Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Tucker]

Steph having a bit of a crack at WTs training. At the end of this podcast. About 5 mins before the end.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sen-breakfast-with-vossy-brandy/id1536354910?i=1000680874417

That’s not a great surprise really.
He is training in one of the benchmark systems now.

 

[tigertragic]

mainly security brother.

minimum wage is $135k guaranteed and quite often $3k in matchies per week providing you’re in first grade.

train and trial you get $1k cash in hand a week and then the $3k in matchies, but you’re only eligible to play first grade from Round 10 onwards.

for a guy like Sione with two young kids, security is everything.

Steph having a bit of a crack at WTs training. At the end of this podcast. About 5 mins before the end.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sen-breakfast-with-vossy-brandy/id1536354910?i=1000680874417

I thought he was fairly respectful
All pre seasons are tough
Just done different

 

[Tom Shines]

With Bateman and Sullivan off our books for season 2025 and with the Miller saga expected to be completed soon, that will bring us back to 27 top 30 roster spots filled for 2025.
I expect Sione Fainu and Tim Johanssen will both be upgraded and take 2 of those spots.
There is next to no doubt Taylan May will end up in Wests Tigers colours should be be cleared to play after his court case, so a position will need to be available for him.
In addition to do I’d say we ideally still want to sign an edge back rower, a back up halfback and maybe another back up middle.
Liam Kingtht on a Development Deal or a minimum wage top 30 contract would be ok to add experience a depth to our middles.
So I’d say it’s highly likely there will be one or two more exits at some stage early next year to allow the above scenario to happen.

I’m ok with upgrading Sione , as no doubt he has previously been promised this …

We don’t necessarily need to fill all the vacant spots immeadiately with fringe players … we have enough of those on the books already …

Obviously no one knows how much $ we have left … but having a vacant spot or two if someone good shakes out over the summer might be handy …

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

as some have said Ethan Bullemore from manly would.be a good option
or
Brandon Smith to share 13 role with Bird perhaps, abd at a pinch allows bird to play in centres if injury strikes and Brandon Smith cover for Api

 

[Spartan117]

And my wife doesn’t understand why I care about a football team so much, let alone reading an internet site 3 months after we played a match.

Or worse Multiple times daily

WTF is my browser homepage...

 

[Spida]

I thought he was fairly respectful
All pre seasons are tough
Just done different

I listened to his interview with Satts…

He was really respectful…the journalists line of questioning lead Stef down the path of how superior the Storm system is compared to the Tigers and he gave them nothing…played a straight bat and didn’t dis us at all.

I actually walked away from the interview thinking,sounds like he missed us a bit.

 

[Tom Shines]

as some have said Ethan Bullemore from manly would.be a good option
or
Brandon Smith to share 13 role with Bird perhaps, abd at a pinch allows bird to play in centres if injury strikes and Brandon Smith cover for Api

you talking about 2026 for Smith right given his injury?

 

[Spartan117]

Steph having a bit of a crack at WTs training. At the end of this podcast. About 5 mins before the end.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sen-breakfast-with-vossy-brandy/id1536354910?i=1000680874417

Not necessarily a dig. just an honest observation,

A 10 second comment that his first Wrestling session this week was the hardest he had ever done.

Is anyone surprised????

Wests tigers should focus on Fitness and Defence

 

[The-moP]

Not sure why the fanfare around Thompson. Not that he’s not a good player, but we are kind of stacked for middles atm. I doubt the club will be willing to pay big dollars when we have May, Klemmer, Hunt, Fainu, Twal etc. We don’t have to go after everyone on the market.

Not 100% sure we still have Klemmer and Twal still on our books come 2026.

 

[clontarfkid]

I really, really take great enjoyment out of Bulldogs releasing a statement they are no longer interested in a player, as if they are in control of every negotiation.

Can't keep pulling the same move Gus

Sione Fainu DESERVES the contract upgrade. Brothers or not, he of his own merit, clearly worked hard to crack into the team and had quite a few really solid performances

Great player to have as bench/depth in your top 30. These are the kind of players we need at the back end of our top 30, not NSW Cup level players and a million 18 year olds.

