2026 squad - still not good enough

I have said this many times , luai is not a 1/2 back , he is a runner , he creates his own space , he needs a 1/2 back who can direct the team around the park , and the one piece of the puzzle we are missing is a ball playing lock , that’s what Penrith have , and that we need , NOW
That’s why imo Benji will start with AD, coz he gives the team direction. The other guy will be 14.
 
100% All the talk was abt he was going to step out of Clearys shadow and run his own team and demanded the dollars for it. Im a fan of Luai and most people will call it negativity but he did not play any where near as i expected espiecially on last plays. No doubt hes been a major difference off field and culture but we are again talking abt having a player to lead us around a year later after spending over 1.2mil on that very thing. He needs to improve regardless whos playing half and i think this year settled at 6 he will have a better season, well im hoping even though i do believe its a lot of money for a number 6 that does very little leading the team around like a Moses.
There wasn’t a lot of info around Luai’s signing due to the clandestine nature surrounding meetings etc. it’s not clear to me who was pushing the 7 ? Was it Luai? Or Benji/Richo? Either way, the narrative was great for building fan expectations and excitement.
 
There wasn’t a lot of info around Luai’s signing due to the clandestine nature surrounding meetings etc. it’s not clear to me who was pushing the 7 ? Was it Luai? Or Benji/Richo? Either way, the narrative was great for building fan expectations and excitement.
Tbf Luai has worn 7 or 6 depending on what the team needs. If Latu can become that organising 7 than im fairly certain Luai will happily ply his trade at 6. I love AD however I still dont think he can be a consistent 7.
 
Need to compare this to a few other rosters.

No doubt our systems arent at a par with Penriths and Ivan has a few more runs on the board than benji
It's been a tough road for Ivan. He's been coaching at an NRL level since 2006 and was sacked his first time round at pernrith. No doubt he is a good coach, he achieved some success with the warriors, but it wasn't an easy road to get where he is now.

Coaching aside, we really lack the pathways system that Gus managed to get moving at Penrith.

In theory, it would be great if we could have Wests Tigers representation from a Harrold Matthews level.. I understand the challenges logistically given the distance between Balmain and Campbelltown, but me and a few of the lads in the comp I played in travelled 50minutes each way to training 4 times per week in Harrold Matthews. I mean, if HBG are really commited to the joint venture, they could invest some money into a shuttle like system to get players from point A to point B... I doubt that'd happen though as it doesn't promote the magpies...
 

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