BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Latu Fainu, Faataape, Saukuru the 3 to front the board.
Heath Mason & Tumeth the other 2 given warnings (SMH)
Heath Mason & Tumeth the other 2 given warnings (SMH)
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.
Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.
By Michael Chammas
November 20, 2024
Benji Marshall’s got them walking on eggshells in Tiger town. And it’s exactly where he wants them.
After playing Mr Nice Guy in his first preseason in charge at the Tigers, the coach has flipped the script in a bid to drive a set of standards he hopes will help turn the tide at the struggling club.
Next month three players - Latu Fainu, Solomona Faataape and Solomone Saukuru - will front the Wests Tigers board after being hit with breach notices relating to their performances to start preseason.
The breaches relate to two sets of criteria the trio failed to meet. The first; an expectation around weight and skin folds that they failed to comply with upon returning to training after two months of holidays.
The second related to their fitness levels and an inability to get close to the time assigned to them for a 1.6 kilometre run.
Two other players also failed to meet the standards. Impressive young fullback Heath Mason, who made his NRL debut in 2024, surprisingly didn’t hit the mark during his time trial and was subsequently issued a warning. His lack of conditioning wasn’t deemed serious enough to warrant a breach.
The other player who was issued a warning for failing to meet the time trial expectations placed on him was Brandon Tumeth.
When news of the Tigers’ stern action against the players began to leak out just over a week ago, it put all the senior players, who were yet to return to preseason training due to extended leave entitlements under the collective bargaining agreement, on notice. They responded accordingly on Tuesday with their test results.
But the stern actions of the coach a fortnight ago even prompted new recruit Royce Hunt to volunteer to begin training three weeks before he was scheduled to arrive at the club to give himself time to improve his condition ahead of his time trial and testing in the coming weeks. It would’ve been music to Marshall’s ears.
A notable absentee at training, however, is boom prop Sione Fainu. The 12-game rookie doesn’t have a contract for 2025.
It’s a less than ideal situation given the financial investment in his brothers Latu and Samuela - the Tigers’ recipient of their player of the year award for 2024.
Some clubs wouldn’t want to upset the family, but Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is making a point of not allowing the club to be held to ransom by agents, or players, for that matter. That even goes for Faataape - the client of the chief executive’s son, Brent, now awaiting his date with the always topical Tigers board.
Richardson also flexed his muscle a few months ago when he refused to baulk at a request from the agent of teenage schoolboy sensation Onitoni Large who wanted a clause in his client’s contract that would allow him to walk away from the Tigers if they re-signed fellow young play-maker, Lachlan Galvin.
It’s a fair request given the Tigers also have Jarome Luai on the books for another five years and Latu Fainu tied up on a long-term deal. Richardson, however, let Large walk to Manly with nothing but a guarantee from the Galvin family that they would sit down in the new year to begin discussions about a potential extension beyond the end of his deal that expires after the 2026 season.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.Credit:Getty Images
Time will tell if that what was the right football decision, especially given how much Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has been singing Galvin’s praises in recent months.
But the Tigers hierarchy feel that they need to show they aren’t going to be pushed around, and messaging off the field is as important as the one’s being relayed on it.
Sione Fainu was under the impression that he was going to get the next available top 30 spot in the roster when it eventually cleared up. With Jayden Sullivan, John Bateman and Brent Naden unwilling - or unable - to find new homes, that vacancy only cleared up recently following the termination of Jordan Miller’s contract for failing to uphold expected standards.
One of those breaches related to him turning up late to training despite assisting police with a domestic violence enquiry unrelated to him. It’s why he’s sort legal advice from former chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
But instead of promoting Fainu to a top 30 deal, the Tigers signed former Roosters prop Terrell May on a three-year contract worth $2 million on Monday.
That same day Sione’s agent Mario Tartak visited Concord seeking a please-explain. Richardson reiterated that the spot was never guaranteed to his client. In fact, the message the Tigers originally relayed was that they were always planning on signing another prop forward before Sione.
They went after Canberra’s Corey Horsburgh and Brisbane’s Kobe Hetherington before negotiations with both players fell through. May was merely filling the spot that had already been assigned to someone else.
Now Sione faces the likelihood of a $1200-a-week train-and-trial contract, pending NRL approval, until something budges at the Tigers.
