Are Wests Tigers recruiting the right players?

@ said:
You only need to look at what he did at Penrith, where he lost star players yet got the team within a game of the grand final. He's also the coach that had the Warriors playing consistent footy (missed 2 finals in his 6 seasons there, one due to a salary cap breach from a previous year), and took them to a grand final in his final year. At both clubs he has made some excellent purchases which if nothing else make me trust his judgement.
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And you only have to look at own premiership winning side. At the start of the season we had no super stars. By the end of the year it seemed we had 5 or 6.

That aside I am with Cleary and agree with your point about where his head is. Better to have a champion team than a team of champions.
 
I agree.. I don't have a super amount of confidence in the players that have been signed.. however.. I have an abundance of confidence in Cleary as a a coach and mentor/manager and for that reason alone, I think the Tigers have a reasonably good future in the next few years.
 
A lot of the backs Cleary has signed is for 2 years: Brooks, Fonoa, Milone, Lolohea, Thompson, Gamble. So there's time for them to shine, prove themselves, but if not, we can thank them and move them on.

Only guys he definitely wants are long term, 3 years or more: Packer, Reynolds, Matulino, Suli, McQueen, Nofoaluma, Twal. (Interesting one Twal)

Whether we come good or not, we can't know now, but at least we can see that Coach Cleary is being sensible about it, not making dodgy long term calls.
 
All I want next year is a team that wins more than they lose and sneak into 8th.
I think we will be strong enough for that to be realistic and won't be top 4
 
Cleary is moneyballing us back into the 8 & it's long overdue considering the deadwood which simply had to go, Lovett kevvie rankin et all… I'm excited by the prospect of a no bs front row with no turnstiles in the backline
 
It needs to be remembered Cleary has a definite plan for the future playing style of the club. He quickly identified the players he needed , big, mobile props with some aggression. Strong wingers to start sets off ,a ball playing half and a high energy ultra competitive half. Build the team on top of that. it is not a case of signing what ever he can as some dolts in the media seem to default to
 
It feels like 2003 again to me.

After two so-so coaches we added a top coach (Sheens) and then added some on-field experience - Sattler, Elford etc. as well as some class - Hodgson and Prince, mix that with some exciting youngsters and it was a terrific team by 2005.
 
@ said:
All I want next year is a team that wins more than they lose and sneak into 8th.
I think we will be strong enough for that to be realistic and won't be top 4
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I have the same expectations. This club has been on the verge of making the 8 so many times, and crumbled in the final few rounds every time. It shows how weak the culture of this club has been… when the going gets tough, the tigers have laid down and submitted. Obviously I'm excluding the 3 years we made the top 4\. I'm not expecting a top 4 berth next year... all I ask is that we scrape into the 8.
 
Cleary's 2018 team will not win a title or get close, maybe 8th position but even that is unlikely, but they will set the platform for some real success in the years to follow.

Trying to mould so many new players from so many different clubs is always a big ask and like Manly last year success will be hard to achieve from the out set.

Next year will take some patience from the board room down to the players and not to mention the fans base
 
There are no stars among the recruits. If what the coach wants is a no-frills team, he's got that, so it's up to him to make that work. He may well do it, but what he's done with this year's squad doesn't inspire me. This is as bad so far as any season since Wests Tigers was formed. There's still plenty of rounds left including several against the weaker sides. I'd like to see Cleary's getting them winning again THIS season.
 
@ said:
There are no stars among the recruits. If what the coach wants is a no-frills team, he's got that, so it's up to him to make that work. He may well do it, but what he's done with this year's squad doesn't inspire me. This is as bad so far as any season since Wests Tigers was formed. There's still plenty of rounds left including several against the weaker sides. I'd like to see Cleary's getting them winning again THIS season.
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This years squad wouldnt inspire anyone. If youput a side together between us and the brons/sharks/roosters tedesco and maybe woods would make a team in each case. no one else. We should of won last night. But due to lack of a winning culture we will continue to struggle.

Everyone seems to think this clean slate will take 0-12 months. We wont start seeing results until 2019\. So get used to it.
 
I can expect by this time next year the "it takes time to gel" call we be thrown around quite a bit, then not long after the "we'll be better next year" will get a run.

You can write next season off already mark my words, the excuses are all ready to go.
And like i've said on other threads, we can buy as many players as we want but this team will go nowhere with Brooks at 7, hopefully we don't waste too many more years figuring that out. We need a halfback!!!!! If there's anyone from recruitment reading this I know I'm just a dumb fan on a forum but we NEED a halfback, start looking for one yesterday.
 
Brooks will be the halfback,
But for his sake and the teams he may do well to swap positions with JLJ for the remainder of the season so he has a bit of time to get his timing and confidence back.
 
remember last time we had huge recruitment drive in 2004 what happened shortly after

Brett hodgeson. Played reserve grade in 2003
Scott prince. Hugely injury prone big gamble
Todd payten. Benchy / reserve grader for roosters
Shane elford. no superstar but solid Fringe panther
Scott sattler. Premiership winner. Probably most disappointing out Of The lot.
Pat Richards. Without him no 2005 premiership.

That's just to name a few. There was also some duds like Nick Graham. But more huge quality signings than misses.

Hopefully we reap same success with liddle being our young gun that Benji was for us.
 
Are Wests Tigers recruiting the right players?

Anyone who watched the Titans game knows the answer - absolutely.
 
Gould writing off our recruitment drive was probably the biggest concern. Write off the team on the field, write off the juniors … but if our recruits are wrong too then we're screwed.
 
Yep he said a lot about Tigers recruitment for next year. Including paying overs for players just to get them to come to the club. Let's hope they turn out to be worth it.
 
@ said:
Yep he said a lot about Tigers recruitment for next year. Including paying overs for players just to get them to come to the club. Let's hope they turn out to be worth it.
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Yet Newcastle are offering 'over the overs' and still finding it hard to attract players. It is the price you pay for lack of success. I remember not that long ago Penrith having to pay overs too.
 
Gould maybe right - but his opinion may also be clouded by his history with Cleary and Pascoe which may or may not be on the best of terms.
 
@ said:
Gould maybe right - but his opinion may also be clouded by his history with Cleary and Pascoe which may or may not be on the best of terms.
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Plus he has a area agenda etc.

He also said we are paying overs - to whom.. we have been paying very realistic amounts.

Not sure who Gus has been talking to.
Nor who Joey has been watching " saying Sue has been a shining light" - never been more wrong.
 
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