Having digested the “news” and goings on at the club over the last week…I truly believe this is the shake up the club desperately needed....the attitudes of the players and their performances in 2012 left the club with no option but to shake the joint up....
In many respects the club is a victim of its own success....we have some enormous young talent coming through and if we don’t plan our future right we will lose this talent elsewhere. My view on the topics:
Tim Sheens:
Has been Head Coach at the WT too long. It’s clear by the performances and results in 2012 the players have become too complacent, with some not progressing or going backwards. All the players need to hear another voice, especially Benji (although he won’t admit it) and Robbie, so a new Head Coach and direction was desperately needed for 2013 and beyond..
Chris Heignington:
Not questioning the fact he was a great clubman and a “solid” first grader for 201 games and the other players loved having him around etc, etc...but he is now past his prime – fact!.
To offer a “solid” first grader another 3 year contract on the same or more $$ than he was on would have been ludicrous regardless of what Benji and co thought of him. If the club chose to retain Chris for another 3 years, the up and coming young forwards would miss out and he would’ve taken up valuable $$ from our Cap... Chris was offered a very attractive 3 year deal by the Sharks and Chris chose to take it as the Tigers weren’t prepared to match it...A good future planning decision by the club!
Beau Ryan:
Beau is a great marketing tool for any club – that is his biggest asset(and he knows it). He had a very good 2012, in the opinion of many, Beau was our best back in 2012\. Given we have superstars Chris Lawrence and Benji Marshall in our backline to be judged our best back in 2012 reflects more how poorly Chris and Benji played rather than how great Beau played. Beau too is classified as a “solid” first grader. Nothing spectacular , just solid – fact!.
We have two up and coming wingers in Koro and Nofo who could be anything. In 6 games Koro scored more tries in FG than Beau did all year. The club wanted to keep Beau, but were not in a position to table a written contract due to SALARY CAP issues which could only be sorted out after the season finished. Beau got upset(sook) when CWH signed with Cronulla and he followed suit. The Tigers were prepared to honour their agreement with Beau – had he waited... The fact Beau has moved on is a loss to the Tigers from a marketing perspective ONLY...Koro and Nofo could easily become a far better and exciting winger than Beau will ever be...and if that happens their marketability too will skyrocket. Beau too signed for 3 years on supposedly more money than he was offered by the Tigers..Good luck to him and a good move for both parties(WT and Beau)...and this is how it should’ve been portrayed in the media. I for one am excited at the prospect of watching Koro and Nofo go around in FG next year and beyond...much more than seeing Beau run around for another 3 years.
Benji:
His response to Beau and Chris leaving clearly indicates he values mateship more than what is right for the club. Had Benji wanted to listen to the CEO and Coach as to why Chris left and understood the prospects on our future wingers, he would’ve reacted differently in public. Benji’s public response on the footy show and the Sunday Sun Herald was very, very disappointing. I have never seen a player react like he did to “mates” leaving a footy club – and it happens every year are all clubs!. Did the Rooster players blow up when Braith was not offered another contract?...Did the Storm players blow up when GI and Adam Blair left their club?...Benji needs to have a long hard think about his role in the club...He is a footballer who is paid to play at his best on the field not question openly decisions made by the Club Administration. For this reason I truly believe 2013 will be a make or break year for Benji. If he can get his head around what are his priorities and focus on footy only it will be a great year for him and the club...if he continues to play “CEO” and “Coach” and part time player the downhill slide for him will continue, especially as he will be battling a new coach who hopefully won’t accept the past.
Farah:
They say silence can be deafening and in this case, I believe, it holds true. It is clear the club holds Farah in the highest esteem. Many are saying Farah is over Sheens and wants to be coached by a new voice in the next stage/chapter his career. I agree. The club must also sense/know this too and I am sure will make it a priority to resign Farah for life.
Players Culture:
It is clear that the current playing group are a tight knit bunch. I feel some of the players have been given too much latitude in the media and I hope the Management recognise this and change this moving forward. Beau and Benji ,mainly via the Footy Show have really been in the media spotlight this year. To hear them publicly speak out about matters they shouldn’t irks me no end. For example, when there was talk about Lote possibly not being offered a contract for 2013 Beau publically came out on the footy show and stated the club must resign Lote; then last year we had Benji publically come out and comment on the retention of Sheens and the Gibbs and Fifita scenarios. These guys should be put in place; they are not Administration, they are footy players.. You never hear Chris Lawrence, another high profile player, speak out publically on these matters nor do other players from other teams carry on like this. The culture of the club is not right in this regard and must change next year and beyond. I hope someone spells this out to Benji and the rest of the high profile players to pull their head in!.
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2013 and beyond:
I’m actually very excited about our future direction of the club!. I will definitely be renewing my 2013 membership as I truly believe these changes are 1000% needed in the club. We have a very talented NRL playing group and a stack of exciting young cubs coming through the system. I also heard that Jacob Miller has a contract with us for 2013, I hope the new coach recognises the importance of a good halfback and Miller is given a decent crack at the #7 for 2013\. A new coach and coaching team will hopefully see the big names players respond positively and the group as a whole progress with renewed energy and enthusiasm...if that happens we should be a top 4 team again in 2013 – a defining year for Benji and the club!.
