Benji 2025

[lathami]

An important life lesson for the young Tiger lads. Benji told them to have fun. It's like telling young guys to have fun at a bar and they sink ten quick scotches and pass out. They need to learn to think ahead because it's actually more fun to have enough discipline to win.

Yes bad coach move, again! How about u tell them to play the way u have fir the last two games? With heart and running the gaps when they are there. Not just playing trick shots in the first 5 minutes, dumb move coach. This is stuff he would of learnt in coaching junior teams and there lies the problem with his appointment. He will get another year as Luai only signed on because bunji was the coach, so that’s the reality unfortunately. Better get used to it.
The other problem is coaches like Arthur won’t come anywhere near us, that’s also the reality. The only one we would have had a chance with is old peptide Flanagan. But we missed that boat.

 

[Carefactor]

Anyway.. Flanno was the best available and the NEW board still continued with the crazy Benji crap .

 

[magpies forever]

assistant coach or running orange peels.. thats it he was thrown in the deep end to begin with

A PR exercise by previous club admin should not hold Richo to their plans if he sees a different approach needed. Hopefully some very serious words said between the 2 of them and honest decisions made within a week or two..

 

[TIGERS]

Our coach, Benji, shanked this one.

I watched the pre-game on Fox, and Benji's pre-match comments about telling the players to 'have some fun out there', were telling. I think he misread the atmosphere and dynamics of this match, and also missed an opportunity to show a sold out home crowd that this was a chance to put in a serious, hard, professional performance, and that better things were ahead next year. It felt wrong and I had a bad feeling from the get go.

With Sezer out of the side out we struggle to manage games, we haven't won a game without him. So with him out of the side I would be telling my inexperienced halves to put in a mature and controlled performance. The word 'fun' would be banned until after the match. Benji models himself on Wayne Bennett somewhat but you wouldn't see Bennett doing Vox pops with a microphone 5 minutes before a match.

Sure we started well enough and Galvin put in some good touches, but it was clear from a few passages of play we were trying to put on some trick plays, overplaying, not focused (kicks etc), and just not giving our opponents, the unique occasion and the sold out crowd the respect it deserves. The match blew out and we got handed the spoon via a 60 point loss for good measure.

We don't sign Luai without Marshall as coach. Thats a fact. I'm not certain another coach would have thrown Galvin in like benji did. I back him for ALL of next season but its clear to me that Benji's biggest weakness is that he lets his abstract philosophical principles , (let players express themselves, play eyes up footy, have fun, no work after 6:00pm) distract from the fact that that we are running last, we have been abymsal for over a decade, and we as fans are all drinking sand in the desert right now. Its nice to have these principles, and I respect the bravery in the approach, but ultimately they will eventually need to - ahem - work.

Fans won't be interested in having the cool older brother / cousin as coach for very much longer if we have yet another season like this. If we are getting 60 points scored against us at sold out home crowds, ahem - eventually, perhaps we wouldn't mind a 24/7 coach who is relentlessly and almost insanely driving our team back up off the canvas. Keen to see how one performs without the old board interfering as they did.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Perhaps , but that probably says more about their weak character than the coach .

Maybe, but it’s also a recurring theme. Players that leave here, progress. Players that come here, regress. The club has to take some of the heat for that.

 

[momo_amp_medo]

No change from me only support staff will need to be seriously beefed up.
Schedule appointment with me again in 12 moths for an update.

 

[yeahcaz]

The assistant coaches are basically the most important signings we can make this offseason and that’s a guarantee. Not a clue who’s out there but the current crop have to go. As for Benj? He’s going into next year with probably the most talented roster on paper we’ve had in a long time and as people have eluded to, they can’t be put to waste. I’d honestly give him the first 6 rounds and I think that’s generous

 

[marzie]

Sorry to say mate, you are confusing confidence with blind faith. I know I keep talking about that, but it’s a recurring theme when it comes to Marshall as coach. You can’t have confidence in someone to do something that they have no runs on the board for. Actually, not even that, someone who only two years ago, had not even been trying to get runs on the board.

Zero percent chance Benji gets sacked so I guess we'll see.

Bulldogs finished with 1 more win than us in Ciraldo's first year and they'll be playing finals next week.

 

[tigermate]

If you watch Craig Bellamy last night… he was filthy when storm dropped the ball in the 78th minute when they were up by 50 points and had won the minor premiership.

Benji says “go have fun”

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Zero percent chance Benji gets sacked so I guess we'll see.

Bulldogs finished with 1 more win than us in Ciraldo's first year and they'll be playing finals next week.

Ciraldo also served an apprenticeship. Benji didn’t.

 

[Bigtom]

Bring back Madge in all seriousness

He played luai in origin

Has history with Richo winning at souths

He’s the only one available who has the pedigree.

Nooo

 

[weststigerman]

We aren’t seriously going to entertain another off season with him are we? Look, I will always choose my words carefully cos he’s not just anybody. I love the guy, probably the biggest club legend we have. But get serious, we cannot waste another season with him at the helm. Idk what the club does. As there aren’t a stack of quality options, and we probably missed the boat for a guy like Brad Arthur. But please, it cannot happen again in 2025. If it does, the goose is already cooked. Luai or no Luai.

Benji should never have been hired in the first place but Richo will give him next season before he sacks him.

The half time talk summed it up. They should have been told to fix their completions and hold the ball but instead were told to throw the ball around.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

So much for J. Morris

 

[tigermate]

Benji press conference terrible

He said
1. I told them to play footy
2. I’m learning on the job too

I mean cmon man… what agent or player wants to hear that our rookie coach is openly admitting he has no idea and who’s game plan is “just go play footy”

Ffs
if we held the ball tonight and kicked to the corners we would’ve won

Terrible

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Benji press conference terrible

He said
1. I told them to play footy
2. I’m learning on the job too

I mean cmon man… what agent or player wants to hear that our rookie coach is openly admitting he has no idea and who’s game plan is “just go play footy”

Ffs
if we held the ball tonight and kicked to the corners we would’ve won

Terrible

The club will learn the hard way.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

ABC of footy. Or something like that

 

[tigermate]

The club will learn the hard way.

I know galvin will leave

We suck man

 

[GNR4LIFE]

ABC of footy. Or something like that

WT’s version is ACB

 

[Tucker]

The club will learn the hard way.

Yeah, this was the obvious result of sticking someone with zero experience in the top job.
Just as you don’t promote a chippy straight to project manager on a commercial site, you don’t do what we did with Benji.
Bloody laughable they thought this could work.

 

[Demps]

1. Jahream Bula
6. Lachlan Galvin
7. Jarome Luai
14. Tallyn Da Silva
13. Latu Fainu

Bench:
9. Apisai Koroisau

That's the most ideal spine for 2025, I think.