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That’s fair.Fail,as Benji said we are a 60 -70 minute Team
Those numbers are misleading though. Not to say it wasn't a better year for Tigers injuries, but how do you count "missed games"? It assumes the player would have played if not injured, which is not always true. It also doesn't count matches where players played injured, perhaps where the club didn't have a better alternative.We have had the best luck with injuries this season with only 62 collective games missed due to injury
Will we have that same luck next year?
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I agree - definitely not a pass but also not a clear fail.I'm giving it a C - neither pass nor fail to me.
Never expected to reach the 8 but was hoping we would avoid the spoon.
Good to win more games, see the roster improved and more team spirit but there a number of shoulda/ coulda games, which if we had won, would have made it a B- even if we missed the semis.
The end of the season was disappointing, especially Saturday, but I do believe there's more hope than in Christmases past.
As many others have stated, need a good middle, another prop, and a solid back to reach next level.
Benji still has a C for me but doing better than I ever expected. Let's hope the team rallying around him coniues for next year and he gets the assistants he and the team need to go onward and upward.
We don't have a good 14 able to cover hooker. Unless Latu can be turned into one. But his shoulder fragility is a worry. Latu's long kicking game needs some work, but it's better than Luai's.From the Dan Walsh article in the SMH today:
"NRL bench selections and team composition for finals take on Origin-level importance given the increased ball-in-play, fatigue and quality of opposition.
Shuffling a back-rower or dismantling a playmaking spine to cover – as Canterbury did to cover Bronson Xerri’s concussion against Cronulla – is less likely to fly because finals-standard teams are better at exploiting any man-on-man match-up.
In the past seven Origin series, 14 outside backs or halves have gone down injured or been taken off for HIAs.
Carrying an outside back or a utility on the bench that can genuinely defend out wide has emerged as a key consideration come Origin time – and now NRL finals, too."
What does this tell us about our squad composition for the Cowboys and Titans losses dealing with the back half of the game and what recruiting needs to be done?
We didn't make the eight so from a results based perspective the season is a fail. However, Pass/Fail is subjective and depends on what your outlook was at the start of the year - predicting Top 8, 10 wins or in my case 12th means the season is still a failure. One win more and the latter two would be considered pass marks.
For me I think we need to look at the season in more depth to understand if it is an abject failure or if it is on the growth pathway.
Stats
- Finish: 13th
- Record: 9–15 (3 byes), PF/PA: 477–612, Diff: −135 → 19.9 points scored & 25.5 conceded per game (24 matches).
Key Issues
- Mid-season volatility in the spine: Galvin released (30 May), Sullivan loaned out, Doueihi moved around then suffered a fractured cheekbone late; Luai missed time (suspension/shoulder).
- Close-out pain: The Cowboys’and Titans combacks over the last fortnight sums up the game-management issues.
Roster balance & overall talent — PASS (long-term), FAIL (2025 impact)
- Blue-chip arrivals (Luai/Turuva/May brothers) add genuine ceiling, but so many changes over the last off season affected the middle/edge balance - which was still below FG standard (Seyfarth/Sukkar)
Spine stability (1/6/7/9) — FAIL
- Frequent reshuffles + Galvin’s release + Luai’s suspension + Doueihi/Latu rotation = poor cohesion.
Middle/ruck control & yardage platform — FAIL
- Lack of depth in the pack was evident throughout the season and is reflcted int he defensive performance (25.5 ppg conceded).
Edge defence & connection — FAIL
- Weak edge defence as a result of changing combinations and a lack of quality edge defenders. Seyfarth/Toa have been caught out on many occasions.
Attack/points creation — FAIL
- 19.9 ppg isn’t finals-level output with the current defensive profile (25.5ppg). This is linked to spine stability; however, our ability to create shape is limited. There are moments where we are excellent but for the main we lack attacking flair.
Kicking game (long, contestables, exits) — FAIL
- May be linked to spine instability; however, more likely this is a significant shortfall in our attacking capabilities. Our inability to win territory the territory game combined with average to poor end of set execution hampers our ability to apply and maintain pressure.
- This is a significant shortfall that needs to be addressed over the off season.
Goal-kicking — PASS (just)
- Doueihi kicking below 75% and Api kicking at 80% has Wests Tigers down the bottom of the gola kiker rankings. Work required in this area.
Discipline & availability — PASS
- Penalties and sin bins significantly reduced in comparison to 2024. This is a double edged stat - improvements here usually reflect a less effective middle defence (lack of ruck control)
- Availability of playing group best in the NRL.
Coaching — MIXED → PASS (culture/attitude), FAIL (systems & game management)
- Early signs of defensive improvement under Benji were noted, but season-long numbers and late-game control lagged behind top-8 standards.
Recruitment/retention process — PASS
- Contine to recruit well; however, we are still light on in forward quality.
- Retentained talent that align with develoment aspirations. Had to make some hard calls: Api over TDS and early release of Galvin. Despite the drain there appears to be the required depth to cover the losses.
Fan engagement & home environment — PASS
- Strong attendances (avg 15k+, 26k peak) show buy-in and a platform to leverage with improved on field results.
What moves 13th → Top-8 in 2026 (priority order)
- Lock the spine and live with it (Luai-Fainu/Doueihi-Koroisau-Bula). Identify it, develop it, protect it and live with the benefits of a stable spine. Develop the kicking game and strong kick-chase rules.
- Rebuild the middle rotation profile (one elite post-contact carrier, one high-motor link, one enforcer) to stabilise ruck speed and lower PA < 21 ppg. Failure to recruit a dominant middle and either develop AD or identify a quality lock will see us struggle again in 2026.
- Edge D system tune-up (compressed-then-release principles, clearer assignments for centres/wingers). The Cowboys/Titans collapse is the cautionary tale.
- Late-game scripts — we need to learn how to manage and close out games. Develop set packages to close out games.
Welcome to the forum mate, there are a few lunatics on here including myself but we all share support for this great club.My first post.
I would just like to say thank you, and I believe that there are a lot of smart footy contributor in this forum.
We didn't get the spoon this year, and that a plus. Looking forward to 2026!
I think it was part of the development process - but only somone on the inside knows for sure. It coudl have simply been that we just couldn't recruit the missing peices despite have $ to do so. In that case front loading contracts to enable us to buy better in the next recruiting round makes sense.In real terms what was the value of salary cap we resourced the squad with? Front loading, paying out cap problems etc? How much more cap in real terms will we play with next year?
The weak bench and middle rotation was related to cap renovation right?