In many respects the club is a victim of its own success....we have some enormous young talent coming through and if we don’t plan our future right we will lose this talent elsewhere. My view on the topics:
Tim Sheens:
Has been Head Coach at the WT too long. It’s clear by the performances and results in 2012 the players have become too complacent, with some not progressing or going backwards. All the players need to hear another voice, especially Benji (although he won’t admit it) and Robbie, so a new Head Coach and direction was desperately needed for 2013 and beyond..
Chris Heignington:
Not questioning the fact he was a great clubman and a “solid” first grader for 201 games and the other players loved having him around etc, etc...but he is now past his prime – fact!.
To offer a “solid” first grader another 3 year contract on the same or more $$ than he was on would have been ludicrous regardless of what Benji and co thought of him. If the club chose to retain Chris for another 3 years, the up and coming young forwards would miss out and he would’ve taken up valuable $$ from our Cap... Chris was offered a very attractive 3 year deal by the Sharks and Chris chose to take it as the Tigers weren’t prepared to match it...A good future planning decision by the club!
Beau Ryan:
Beau is a great marketing tool for any club – that is his biggest asset(and he knows it). He had a very good 2012, in the opinion of many, Beau was our best back in 2012\. Given we have superstars Chris Lawrence and Benji Marshall in our backline to be judged our best back in 2012 reflects more how poorly Chris and Benji played rather than how great Beau played. Beau too is classified as a “solid” first grader. Nothing spectacular , just solid – fact!.
We have two up and coming wingers in Koro and Nofo who could be anything. In 6 games Koro scored more tries in FG than Beau did all year. The club wanted to keep Beau, but were not in a position to table a written contract due to SALARY CAP issues which could only be sorted out after the season finished. Beau got upset(sook) when CWH signed with Cronulla and he followed suit. The Tigers were prepared to honour their agreement with Beau – had he waited... The fact Beau has moved on is a loss to the Tigers from a marketing perspective ONLY...Koro and Nofo could easily become a far better and exciting winger than Beau will ever be...and if that happens their marketability too will skyrocket. Beau too signed for 3 years on supposedly more money than he was offered by the Tigers..Good luck to him and a good move for both parties(WT and Beau)...and this is how it should’ve been portrayed in the media. I for one am excited at the prospect of watching Koro and Nofo go around in FG next year and beyond...much more than seeing Beau run around for another 3 years.
Benji:
His response to Beau and Chris leaving clearly indicates he values mateship more than what is right for the club. Had Benji wanted to listen to the CEO and Coach as to why Chris left and understood the prospects on our future wingers, he would’ve reacted differently in public. Benji’s public response on the footy show and the Sunday Sun Herald was very, very disappointing. I have never seen a player react like he did to “mates” leaving a footy club – and it happens every year are all clubs!. Did the Rooster players blow up when Braith was not offered another contract?...Did the Storm players blow up when GI and Adam Blair left their club?...Benji needs to have a long hard think about his role in the club...He is a footballer who is paid to play at his best on the field not question openly decisions made by the Club Administration. For this reason I truly believe 2013 will be a make or break year for Benji. If he can get his head around what are his priorities and focus on footy only it will be a great year for him and the club...if he continues to play “CEO” and “Coach” and part time player the downhill slide for him will continue, especially as he will be battling a new coach who hopefully won’t accept the past.
Farah:
They say silence can be deafening and in this case, I believe, it holds true. It is clear the club holds Farah in the highest esteem. Many are saying Farah is over Sheens and wants to be coached by a new voice in the next stage/chapter his career. I agree. The club must also sense/know this too and I am sure will make it a priority to resign Farah for life.
Players Culture:
It is clear that the current playing group are a tight knit bunch. I feel some of the players have been given too much latitude in the media and I hope the Management recognise this and change this moving forward. Beau and Benji ,mainly via the Footy Show have really been in the media spotlight this year. To hear them publicly speak out about matters they shouldn’t irks me no end. For example, when there was talk about Lote possibly not being offered a contract for 2013 Beau publically came out on the footy show and stated the club must resign Lote; then last year we had Benji publically come out and comment on the retention of Sheens and the Gibbs and Fifita scenarios. These guys should be put in place; they are not Administration, they are footy players.. You never hear Chris Lawrence, another high profile player, speak out publically on these matters nor do other players from other teams carry on like this. The culture of the club is not right in this regard and must change next year and beyond. I hope someone spells this out to Benji and the rest of the high profile players to pull their head in!.
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2013 and beyond:
I’m actually very excited about our future direction of the club!. I will definitely be renewing my 2013 membership as I truly believe these changes are 1000% needed in the club. We have a very talented NRL playing group and a stack of exciting young cubs coming through the system. I also heard that Jacob Miller has a contract with us for 2013, I hope the new coach recognises the importance of a good halfback and Miller is given a decent crack at the #7 for 2013\. A new coach and coaching team will hopefully see the big names players respond positively and the group as a whole progress with renewed energy and enthusiasm...if that happens we should be a top 4 team again in 2013 – a defining year for Benji and the club!.