True,but hes no Ipaps..thats the impact we really need tomake the pack formidable

 

[Canadian Club]

With Bateman and Sullivan off our books for season 2025 and with the Miller saga expected to be completed soon, that will bring us back to 27 top 30 roster spots filled for 2025.
I expect Sione Fainu and Tim Johanssen will both be upgraded and take 2 of those spots.
There is next to no doubt Taylan May will end up in Wests Tigers colours should be be cleared to play after his court case, so a position will need to be available for him.
In addition to do I’d say we ideally still want to sign an edge back rower, a back up halfback and maybe another back up middle.
Liam Kingtht on a Development Deal or a minimum wage top 30 contract would be ok to add experience a depth to our middles.
So I’d say it’s highly likely there will be one or two more exits at some stage early next year to allow the above scenario to happen.

It will take us to 28 spots, not 27. Terrell May's contract still needs to be registered and he will take Batemans open spot, Sione will be upgraded and he will taken Sullivans open spot. That will leave Millers spot open once his situation is sorted out and ratified by the NRL. Johannssen signed a 2 year cup deal last month, he will not be upgraded.

I anticipate the last spot will be used to bring in a second rower or kept vacant in case someone of value becomes available in the next few months.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Not 100% sure we still have Klemmer and Twal still on our books come 2026.

Maybe not. But it appears we haven’t even had discussions with him.

 

[user118245]

Curious on people’s thoughts on Reuben Garrick if he gets an early release to squeeze in some of manlys youngsters off contract. Can goal kick and is on ~ 450k

 

[Tom Shines]

Curious on people’s thoughts on Reuben Garrick if he gets an early release to squeeze in some of manlys youngsters off contract. Can goal kick and is on ~ 450k

he had his worst year in 2024 since he has been in the NRL … could very well be on the decline …

I would pass

 

[Buttface]

I look at social media, not tabloids and newspapers. Instagram stores your recent searches and I recently searched bud to see if he followed Souths after he did his medical, he then wasn’t on my recent searches when I went to search for a seperate instagram account and I did some investigating (literally 3 letters typed and I came to my conclusion). Thanks for your 2 cents tho, next time feel free to keep them to yourself tho

Don’t worry about Axel, he can only covers these days anyway.

Some of us appreciate your hobby.
I don’t FaceTweet or InstaTock, the WTF is the only social media thingy I post in. Unless texting counts? So I for one certainly appreciate the little tid bits and weird info.
But I do remember a few years back, someone telling anyone who’d listen that we’d signed someone good bcoz they had liked the Tigers on InstaFace and it was all a big joke, most of the forum took the bait.
You still got my vote for forum rookie of the year.

 

[batboy]

Not 100% sure we still have Klemmer and Twal still on our books come 2026.

Pretty sure Klemmer is a 'Mutual' option, I'd guess say we're all about to confirm how Mutual Options really work (When he Triggers it)
Twal has just finished the 1st of a 4 year Deal....
Don't worry about 2026, He's here till 2027 (At least)

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Pretty sure Klemmer is a 'Mutual' option, I'd guess say we're all about to confirm how Mutual Options really work (When he Triggers it)
Twal has just finished the 1st of a 4 year Deal....
Don't worry about 2026, He's here till 2027 (At least)

I’d say Twal is no chance of seeing his contract out, but I don’t see many other clubs falling over themselves to poach him.

 

[weststigerman]

Interesting contract with Sullivan. I guess the problem is no one is silly enough to offer him 3 year or more deal.

We need the spot for 2025, but hopefully he has to choose to take his player options early in the season so that the club can plan 26 and 27 without wondering whether he'll be returning or not.

 

[Telltails]

If and when Galvin extends can almost guarantee that we will pay for it and there will be clauses.

 

[batboy]

Saying "but we don't have anyone else" is meaningless because, to all intents and purposes, we didn't have Bateman either. He was present on our roster in the same way that the exercise bike used to be present in my spare room: it was physically there but it would have been foolish for me to make any assumptions about using it, because it was pretty clear from several years' experience that that wasn't going to happen.

- How often you been offered more than half a million dollars a year to ride an exercise bike.

Fair chance it gets some miles on it if you were....
And more so, If it's in a better environment.