Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

ChilledChaos said:
Met Terrell May just recently at the shops! Such an awesome bloke. Had quite the chat! Said he’s been keeping super fit and ready to go for the Tigers! By his body language he looks destined to go another level in 2025. Also said he’s keen to play big mins, reunite with Romey and Turuva and lead this pack going forward 🔥🫡
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Should of got a photo bro
 
Merlot said:
The nrl backflipping on the rule's crack down ,went against us also, we were doing good till then
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Yeah, another reason and almost at the 2005 to 06 saeson change level that turned things around to allow Melbourne to rise, and partially ruin the game through wrestling to this day.

Giant athletes over footy players since, but hopefully WT can get a mix of both out of Terrell.
 
Vicious said:
We have proven nothing as we have not had a competitive roster for a long, long time.
As much as we would have liked them too, our past coaches were not able to turn water into wine.
As it currently stands we finally have a highly competitive roster for 2025, so no excuses for Benji and likewise no excuses for someone like Trent Robinson with what I believe is a very poor Roosters playing roster for 2025.
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We have had a competitive roster in <insert year here>, so no excuses in
2012
2013
2014
...
2025.

Yes I don't judge a coach when they have a substandard team. I do judge them by what they develop.

Far too often we have taken an average side out and seen them slide.
Basic skills missed.

That's why I judge Madge as a failure here. by year 4 we should have been mid comp with whatever roster we had. Instead we went from 9th all the time to last.
 
Jolls said:
I think you can add Bellyache to the list for changing the game through the introduction of wrestling. Apart from that there hasn't been a great deal of transformation in the game from the coaching ranks. The NRL has introduced rules to speed up the game and induce fatigue but there haven't been too many transformative coaches.

So what would it take to unlock the game again?

I have been thinking about this for a while; given league is a pretty simple game what would it take?

Firstly, I think it is difficult for coaches to imagine change because they serve long apprenticeships under established coaches and repeat what they have seen to be successful. They may have a tweak here or there to make incrimental improvements but nothing that is transformational - like the introduction of the nautilus machine and professionalism by Jack Gibson.

The players are the heart of the team, the coach is its mind. So to challenge the norms a coach would need to reimagine how the game is played. To me this requires three things:
  • A significant cultural shift. The first requirement, before even looking at tactics is the development a team culture that breeds innovation and resilience. The key is to establish an environment that encourages creativity and adaptability. Structure is essential, it is a key enabler, but it should be nothing more than a framework. What happens within that framework is limited by imagination. Block plays and sweeps are old hat - what is next? Why can't we execute our attack form a different point on the field; eg, expand the Lockwood/Pringle manoeuvre to include two additional support runners on an edge from mid field.
  • Tactics beyond tradition. I hinted at it above but we tend to incrementally evolve attacking and and defensive structures to cater for what the oppositon is doing. How do we get beyond tradition and re-think defensive structures or introduce pioneering attacking shapes. This would take a visionary coach that can redefine how teams approach the game. A coach that might emphasise risk-taking, unpredictable offloads, or strategic kicking to exploit space.
  • Player Evolution: Under a transformative coach, players can break their perceived limits and roles can blur—imagine a forward with the agility of a back or a half that is the size of an edge.
The right coach at the right time isn’t just a leader; they’re a game-changer. The question isn’t whether a coach can change rugby league; but who will be bold enough to do it next.

Could a 6'4" 5/8 change the way we play on an edge? What if we had another "half" play at 13? What if we broke with tradition and executed attacking plays three wide from within our red zone?

Could Benji and our coachings staff's "lack of experience" be to our advantage?

I trust that Benji and Co don't fall into the trap of trying replicate the Riff/Melbourne. We are going through a significant cultural shift in the club and our coaching staff all came from a team that did not play a traditional style in 2005. Can the youth of our team be harnessed off the back of all this?

The scene is set; our club has the potential to change the way the game is played. I'm looking forward to 2025; what will it hold for us long suffering fans?
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What's wrong with kicking on the first tackle from within your own 22 when the opposition fullback is up in the line and make it a footrace to the ball? The worst that happens is their fullback manages to get there first and is pinned down with no one to play the ball to.
Sometimes you need to try something unexpected to sow a seed of doubt. That's why the best NFL teams have a good running game, to set up their passing game and visa versa.
 
May and Pole should 100% be our starting front rowers next year with both playing 55-60 mins a night. I think these two can go another level in 2025 - one of them at the very least.

Hunt off the bench is solid and his ability to give us a impactful 25 mins to either swing or maintain momentum will be super helpful.

We have one more prop spot off the bench available, it’ll most likely be Klemmer but I doubt he plays again in 2026 so who’s next?

Think we need a really strong big name edge forward to partner Samuela with some firepower and you combine that with Luai, Galvin and Api. Well we can make some noise.
 
Tom Shines said:
Technically they are a professional football team … their players are not amateurs …
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Previous admin let guys get away with murder, (Matterson, Aloiai, Packer etc. We paid players very big money but didn’t demand professional output. We always needed a general manager of football to oversee this stuff. Sheens was the right decision made too late but they muffed that too. Madge tried to change some things and was knifed in the back. Players were walking on eggshells and the club got scared of the negative press.

Only now is Richo changing that culture. Hope the Board are aware of this.

In the strong clubs the head coach has a simplified role which is get the team (a competitive one) up for the games on the weekend.

The fact they reportedly made our sacked coaches sign non-disclosure clauses is a sign the culture issues were well known by those in charge.
 
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