.

Wouldn’t have surprised me if he asked to be released and the club did it. Richo has been vocal of players not wanting to be in it 100%. But being a young man away from home is always a challenge so I wish him luck.

 

[SwervinMervin]

I could believe that May slept with a team mates partner, and that the disharmony this creates int he dressing room would be enough for Robbo to cut him loose. May says it's nothing to do with off field? Either he's covering his ass, or then it's football related and he's either a poor trainer, disrespectful to coaches or just a bad fit for culture.

Could Luai knock some sense into him? Are they actually that close or were they just team mates. If Luai reckons we should get him on board and that he will work within our culture then that's good enough for me.

Maybe he was fooling around with a players partner on the field. SFS maybe. Talk about cutting grass

 

[Betterdays22]

Welcome to The Jungle

The 2025 pre-season is officially under way with November 1 marking the start of the NRL contract period.

www.weststigers.com.au

Seems like 29 contracted players with no Miller, Faagatu or Sione Fainu.

Surely there's a contract for Sione there

 

[Glenji95]

I imagine lots of unnecessary clauses and complications

Wouldn’t surprise me. Both men have screwed us during this rough period, although Pascoe was a problem for years.

 

[Glenji95]

Surely there's a contract for Sione there

I imagine he’ll be taking the final spot we have in our 30 now with Miller and Fa’agutu gone as well as Tumeth taking up his PO. With his brothers here I don’t see him wanting to leave.

 

[ChilledChaos]

The power of a big ego... Terrel May would come with a massive point to prove. Don't care if he could be a flog, he's a premier front rower and would transform our pack immediately.

I'd take his brother too if/when possible...can't keep being the good guys, lets start winning games.

100% agree! These two brothers, when they step on the field they play like animals! Hate lose, just massive competitors. Forget the off field BS, we these guys get going they’re hard to stop! Stop with this culture nonsense. We tried being the good guys and haven’t made finals in 13 years lol

 

[jrtiger]

100% agree! These two brothers, when they step on the field they play like animals! Hate lose, just massive competitors. Forget the off field BS, we these guys get going they’re hard to stop! Stop with this culture nonsense. We tried being the good guys and haven’t made finals in 13 years lol

I want Terrell May as much as the next bloke, but what a complete load of shit.

Craig Bellamy says that he only signs upstanding blokes at Melbourne because teams and their players are at their best when there's nothing going on off-field.

there's a reason why they've remained at the top for so long, and it is, in fact, "culture nonsense".

 

[The Chad]

100% agree! These two brothers, when they step on the field they play like animals! Hate lose, just massive competitors. Forget the off field BS, we these guys get going they’re hard to stop! Stop with this culture nonsense. We tried being the good guys and haven’t made finals in 13 years lol

To be fair- there is a difference between not being the good guys, and being a team of petty criminals.

I'm not 100% on any of the May's. I'm not against them, BUT....there are some major red flags.

The Couchman brothers are much more bankable.

 

[Vicious]

I want Terrell May as much as the next bloke, but what a complete load of shit.

Craig Bellamy says that he only signs upstanding blokes at Melbourne because teams and their players are at their best when there's nothing going on off-field.

there's a reason why they've remained at the top for so long, and it is, in fact, "culture nonsense".

So does Wayne Bennett, but he’s also a master at transforming players with off field issues into good humans and quality players.
We should be taking the Wayne Bennett approach.

 

[balmain boy]

A lot of the deals like Sukkar and Tumeth were done before Richo came in, all done by Sheens and Pascoe. Good chance they aren’t as cheap as we think.

There were relative nobodies, not in demand, and while Tumeth played for NSW in junior ages he was always an undersized player that was going to take another 3-4 years to develop.

Makasini, you have to pay decent coin to re-sign someone like him. Sukkar? Him even getting NRL money is outrageous. Paying him (or Saukuru, Tumeth) anything but minimum wage would be such an extreme display of incompetence even muppets like Pascoe would have seen it coming and stopped it.

 

[Fainu Brothers]

Tigers membership called to renew my membership which i did. I did ask the girl if there were any player announcements soon, she said there is a couple coming up, keep a look out for your members first email 📧. I hope she is right!

 

[mikey]

I was at that game … and the 2010 Roosters semi, and the 2010 Dragons Semi…

How did they lose all three of those games?

Must have been an albatross killer at each of those games. Hang on .... did you say you were at all three? 🙂

 

[Vicious]

There were relative nobodies, not in demand, and while Tumeth played for NSW in junior ages he was always an undersized player that was going to take another 3-4 years to develop.

Makasini, you have to pay decent coin to re-sign someone like him. Sukkar? Him even getting NRL money is outrageous. Paying him (or Saukuru, Tumeth) anything but minimum wage would be such an extreme display of incompetence even muppets like Pascoe would have seen it coming and stopped it.

It can be near certain that Saukuru, Tumeth, Sukkar and Kit Laulilli would all be on the bare minimum contracts
While none of these young players have showed much to contribute to our NRL team at this stage and I do agree they should all be on Development Contracts, they are also not the ones hurting our Salary Cap, they have all come through our junior development systems and it will not hurt us to give them all another season to see how they develop.
The ones that are hurting us are the ones on big money that we have no interest in playing in our NRL team such as Bateman, Sullivan and Naden.
I’ve previously made my stance known on Sullivan and Naden and I think it’s very wrong how they have been treated, but it’s now gone too far and surely they must be starting to think it’s better for their careers to head elsewhere, rather than stay at a club that doesn’t want them.

 

[upthetigers]

From that top 30, let's offload Bateman and buy out Tumeth's contract, giving 3 free spots. Then sign May and Hetherington, and re-sign Sione Fainu. That would be a competitive squad if you ask me.

1. Bula
2. Skelton
3. Olam
4. Turuva
5. Laulilii
6. Galvin
7. Luai
8. Klemmer
9. Api
10. May
11. Bird
12. Sam Fainu
13. Kobe Hetherington
14. Latu Fainu
15. Hunt
16. Twal
17. Pole
18. Sione Fainu

That side would win more games than this year without a doubt.

Surely you accidently ommited Seyfarth? His 2024 was much better then Twal.

 

[upthetigers]

A bench of Hunt, Seyfarth. Pole and Sione fmd

 

[Glenji95]

There were relative nobodies, not in demand, and while Tumeth played for NSW in junior ages he was always an undersized player that was going to take another 3-4 years to develop.

Makasini, you have to pay decent coin to re-sign someone like him. Sukkar? Him even getting NRL money is outrageous. Paying him (or Saukuru, Tumeth) anything but minimum wage would be such an extreme display of incompetence even muppets like Pascoe would have seen it coming and stopped it.

Yeah but we had plenty of incompetence under Pascoe and Lee, how many times did you call for their heads when they were around? I imagine it was a lot and I don’t blame you for it, but we had a lot more stuff ups with them around which was all of these deals besides Makasini would’ve happened for the future.

The fact that none of them have been let go tells me that either these players are making more money then we think they are, or there are a bunch of clauses in their contracts we don’t know about that get triggered if they should be let go early. Otherwise why would keep them? And that’s to be blamed on Pascoe, Lee and Sheens as all of their deals were done when they were around.

 

[2041]

Tigers membership called to renew my membership which i did. I did ask the girl if there were any player announcements soon, she said there is a couple coming up, keep a look out for your members first email 📧. I hope she is right!

I hate to burst your bubble but if knowledge of forthcoming signings has got as far down the chain as the guys who work in the membership team they would have leaked by now.