The Dragons are still exploring the possibility of luring Adam Doueihi to the club as a halves option, but St George Illawarra are also in discussions with South Sydney’s Lachlan Ilias and Cronulla’s Daniel Atkinson.
Richardson knows that most clubs, at this time of year, are still holding out hope for a top-line player to hit the open market.
It’s the kind of unforseen situation that the Tigers themselves benefited from just this week when they secured the services of May on a three-year deal.
There will come a time, however, when some teams will need to fill roster spots or find replacements for players injured in preseason training or trials.
The Tigers are hopeful - once the big dominoes like Ben Hunt and Ryan Papenhuyzen fall - teams might be more willing to look at the lower end of their roster spots. If not, they’ll have to dip into their pockets.
The case surrounding Bateman is fascinating. The Tigers - big on messaging and all - went to the Rugby League Players’ Association a few weeks ago to find out what date the Englishman was due back at training after his stint in the Super League with Warrington.
The RLPA crunched the numbers and conceded that the Tigers were within their rights to order Bateman back to training on the final day of training on a Saturday before the two-week Christmas break. So they did.
Given the animosity between Bateman and his agent Isaac Moses towards the Tigers at the moment, they took it exactly as it was meant; a reminder that he was unwanted after falling out with the coach over perceived unfair treatment.
He isn’t the only player to have fallen out with Marshall in 2024. Naden found himself on the outer after refusing to shake the coach’s hand after their match at Magic Round. Marshall voiced his displeasure at Naden’s sin-binning at half-time.
Naden thought the coach overstepped the mark and made it personal, taking exception to the way he was spoken to by the coach. It’s the same gripe Bateman had with Marshall after a loss to South Sydney later in the year, as well as a belief that the younger players weren’t being held to the same account as the senior ones. The start of preseason speaks to a shift in that mentality.
For now, Bateman is scheduled back at training in the new year. Moses was able to get Warrington to provide documentation that Bateman in fact underwent a series of medical examinations and corporate appearances in the week after the Wolves’ final game that meant he wasn’t due back at training for another week and secured his absence from training until the new year. The RLPA changed its position.
Given the Tigers’ desire to release a number of players, it has created a perception that their recent decision to issue breaches and warnings for preseason performances was more a reflection of their desire to create roster spots than a culture building exercise.
The Tigers strongly refute those assertions. They want players who are willing to put in the extras.
Marshall’s coaching style has already met resistance. His second year at the helm is in the make-or-break territory after the club slumped to their third consecutive wooden spoon last season.
The roster is largely his, having the final say on all recruitment matters since he was anointed Tim Sheens’ successor. Some of those decisions are already coming back to bite him, so he’s changing the way he does things. Avoiding claims of mixed messaging is also paramount to his success.
Michael Maguire went down this path before. Marshall was there as a player and saw first hand how his former teammates resisted Maguire’s approach to change. It led to the now-Broncos coach’s demise in what was a train-wreck of a four-year campaign at the joint venture club.
The difference for Marshall, however, is that he might just have the players who are willing to change.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Very informative article from Chammas that explains a lot on what we've been wanting to find out. I wonder if his source/s are from within the club or managers.
Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.www.smh.com.au
Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.
By Michael Chammas
November 20, 2024
Benji Marshall’s got them walking on eggshells in Tiger town. And it’s exactly where he wants them.
After playing Mr Nice Guy in his first preseason in charge at the Tigers, the coach has flipped the script in a bid to drive a set of standards he hopes will help turn the tide at the struggling club.
Next month three players - Latu Fainu, Solomona Faataape and Solomone Saukuru - will front the Wests Tigers board after being hit with breach notices relating to their performances to start preseason.
The breaches relate to two sets of criteria the trio failed to meet. The first; an expectation around weight and skin folds that they failed to comply with upon returning to training after two months of holidays.
The second related to their fitness levels and an inability to get close to the time assigned to them for a 1.6 kilometre run.
Two other players also failed to meet the standards. Impressive young fullback Heath Mason, who made his NRL debut in 2024, surprisingly didn’t hit the mark during his time trial and was subsequently issued a warning. His lack of conditioning wasn’t deemed serious enough to warrant a breach.
