2025 Recruits and Team Depth: Expectations, Predictions & Key Positions.

[crazycat]

Who was our best pack this season?

Papa on a good day is a huge loss, we were stupid to let him go.
Hetherington covers the workhorse element we lose from Papa.. Samuela plays the tole of our attacking backrower. Bateman just has to do a job, and if he hit the ball up straight and not throw stupid passes - that's all we need from him.

Stef had minimal impact for us when he hit the ball up.
Hunt has proved he can give us that impact (the issue is if he can do 2x 15-17 min spells).

Look...

Like I tell my mates, "you did not let her go. SHE LEFT!"

Which is sadly why he did not work here. He never wanted to be here. Paps, may be a good forward... but his agent signed him here for the Paycheck.
Throw that fish back in the ocean.

 

[mtd#2]

Pretty much what you have listed here with Hunt and Kobe H for Ice and Stef …

So one of the additions is better and one worse ? Id call that even …wouldn’t you ?

But I also hear Hetherington might not be coming… Apparently Madge wants him to stay

Probably because it's the tigers right 😅

 

[twentyforty]

Who was our best pack this season?

Papa on a good day is a huge loss, we were stupid to let him go.
Hetherington covers the workhorse element we lose from Papa.. Samuela plays the tole of our attacking backrower. Bateman just has to do a job, and if he hit the ball up straight and not throw stupid passes - that's all we need from him.

Stef had minimal impact for us when he hit the ball up.
Hunt has proved he can give us that impact (the issue is if he can do 2x 15-17 min spells).

Stefano was the NRL leading tackle buster. He (and the team) would have looked a lot better with support.

 

[rugbygoated]

What's that got to do with what he said?
Hunts not a better player than Stefano.
Be interesting to see how effective Hunt is when we start playing him 50 minutes a game (About 3 x What he's playing currently)

Hunt is 5 years older. Stefano's best is ahead of him

 

[cktiger]

Stefano was the NRL leading tackle buster. He (and the team) would have looked a lot better with support.

Would also have looked a lot better if he wasn’t so lazy close to the line allowing multiple easy tries to be scored against us.
I can assure you Bellyache won’t be putting up with that.

 

[finnzo]

I would be surprised if Hunt didnt spend time in Reserve grade next year.
Hes got very little self drive about him. Walks far too much
@innsaneink called him lazy...looks to be true to me as well.
Wrecking ball for 10 minutes doesnt help much and is he even a wrecking ball against decent defences?

He just played in a preliminary final while all our boys are on holidays. He couldn’t go to back mate. sharks have plenty of other forwards to pick from but he gets picked every week for a reason

 

[mtd#2]

Stefano was the NRL leading tackle buster. He (and the team) would have looked a lot better with support.

its all good and well to bump off a few players, but if you never pass the ball whats the point?

 

[innsaneink]

Look...

Like I tell my mates, "you did not let her go. SHE LEFT!"

Which is sadly why he did not work here. He never wanted to be here. Paps, may be a good forward... but his agent signed him here for the Paycheck.
Throw that fish back in the ocean.

What a load of garbage

So what happened this time?
He grew some balls and told his manager its not the money, he wants a shot at a premiership?
The manager works for the player not the other way around...just another forum myth he didnt ever want to be here
There was nothing from the club or Richo for him

 

[GNR4LIFE]

What a load of garbage

So what happened this time?
He grew some balls and told his manager its not the money, he wants a shot at a premiership?
The manager works for the player not the other way around...just another forum myth he didnt ever want to be here
There was nothing from the club or Richo for him

Remember all the talk about how he was going to renege while still at Parra? Never once did come out and hit it on the head. In fact, pretty sure he said “We’ll see what happens”. And when it was finally confirmed, it was Brad Arthur who confirmed he was going, not him. He was never invested in this club, and his form reflected it.

 

[innsaneink]

We did nothing to help ourselves there....sacking Maguire whom Papalii thought would be coaching him....that doesnt mean he "never" wanted to be here...he did at some stage until we moved the posts

 

[mtd#2]

We did nothing to help ourselves there....sacking Maguire whom Papalii thought would be coaching him....that doesnt mean he "never" wanted to be here...he did at some stage until we moved the posts

It'd be great to have madge with our roster at the moment. We missed the boat there.

 

[innsaneink]

It'd be great to have madge with our roster at the moment. We missed the boat there.

We really need to change the perception/reality of what we are all about...we need to get it out there that we are not a retirement home/country club ...we are a hard working, win at all costs club
However when the club quotes players as saying trainings fun & chill thats sorta defeating the purpose

 

[TSP]

It'd be great to have madge with our roster at the moment. We missed the boat there.

We sank the boat there.

But there’s the old boy network in action.

 

[Droppy05]

What are you talking about ? The first spoon was Madge all the way … that was his team . He was 2 and 9 when he got sacked ? So by extension , the next year is a write off usually because you have to turn over the roster - change concepts , strategies etc. compound that with the absolutely diabolical sheens appointment , which isn’t really old boys more like desperation to cling to something from 15-17 years ago …. The old boys is really only 1 spoon and 1 season in . Sure Benji ran the team ie. training sessions, but it was well documented he was instilling sheens game plan and what not . All of this compounded in sheens having a massive sook when the bozos decided to scale back his power / influence , with the Fulton fiasco .
This coming year is the year to judge this old boys thing . Everything prior is just data to confirm an agenda .

