Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[clontarfkid]

Hope im wrong but with Latu and Javon I feel we may end up in the same position as when we had Brooks & Moses. Played Brooks as a 7 and Moses as a 6 ..all ass about and ended with a bad break up

Two rookies in the haves never works as weve learnt
Why premiers signed dce
Beginning to think 6 and 7 are different roles these days

 

[tiger_one]

SEA EAGLES SHOP STAR TO TIGERS

Wests Tigers have been offered Manly half Jamal Fogarty as the Sea Eagles salary cap continues to bite.

This column reported last week that the Sea Eagles needed to re-jig their roster with a host of players potentially up for grabs.

One of those players is Fogarty, who is just one year into a three-year contract. The Sea Eagles believe they have three starting halves in their ranks in Fogarty, Luke Brooks and rising star Joey Walsh.

Brooks was offered the chance to move on but he is still recovering from a knee injury. Manly’s season nose-dived when Brooks was sidelined with some believing a Brooks-Walsh partnership could serve the club better until young ace Onitoni Large is ready to play regular first grade.

Walsh and Large are among the rising stars the Sea Eagles consider off-limits.

The Tigers have ruled out making a move for Fogarty – who turns 33 next month — but they could be tempted if Manly covered a large chunk of his $700,000 contract.

The Tigers are already paying ex-skipper Jarome Luai about $500,000 to play for the Eels next year.

Adam Doueihi will be one starting half next season for the Tigers while his partner remains up in the air with the likes of new recruit Jake Averillo, Jock Madden, Javon Andrews and Latu Fainu.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

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Lol that's what we want to see Tigers, putting the squeeze on Manly, nothing like a bit of leverage to land a bargain.

 

[Plato]

We’d be insane not to have a crack at Fogarty! He’s basically a rich mans Jock Madden, does everything that Madden does but better. You don't choose a career backup over an experienced first grader with a skill set our team desperately needs.

A halves pairing of Latu/Javon at 6, and Fogarty at 7 is perfect for the next 1-2 years and lines up with when Katoa would be available. Madden can play in Cup where he belongs.

As for AD, he can either accept his role as a bench utility/transition to lock, or he can go piss up a rope. He lost his influence the moment he refused to play.

As an octogenarian with urination problems I would be prepared to retain Adam if he could teach me to piss up a rope.

 

[TigerBurnsy]

If we take Fogarty what do people think that means for latu and javon? Seems to me like it’s an admission from Benji they won’t work as a combo, wonder if one of them can play another position or if we will have to let one go

 

[Odessa]

From Cleary to Fogarty…

Surely we can do better and sign an emerging young halfback from a club that already has their 7. Look at Lincoln Fletcher, Coby Black and Elijah Birve for example, all will be regular first graders but have a halfback blocking their path to first grade

The question is

Who's better for the team Fogarty or AD

 

[Tito Santana]

Lol that's what we want to see Tigers, putting the squeeze on Manly, nothing like a bit of leverage to land a bargain.

Our George Costanza moment

 

[Leck]

The question is

Who's better for the team Fogarty or AD

Adam's game impact metric is +5.90, compared to Jamal's +5.00. Adam has the added advantage of being able to cover multiple positions, which Jamal can't.

Adam's biggest liability is his body. He's extremely injury-prone. Jamal's biggest liability is his age, he'll be 33 next year.

 

[Tito Santana]

Adam's game impact metric is +5.90, compared to Jamal's +5.00. Adam has the added advantage of being able to cover multiple positions, which Jamal can't.

Adam's biggest liability is his body. He's extremely injury-prone. Jamal's biggest liability is his age, he'll be 33 next year.

AD may be named às a halfback, but he’s not a halfback.

You don’t see Cleary or Adam Reynolds playing any other positions. Fogarty is a genuine half.

 

[king_sirro]

If we take Fogarty what do people think that means for latu and javon? Seems to me like it’s an admission from Benji they won’t work as a combo, wonder if one of them can play another position or if we will have to let one go

It could mean they spend 2 years grooming Javon as a 7 playing on the right in KOE cup.

The thought has been that Latu will shift to the right if they ever combine, but i would be looking to keep Latu partnered with Sam on the left. I also want Javon defending outsIde KPP whenever he does play NRL. So grooming Javon as mainly a right side player (although both should have freedom to switch in attack) makes sense, to me anyway.

Personally I dont rate Fogarty. For a big guy his defence is poor and he has no improvement left in his game, in fact, its fair to say he will decline from here on in. His best games are always against us so I think some have higher opinions of him than what is reality week in week out.

Jock is the same player and is about to hit his peak. Jock has a lot of improvement in him at just 26 years of age. If we want a workmanlike organising 7 that straightens the attack to free up Latu and Bula, then we already have him for minimum wage.