The other player who was issued a warning for failing to meet the time trial expectations placed on him was Brandon Tumeth.
When news of the Tigers’ stern action against the players began to leak out just over a week ago, it put all the senior players, who were yet to return to preseason training due to extended leave entitlements under the collective bargaining agreement, on notice. They responded accordingly on Tuesday with their test results.
But the stern actions of the coach a fortnight ago even prompted new recruit Royce Hunt to volunteer to begin training three weeks before he was scheduled to arrive at the club to give himself time to improve his condition ahead of his time trial and testing in the coming weeks. It would’ve been music to Marshall’s ears.
A notable absentee at training, however, is boom prop Sione Fainu. The 12-game rookie doesn’t have a contract for 2025.
It’s a less than ideal situation given the financial investment in his brothers Latu and Samuela - the Tigers’ recipient of their player of the year award for 2024.
Some clubs wouldn’t want to upset the family, but Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is making a point of not allowing the club to be held to ransom by agents, or players, for that matter. That even goes for Faataape - the client of the chief executive’s son, Brent, now awaiting his date with the always topical Tigers board.
Richardson also flexed his muscle a few months ago when he refused to baulk at a request from the agent of teenage schoolboy sensation Onitoni Large who wanted a clause in his client’s contract that would allow him to walk away from the Tigers if they re-signed fellow young play-maker, Lachlan Galvin.
It’s a fair request given the Tigers also have Jarome Luai on the books for another five years and Latu Fainu tied up on a long-term deal. Richardson, however, let Large walk to Manly with nothing but a guarantee from the Galvin family that they would sit down in the new year to begin discussions about a potential extension beyond the end of his deal that expires after the 2026 season.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.Credit:Getty Images
Time will tell if that what was the right football decision, especially given how much Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has been singing Galvin’s praises in recent months.
But the Tigers hierarchy feel that they need to show they aren’t going to be pushed around, and messaging off the field is as important as the one’s being relayed on it.
Sione Fainu was under the impression that he was going to get the next available top 30 spot in the roster when it eventually cleared up. With Jayden Sullivan, John Bateman and Brent Naden unwilling - or unable - to find new homes, that vacancy only cleared up recently following the termination of Jordan Miller’s contract for failing to uphold expected standards.
One of those breaches related to him turning up late to training despite assisting police with a domestic violence enquiry unrelated to him. It’s why he’s sort legal advice from former chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
But instead of promoting Fainu to a top 30 deal, the Tigers signed former Roosters prop Terrell May on a three-year contract worth $2 million on Monday.
That same day Sione’s agent Mario Tartak visited Concord seeking a please-explain. Richardson reiterated that the spot was never guaranteed to his client. In fact, the message the Tigers originally relayed was that they were always planning on signing another prop forward before Sione.
They went after Canberra’s Corey Horsburgh and Brisbane’s Kobe Hetherington before negotiations with both players fell through. May was merely filling the spot that had already been assigned to someone else.
Now Sione faces the likelihood of a $1200-a-week train-and-trial contract, pending NRL approval, until something budges at the Tigers.
The Dragons are still exploring the possibility of luring Adam Doueihi to the club as a halves option, but St George Illawarra are also in discussions with South Sydney’s Lachlan Ilias and Cronulla’s Daniel Atkinson.
Richardson knows that most clubs, at this time of year, are still holding out hope for a top-line player to hit the open market.
It’s the kind of unforseen situation that the Tigers themselves benefited from just this week when they secured the services of May on a three-year deal.
There will come a time, however, when some teams will need to fill roster spots or find replacements for players injured in preseason training or trials.
The Tigers are hopeful - once the big dominoes like Ben Hunt and Ryan Papenhuyzen fall - teams might be more willing to look at the lower end of their roster spots. If not, they’ll have to dip into their pockets.
The case surrounding Bateman is fascinating. The Tigers - big on messaging and all - went to the Rugby League Players’ Association a few weeks ago to find out what date the Englishman was due back at training after his stint in the Super League with Warrington.
The RLPA crunched the numbers and conceded that the Tigers were within their rights to order Bateman back to training on the final day of training on a Saturday before the two-week Christmas break. So they did.