Are you you serious? We had 25 rounds of NRL under Benji and you still attribute his failure as a coach to the Sheens and the previous regime. You need to face reality. Benji and class of 05 will not get this club to be a serious force any time soon.

 

[Lestronge]

We sank the boat there.

But there’s the old boy network in action.

We will see . Madge reminds me of Sam Allardyce in the premier league . Had a career built around 2-3 good seasons , and just yelling at people .
If his style works in the most player run club in the country , who’ve now never really succeeded unless they’re fully pampered in a Jedi mind trick style Ala. Wayne Bennett ., then I will be beyond shocked .
I can’t see Walsh , and Cobbo and that pampered team taking too kindly to being abused on day 1 . It might have a shock effect for a season . But they will turn on him by year 3 .
I’ll be shocked if the Broncos sent in the news in 2026 for the same shit they’re in the news now .

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

We will see . Madge reminds me of Sam Allardyce in the premier league . Had a career built around 2-3 good seasons , and just yelling at people .
If his style works in the most player run club in the country , who’ve now never really succeeded unless they’re fully pampered in a Jedi mind trick style Ala. Wayne Bennett ., then I will be beyond shocked .
I can’t see Walsh , and Cobbo and that pampered team taking too kindly to being abused on day 1 . It might have a shock effect for a season . But they will turn on him by year 3 .
I’ll be shocked if the Broncos sent in the news in 2026 for the same shit they’re in the news now .

Madge has won trophies at every club he’s been at except WT’s. Sam Allardyce hasn’t won a trophy his whole career.

 

[Lestronge]

Are you you serious? We had 25 rounds of NRL under Benji and you still attribute his failure as a coach to the Sheens and the previous regime. You need to face reality. Benji and class of 05 will not get this club to be a serious force any time soon.

What ? When did I say that ? Do you guys read ?
I said last year was a write off because of the sheens / Fulton fiasco . Didn’t even mention this year .
This year was a write off because we had a rookie coach and rookie players , who experimented with different ideas . Some worked some didn’t . This coming year will be where the rubber hits the road . I’ve not said anything different .
And literally no one , outside of delusional tigers fans , including myself , thought that we weren’t doing anything but coming last .
The kids have been bloodied , the mistakes made . The help brought in , and the roster upgraded . Anything other than 10 wins IMO has to be viewed as a failure next year . That’s where I stand .
I don’t know how you can judge a coach who had to field 37 players in one season. Most of which were kids , because the sheens/warren max combo , decided to guarantee roster spots to 17 year olds . Guys like Tumeth and Matamua .
Chick in Benji and Fulton and Tartak rail roaring the club in the desperate move for Sullivan , I mean … you can praise Benji for blooding Samuela and Galvin but he has to be blamed for Sullivan , and Naden .
I just don’t know you honestly judge this last season with any real perspective . Outside of if you’re running an agenda of Pro Madge . Which is hilarious because , once again the guy got sacked when he was 2 and 9 .
I honestly don’t think Benji is going to be the one who stands on the podium and olds the trophy , not even a little bit , but I do think that this period will be the one where we look back on and say “if that didn’t happen” .
That’s where I stand . I don’t know about Benji , but I’m 💯 sure about Madge .
Being yelled at all day , sucks balls. Especially in an environment that’s high testosterone , and fatigue is involved , egos etc. It can work , but only in really short term . And with a galvanising prize right in front of you . Like origin .
Not when it’s a concept like the nrl grand final , which right now for us , is over a year away .

 

[TSP]

I remember Madge bashing the daylights out of the players in press conferences.

Harsh but fair.

Benji keeps talking about seeing effort and talking truth to senior players. Rookie coach etc. Excuses and cuddling.

And so as an extension of that, we got the delinquency of spoonbowl. And apart from the club, it was extremely disrespectful to Benji himself. An entitled mindset and only Richo seemed to give a damn ( thank goodness).

But as we know, Benji never stands up to them. It’s too hard to get stood down if you are a name in our club. You can pretty much say and do whatever you want and you’ll be the first player selected.

And Hodgo will be expected to toe the party line or end up like poor Robbie.

 

[Lestronge]

Madge has won trophies at every club he’s been at except WT’s. Sam Allardyce hasn’t won a trophy his whole career.

Madge hasn’t won a trophy in 11 years . And the last time he won with a team that Inglis and The Burgess brothers .
I don’t even know why this even being spoken about . It’s literally a waste of time . There’s a reason Tallis went in soo hard against Madge , sure it had grounding in his mate getting the chop , but what he was saying wasn’t wrong . It was the reason he was sacked from Souths and then later the tigers . And it will be the same at the broncos .
You guys are delusional . I definitely am on the fence about Benji , but I’m 💯 sure the madge approach does not work with This generation .

 

[Lestronge]

I remember Madge bashing the daylights out of the players in press conferences.

Harsh but fair.

Benji keeps talking about seeing effort and talking truth to senior players. Rookie coach etc. Excuses and cuddling.

And so as an extension of that, we got the delinquency of spoonbowl. And apart from the club, it was extremely disrespectful to Benji himself.

But as we know, he never stands up to them. It’s too hard to get stood down if you are a name in our club. You can pretty much say and do whatever you want.

And Hodgo will be expected to toe the party line or end up like poor Robbie.

Honestly mate … I don’t even know with that !
So you think putting players on show in front of the world is a good idea ?
Someone did that to me once . It didn’t end too well for him 30 minutes later .
I still hate him too this day . If the response he wanted was contempt and rage and , “screw that guy” well then mission success .