Watch Jocks 2nd half against Penrith. Thats a glimpse of how he plays with no Luai or Adam Doueihi beside him. He will grow a leg in the role of being chief with a younger half outside him. His defense is no worse than Fogarty's.

Im not saying I would have Jock as my 7, I personally would throw the 2 kids in with Jock as back up, but if Benji does want a steady organiser, then we have one about to hit his prime, albeit his prime being lower mid tier, not a 33/34 year old who offers the same.

 

[Leck]

AD may be named às a halfback, but he’s not a halfback.

You don’t see Cleary or Adam Reynolds playing any other positions. Fogarty is a genuine half.

I think his rift with Benji stemmed from Benji wanting him to play lock. Adam threw his rattle out of the cot and caused a stink over it.

I believe Adam’s best position would be ball playing lock. Considering how much of a ball hog he is, it would make more sense for him not to get his hands on the ball for at least two or three passes after the ruck.

If we believe Latu and Javon are the future, the Tigers will have to make investing in their development a priority.

 

[Tigerwould]

If we take Fogarty what do people think that means for latu and javon? Seems to me like it’s an admission from Benji they won’t work as a combo, wonder if one of them can play another position or if we will have to let one go

If Fogerty was younger, then yes we may have to choose between Latu and Javon. I dont see it that happening given Fogarty’s age. It gives the young halves time to develop.
The bigger question for me is out of Latu and Javon …who is the 7 and who is the 6. Time in Reggie’s will help find out. Don’t want another Moses/ Brooks situation

 

[innsaneink]

Our George Costanza moment

The stashed jacket

 

[Curly_Tiger]

Genius details in Wests Tigers’ failed ‘Hail Mary’ poaching play

Michael Carayannis

Wests Tigers should be praised, not mocked, for their Hail Mary play which could have seen Nathan Cleary turn out for the club.

The Tigers shocked many when it was revealed they had formally tabled a $3 million package deal for Cleary and his long-term partner Mary Fowler to entice Cleary to the club in 2028.

Fowler would have been signed by the Central Coast Mariners – with Holman Barnes Group owning both the Tigers and the Mariners.

The pair are both off-contract next year.

What chance did the Tigers have of securing Nathan? Next to nil. Until the Tigers started to think a bit differently.

The idea was the brainchild of Tigers boss Shaun Mielekamp, who in a previous life successfully attracted sprint sensation Usain Bolt to the Mariners.

Mielekamp’s intimate knowledge of soccer in this country helped. Coach Benji Marshall was naturally on board with the club recognising they needed some leadership to help to guide this young team.

Mielekamp started to plot the move about two months ago knowing he couldn’t secure Cleary on his own.

The tipping point was when Fowler returned to Australia to assist with Cleary’s recovery from serious injury.

By November 1 they were ready to pounce.

They had done the work in the background.

Of concern was Fowler’s rich Adidas deal after she inked a $10 million, five-year contract earlier this year.

That deal, the Tigers learnt, had some parameters around playing in a tier-one competition. The A-League Women would see her dip to being a tier-two athlete, which would impact the value of the endorsement.

Mielekamp needed the help of Holman Barnes too, who eventually signed off on making Fowler easily the highest paid domestic women’s soccer player - and potentially the biggest earner across either A-League competition.

The Tigers genuinely believed they were a chance. Even as recently as this week, they were told by Cleary’s camp to put in a formal offer. They did so.

A $3 million a year contract for three years – split between the pair.

It is understood Cleary stood to earn $1.8 million and Fowler would have doubled her current playing salary at Manchester City by signing with the Mariners.

Holman Barnes chief executive Daniel Paton – who sat on the Tigers and Mariners board – signed off on the deal.

His shock removal in recent days would not have helped the situation given he has been stood aside pending an investigation.

There has been angst among some on the Holman Barnes board about the push to help fund soccer programs, with some steadfast of the belief the club should be tipping all its cash into growing rugby league.

While the PNG Chiefs fielded a call on Wednesday that Cleary would not be coming, the Tigers did not. In fact, when they were contacted by Code Sports before the story broke on Friday afternoon, they were still holding out hope.

Unfortunately for them that glimmer ended about an hour after the story appeared online when Cleary’s camp formally rejected their offer.

He will now re-sign with Penrith for at least two more seasons.

And the Tigers hunt for premiership credentials goes on. And aiming high isn’t something which should be ridiculed. In fact, the Tigers should be applauded.

This doesn’t feel at all realistic to me, I feel someone is making stuff up or exaggerating at the least

How was Mary’s salary going to double from going from Man City in one of the world's premier female competitions to move to Gosford

Doesn’t make any sense to me

 

[Leck]

This doesn’t feel at all realistic to me, I feel someone is making stuff up or exaggerating at the least

How was Mary’s salary going to double from going from Man City in one of the world's premier female competitions to move to Gosford

Doesn’t make any sense to me

It shows why HBG hired @ShaunMielekamp. Their focus is on football, not the Wests Tigers.