Given the animosity between Bateman and his agent Isaac Moses towards the Tigers at the moment, they took it exactly as it was meant; a reminder that he was unwanted after falling out with the coach over perceived unfair treatment.
He isn’t the only player to have fallen out with Marshall in 2024. Naden found himself on the outer after refusing to shake the coach’s hand after their match at Magic Round. Marshall voiced his displeasure at Naden’s sin-binning at half-time.
Naden thought the coach overstepped the mark and made it personal, taking exception to the way he was spoken to by the coach. It’s the same gripe Bateman had with Marshall after a loss to South Sydney later in the year, as well as a belief that the younger players weren’t being held to the same account as the senior ones. The start of preseason speaks to a shift in that mentality.
For now, Bateman is scheduled back at training in the new year. Moses was able to get Warrington to provide documentation that Bateman in fact underwent a series of medical examinations and corporate appearances in the week after the Wolves’ final game that meant he wasn’t due back at training for another week and secured his absence from training until the new year. The RLPA changed its position.
Given the Tigers’ desire to release a number of players, it has created a perception that their recent decision to issue breaches and warnings for preseason performances was more a reflection of their desire to create roster spots than a culture building exercise.
The Tigers strongly refute those assertions. They want players who are willing to put in the extras.
Marshall’s coaching style has already met resistance. His second year at the helm is in the make-or-break territory after the club slumped to their third consecutive wooden spoon last season.
The roster is largely his, having the final say on all recruitment matters since he was anointed Tim Sheens’ successor. Some of those decisions are already coming back to bite him, so he’s changing the way he does things. Avoiding claims of mixed messaging is also paramount to his success.
Michael Maguire went down this path before. Marshall was there as a player and saw first hand how his former teammates resisted Maguire’s approach to change. It led to the now-Broncos coach’s demise in what was a train-wreck of a four-year campaign at the joint venture club.
The difference for Marshall, however, is that he might just have the players who are willing to change.
If all of this article is 100% accurate i completely agree with what the club is doing,however these actions should have happened years ago.The club makes and enforces the rules not the players.Hopefully something is sorted out with Sione shortly as he deserves a contract with us
yeahcaz
Well-known member
not everyday you can be happy with being wrong.
Going from their last playing time id say Terrell. Heard plenty of shouts last season that he should be in the blues side and I think they should be his aim for this season. Taylans best talent at the moment is his versatility which is why I think he’d be a smart signing. Can never discount the factor of playing with family too
Kaito
Well-known member
1 of the best pieces from Chammas I've read with
regards to the Tigers. Sources from both I'd say.
It seems like it's been sanctioned by the club I think
Tom Shines
Well-known member
it appears from my read of the article , that the Tigers management has been involved with some info … maybe could be multiple sources inside and outside the club …
So what’s the story with Miller ? Seems a bit hard done by if the situation quoted in the story is being used against him.
yeahcaz
Well-known member
Not sure if it’s been mentioned here in the last few days but I hear the recent talk of Doueihis barber in Concord is that he’s looking very likely to the dragons, I’d be confident in saying it’s for 2026 but I’m sure both clubs would also be happy to work out an early release.
Granted my recent track record ain’t great 😂 but I thought I would share
Granted my recent track record ain’t great 😂 but I thought I would share
Betterdays22
Well-known member
Reads like a journalist who has actually done some leg work, seems few and far between these days.Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.
Three players to front board, another can’t train: Why Benji’s got Tigers right where he wants them
Benji Marshall is bringing in tough love, with emphasis on the tough, as he prepares for the 2025 season.
By Michael Chammas
November 20, 2024
Benji Marshall’s got them walking on eggshells in Tiger town. And it’s exactly where he wants them.
After playing Mr Nice Guy in his first preseason in charge at the Tigers, the coach has flipped the script in a bid to drive a set of standards he hopes will help turn the tide at the struggling club.
Next month three players - Latu Fainu, Solomona Faataape and Solomone Saukuru - will front the Wests Tigers board after being hit with breach notices relating to their performances to start preseason.
The breaches relate to two sets of criteria the trio failed to meet. The first; an expectation around weight and skin folds that they failed to comply with upon returning to training after two months of holidays.
The second related to their fitness levels and an inability to get close to the time assigned to them for a 1.6 kilometre run.
