Coach Benji 👑

[batboy]

First it was standards now its bunji blaming himself

Been that way plenty this year

 

[Garrry]

I remember when Ciraldo spent the day at concord with Pascoe and the fedora checking out the set up, he walked away shocked at our set-up how bad it was

 

[Tim Sheens]

Averillo is bog average as I stated last year when we signed kai Pearce Paul

We have sorely missed that "bog average" right edge forward in recent weeks.

 

[BirchgroveTiger]

Good footy is about defence. If you cannot keep a team under 18 points, you will not win the game.

Big defensive efforts lead to incredible tries. I hope Benji will realise that it’s no longer 2005 and that unstructured, off the cuff attack is not the answer.

Well said Leck, and also good defence is all about intent!!! Last night that was so lacking!! Our defence largely last night was not first grade standard, coaching staff need to get this right before next Friday Night’s game against the Warriors otherwise it will be a cricket score!!

 

[tiges69]

Sheens needed a premiership winning coach Steve Folkes as assistant to get back team in top 4. Benji needs quality experienced assistant coaches around him

Very true. Folkes was the defensive coach in 2010 and 2011 i think and he had them defending well.

 

[Tom Shines]

I remember when Ciraldo spent the day at concord with Pascoe and the fedora checking out the set up, he walked away shocked at our set-up how bad it was

Maybe talking with those two all day mightn’t have helped much either

 

[clontarfkid]

The only break you can cut Benji this year is the amount of injuries we've had. But given we've had 3 pec injuries in poor tackles, can those injuries be attributed to poor technique and coaching?

Injuries aside his bench rotations have been horrendous. Selections have contradicted what he has said about accountability and our gameplay has violated the standards he preached at the start of the year faster than he could lower them.

I love Benji, but I thought at the time he was appointed he won't be the one to fix the joint and I feel the same way now.

 

[Winston Churchill]

Who do we replace him with guys if Benji gets canned?

1 Witches hat in the middle of the field would do just as good if not better job as Benji and the entire coaching staff. I'd go with the witches hat.

 

[clontarfkid]

Truth is Benji definitely isnt the answer,but has 4 years to go thnks to Hbg,so isnt going anywhere just yet
His assistants need upgrading,but what the team needs is a harder edge,more demanding and smarter selections and tactics
And someone who can actually develop players deficiencies
Its called a real coach
It wld take a giant step backwards next year for Benji to fall on his sword.. like a spoon
...which from what weve seen recently is well within our grasp
Put yourselves in the brace position folks..enjoy the protected workshop fot at least another year

 

[stephen]

1 Witches hat in the middle of the field would do just as good if not better job as Benji and the entire coaching staff. I'd go with the witches hat.

Is the hat available & when can it start?

 

[Chunk]

I think certain things need to be considered

What's his workload compared to other first grade coaches.

AI said An NRL head coach relies on a massive high-performance support staff of up to 20+ specialized professionals to manage the physical, tactical, and psychological demands of a modern squad.

I wonder if Benji is afforded these types of numbers?

And the quality of this type of help?

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Poor old Benji, sounds like some want to deploy the Jackal on his arse, I get it our attack has been ordinary lately for now I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because of the retched run of injuries causing disruption.

Would we be better off if he wasn't given the job, I doubt we would have the talent we possess at full strength and the building which is happening slowly with the recent addition of Averillo.

Don't get me wrong my patience is getting tested give him next year and hopefully not as many injuries to cloud judgement of him.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

I remember when Ciraldo spent the day at concord with Pascoe and the fedora checking out the set up, he walked away shocked at our set-up how bad it was

turned out ciraldo was correct in his assessment

 

[supercoach]

Not defending Benji but every coach has failed except Sheens for a three month period. Cleary had some early success but he fell in the same mid season black hole. The big black hole gobbles them all up.

We need a massive influx of funding and an overhaul of the football operations from pathways through to NRL. We need to spend money and get good people from good systems. It’s not going to happen but give the franchise to someone who is willing to buy success because amateur hour is not working

 

[Chunk]

Not defending Benji but every coach has failed except Sheens for a three month period. Cleary had some early success but he fell in the same mid season black hole. The big black hole gobbles them all up.

We need a massive influx of funding and an overhaul of the football operations from pathways through to NRL. We need to spend money and get good people from good systems. It’s not going to happen but give the franchise to someone who is willing to buy success because amateur hour is not working

Yep, as I just posted AI says An NRL head coach relies on a massive high-performance support staff of up to 20+ specialized professionals to manage the physical, tactical, and psychological demands of a modern squad.

I wonder if we have this at the Tigers? I really do. I betcha we don't

 

[Tiger_claws]

I remember when Ciraldo spent the day at concord with Pascoe and the fedora checking out the set up, he walked away shocked at our set-up how bad it was

Not much the club could do at that stage. The COE was under construction. The Bulldogs also place far more investment into their program than we do. Ciraldo knew he wouldn’t go without anything at the Dogs where as here he would have been restricted.

 

[batboy]

I love Hodgo. Was one of my favourite players, going all the way back to the Magpies. But what is his role exactly? Just running water?

Attack coach isn’t he 😳😳

 

[Flippedy]

Lip service.

Benji saying it starts and stops with him but it really doesn't. We're 3 years into his coaching program and he can't fire up a pretty solid team to beat an all time spoon era Dragons. Crap. Absolute crap. Will always love the guy but what he says in pressers doesn't actually stack up. Its nonsense. This team needs the biggest ego destroying spray of all time and I'm not sure he can do it to his pack of little brothers. This team needs to know that they've failed in 2026 and haven't lived up to the projected identity that they all live off. Our players can't live up to what they act like they are --- Luai included . For all your podcasts and banter and IG posts, and all your millions of dollars -- there is an accountability thing here that is not being lived up to. They need to be told they're sh1t.

Benji talks a good fight, but he's made his big calls and he's been backed to the hilt for many years now. Its not the wait and see era for him much longer. I actually want to walk up to him and say to his face ''you've been given a unique tailor made bespoke grand entrance into coaching since mid 2023, no other person gets that opportunity except you, and you can't even dust off an all time spoon dragons team 3 years later. You're actually sh1t cous. You played one of the all time worst teams and your side did nothing."

I hate being a fan today.

Best half a paragraph I’ve read on here and absolutely spot on! What happened to Benji’s pre-season expletive deleted rant about going out the door if you’re not prepared to put in? Now he’s blaming himself for every poor performance and not holding the players accountable at all, I’ve heard him say it time and time again. The door should just stay permanently open and they can all walk out of it for all I care, if they aren’t prepared to turn up and play like they actually give a shit.

 

[Gazman]

What’s John Morris role , he has first grade experience did a great job as an interim coach with Sharks before Fitzgibbon

 

[bigsiro]

I think Benji has a lot to answer for, but getting rid of him doesn’t solve our main problem, which is our playing roster is simply crap. If anything, the allure of Benji is (and has been) the only thing that could change that.

Having to constantly read calls for his axing on here after every loss - mind you by the same people over and over - is just boring.