I honestly thought this offer was absolute rubbish, especially considering Ivan jumped off the bus and Nathan rejected us in 2018.

This goes to show what HBG's true direction is when it comes to football. The sooner these clowns lose their license, the better.

 

[innsaneink]

It could mean they spend 2 years grooming Javon as a 7 playing on the right in KOE cup.

The thought has been that Latu will shift to the right if they ever combine, but i would be looking to keep Latu partnered with Sam on the left. I also want Javon defending outsIde KPP whenever he does play NRL. So grooming Javon as mainly a right side player (although both should have freedom to switch in attack) makes sense, to me anyway.

Personally I dont rate Fogarty. For a big guy his defence is poor and he has no improvement left in his game, in fact, its fair to say he will decline from here on in. His best games are always against us so I think some have higher opinions of him than what is reality week in week out.

Jock is the same player and is about to hit his peak. Jock has a lot of improvement in him at just 26 years of age. If we want a workmanlike organising 7 that straightens the attack to free up Latu and Bula, then we already have him for minimum wage.

Watch Jocks 2nd half against Penrith. Thats a glimpse of how he plays with no Luai or Adam Doueihi beside him. He will grow a leg in the role of being chief with a younger half outside him. His defense is no worse than Fogarty's.

Im not saying I would have Jock as my 7, I personally would throw the 2 kids in with Jock as back up, but if Benji does want a steady organiser, then we have one about to hit his prime, albeit his prime being lower mid tier, not a 33/34 year old who offers the same.

Where do you see Jocks improvement coming from....just a naturally occuring progression in his play?
Or.from Benji and Hodgo?

Im a bit hesitant on Fogarty, the brief nature of his stay sure to age isnt appealing... doing what another club wants also isn't good in most cases

Being starved of a real 7 for so long however and i understand people prepared to look past these concerns

 

[westielife]

Have never got the love for Fogarty - too many ordinary seasons - not that surprised if its true and they have too much cap tied up in him.

He got the Titian's into the 8 not long ago that's impressive.

 

[Vicious]

I think Jock at 7, a combination of Javon and Latu, or any of them at 7 with AD at 6 can all get the job done IF we had enough physically dominant players and game breakers around them, but I doubt we have enough quality around them.
We are again relying on Bula stepping up and becoming a genuine elite NRL fullback with regular attacking threat. I have hope that it might happen, but on past evidence I doubt it.
We are reliant that our 2-5 are solid defensively and have genuine attacking threat.
A fit and healthy Taylan May and Jake Averillo give us some quality, but outside of them there is not much to get excited about although it will be interesting to see how much improved Makasini and Saukuru are in 2027.
Tyson Frizell’s form during the 2026 NRL finals series and again recently for Tonga was really solid, geez I hope he can keep that up for us in 2027. If we can get the same player that he has recently been showing, it will certainly add a bit more steel to our middle forwards, but I really don’t think he has the athleticism required to play on an edge at his age.
Likewise if we get a solid 12 months out of Kurt Mann, his direct style of play and ball playing ability should really assist in bringing some of our better and stronger ball runners into the game. Fonua Pole is one who could really benefit if they strike up a good combination.
Back on the lack of game breakers / X -Factor topic, we still don’t have anyone with an extra yard of pace or speed off the mark to be a genuine attacking threat within our forward pack, other than young Jared Haywood, but I’m more talking about our running forwards.
Sam Fainu and KPP are a very good and very solid edge back row combination when both are fit and healthy as they showed early in the 2026 season, but neither of of them have that extra yard of pace or great acceleration that puts the opposing defence on high alert.
It wouldn’t be a problem if we had a 13 with extra pace and attacking flair,even if it’s one off the bench adding impact , but we simply have nobody in our top 30 roster with these attributes and I believe it makes it a little bit harder for our halves to shine because of it.

 

[Vicious]

I

Where do you see Jocks improvement coming from....just a naturally occuring progression in his play?
Or.from Benji and Hodgo?

Im a bit hesitant on Fogarty, the brief nature of his stay sure to age isnt appealing... doing what another club wants also isn't good in most cases

Being starved of a real 7 for so long however and i understand people prepared to look past these concerns

I apologise for butting into your conversation with kjng_sirro, but it’s a very good argument t and I am of the opinion that a largely no frills Jock Madden would look quite good at NRL level if he had the right amount of attacking flair around him.
We are 1 or 2 genuine attacking weapons away from having a genuine NRL quality attacking line up and that could be solved with natural improvement from some players we already have on our books, but until they show it, we are not quite there.

 

[westielife]

Shop AD for a forward as we are short of those.