Two other players also failed to meet the standards. Impressive young fullback Heath Mason, who made his NRL debut in 2024, surprisingly didn’t hit the mark during his time trial and was subsequently issued a warning. His lack of conditioning wasn’t deemed serious enough to warrant a breach.
The other player who was issued a warning for failing to meet the time trial expectations placed on him was Brandon Tumeth.
When news of the Tigers’ stern action against the players began to leak out just over a week ago, it put all the senior players, who were yet to return to preseason training due to extended leave entitlements under the collective bargaining agreement, on notice. They responded accordingly on Tuesday with their test results.
But the stern actions of the coach a fortnight ago even prompted new recruit Royce Hunt to volunteer to begin training three weeks before he was scheduled to arrive at the club to give himself time to improve his condition ahead of his time trial and testing in the coming weeks. It would’ve been music to Marshall’s ears.
A notable absentee at training, however, is boom prop Sione Fainu. The 12-game rookie doesn’t have a contract for 2025.
It’s a less than ideal situation given the financial investment in his brothers Latu and Samuela - the Tigers’ recipient of their player of the year award for 2024.
Some clubs wouldn’t want to upset the family, but Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is making a point of not allowing the club to be held to ransom by agents, or players, for that matter. That even goes for Faataape - the client of the chief executive’s son, Brent, now awaiting his date with the always topical Tigers board.
Richardson also flexed his muscle a few months ago when he refused to baulk at a request from the agent of teenage schoolboy sensation Onitoni Large who wanted a clause in his client’s contract that would allow him to walk away from the Tigers if they re-signed fellow young play-maker, Lachlan Galvin.
It’s a fair request given the Tigers also have Jarome Luai on the books for another five years and Latu Fainu tied up on a long-term deal. Richardson, however, let Large walk to Manly with nothing but a guarantee from the Galvin family that they would sit down in the new year to begin discussions about a potential extension beyond the end of his deal that expires after the 2026 season.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.
Lachlan Galvin looks to pass during last season’s match against Parramatta.Credit:Getty Images
Time will tell if that what was the right football decision, especially given how much Canterbury general manager Phil Gould has been singing Galvin’s praises in recent months.
But the Tigers hierarchy feel that they need to show they aren’t going to be pushed around, and messaging off the field is as important as the one’s being relayed on it.
Sione Fainu was under the impression that he was going to get the next available top 30 spot in the roster when it eventually cleared up. With Jayden Sullivan, John Bateman and Brent Naden unwilling - or unable - to find new homes, that vacancy only cleared up recently following the termination of Jordan Miller’s contract for failing to uphold expected standards.
One of those breaches related to him turning up late to training despite assisting police with a domestic violence enquiry unrelated to him. It’s why he’s sort legal advice from former chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
But instead of promoting Fainu to a top 30 deal, the Tigers signed former Roosters prop Terrell May on a three-year contract worth $2 million on Monday.
That same day Sione’s agent Mario Tartak visited Concord seeking a please-explain. Richardson reiterated that the spot was never guaranteed to his client. In fact, the message the Tigers originally relayed was that they were always planning on signing another prop forward before Sione.
They went after Canberra’s Corey Horsburgh and Brisbane’s Kobe Hetherington before negotiations with both players fell through. May was merely filling the spot that had already been assigned to someone else.
Now Sione faces the likelihood of a $1200-a-week train-and-trial contract, pending NRL approval, until something budges at the Tigers.
The Dragons are still exploring the possibility of luring Adam Doueihi to the club as a halves option, but St George Illawarra are also in discussions with South Sydney’s Lachlan Ilias and Cronulla’s Daniel Atkinson.
Richardson knows that most clubs, at this time of year, are still holding out hope for a top-line player to hit the open market.
It’s the kind of unforseen situation that the Tigers themselves benefited from just this week when they secured the services of May on a three-year deal.
There will come a time, however, when some teams will need to fill roster spots or find replacements for players injured in preseason training or trials.
The Tigers are hopeful - once the big dominoes like Ben Hunt and Ryan Papenhuyzen fall - teams might be more willing to look at the lower end of their roster spots. If not, they’ll have to dip into their pockets.
The case surrounding Bateman is fascinating. The Tigers - big on messaging and all - went to the Rugby League Players’ Association a few weeks ago to find out what date the Englishman was due back at training after his stint in the Super League with Warrington.
The RLPA crunched the numbers and conceded that the Tigers were within their rights to order Bateman back to training on the final day of training on a Saturday before the two-week Christmas break. So they did.
Given the animosity between Bateman and his agent Isaac Moses towards the Tigers at the moment, they took it exactly as it was meant; a reminder that he was unwanted after falling out with the coach over perceived unfair treatment.
He isn’t the only player to have fallen out with Marshall in 2024. Naden found himself on the outer after refusing to shake the coach’s hand after their match at Magic Round. Marshall voiced his displeasure at Naden’s sin-binning at half-time.
Naden thought the coach overstepped the mark and made it personal, taking exception to the way he was spoken to by the coach. It’s the same gripe Bateman had with Marshall after a loss to South Sydney later in the year, as well as a belief that the younger players weren’t being held to the same account as the senior ones. The start of preseason speaks to a shift in that mentality.
For now, Bateman is scheduled back at training in the new year. Moses was able to get Warrington to provide documentation that Bateman in fact underwent a series of medical examinations and corporate appearances in the week after the Wolves’ final game that meant he wasn’t due back at training for another week and secured his absence from training until the new year. The RLPA changed its position.
Given the Tigers’ desire to release a number of players, it has created a perception that their recent decision to issue breaches and warnings for preseason performances was more a reflection of their desire to create roster spots than a culture building exercise.
The Tigers strongly refute those assertions. They want players who are willing to put in the extras.
Marshall’s coaching style has already met resistance. His second year at the helm is in the make-or-break territory after the club slumped to their third consecutive wooden spoon last season.
The roster is largely his, having the final say on all recruitment matters since he was anointed Tim Sheens’ successor. Some of those decisions are already coming back to bite him, so he’s changing the way he does things. Avoiding claims of mixed messaging is also paramount to his success.
Michael Maguire went down this path before. Marshall was there as a player and saw first hand how his former teammates resisted Maguire’s approach to change. It led to the now-Broncos coach’s demise in what was a train-wreck of a four-year campaign at the joint venture club.
The difference for Marshall, however, is that he might just have the players who are willing to change.
My worry with Benji is the mixed messaging side of things. You can't be their mate and a disciplinarian, relaxed then flip a switch. It's not a good look disappearing to Fiji mid year and expecting players to have done extras in their holidays. That inconsistent messaging is a great way to get players offside.
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BAGNF05
Well-known member
Not entirely true. The good clubs can keep winning with key injuries. E.g. Cleary.
BAGNF05
Well-known member
Madge tried it and was not backed by front office. They made a bloody documentary instead 🙄
I saw something about that in X yesterday and shared it. Hopefully it comes true with the Dragons not interested in the Half from the UK.
Bateman, Naden and Sullivan will not be wearing Wests Tigers colours as of round 1 in 2025.
Once Sione Fainu agrees to re-sign for a realistic figure he will take one spot, if Taylan May gets found not guilty he will take another spot and that leaves one more top 30 spot for recruitment.
Buttface
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing and having a laugh at yourself. 👍🏻👍🏻
Not every tips a winner, actually most aren’t.
The reaction of the players themselves will be interesting. Either they cop the tip and work on things or they pack a sad and bugger off. Mason was a surprise but possibly his bulking up has cost him some speed and he's learning to balance that. I suspect he'll be fine. Tumeth is a worry - you'd think a guy in his position would be busting a gut to get into the team. Faataape likewise is in a precarious position re his position in the team.
Mays case won’t be heard until March so nothing will happen with him until after then.
Taylan is a repeat offender. I think he's trouble we don't need.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Faataape is not Top 30 right… so doesn’t really make much difference unfortunately
Jimmy
Well-known member
Benji is a genuine guy. He's happy to be Mr. Fun, nice, hip guy when the players are putting in, but when it is time to get serious he will. He has the brains/tactics to be a good coach so this will be a good test for his man-management skills. Many of the boys seem to be buying in. Guys like Batemen and Naden already have shown they have poor attitudes. I'm not fussed about them. How the club is treating guys like Sullivan, Tumeth and Sione tho is an area of concern for me. Give and take.
