Coach Benji

orange&black said:
I think Benji has certainly had some problems to overcome in his first couple of seasons involved in the coaching team however now things at board and management level have finally been sorted, coaching squad is more settled (although ability of assistants is yet to be tested), Richo has taken control, the roster is taking shape and looks far better- i think now it is fair to really examine Benji as a head coach.
So far the signs have been positive with players looking fitter and training discipline improving, players speaking very positively about him (apart from Bateman it seems), he has made tough calls when he has needed to, and he seems to have attracted quality players to the club.
I am inclined to give him this season to show what he can achieve- he is a very smart guy with terrific people skills, he certainly knows the game and was a great player, he has the players respect and he is still young enough to understand the current game and generation of players. I believe with a bit of time he will learn to be a great coach and at this point he deserves the right for fans to be patient and give him this time.
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Our previous win record has been 4/4/6 so now we need to see a min of 9 to make you feel we are headed in the right direction unless there is a horror injury toll touch wood.
 
On the fence on this.

I'm probably more willing to let it play out for 2025 & look for improvements across the board, simply because we are on version 6 of "the 5 year plan" & changing coach puts the club back to Day 1 of the next 5 year plan.

Benji & Richo have recruitment going well. Junior development appears to be set up.

Results on the field SHOULD follow ( I believe they will, but belief & reality are not always the same). If our lower grades & junior squads show some success- that will be very positive signs.

We are still a young, incomplete squad. We probably will lose games we are supposed to win. We will likely win games that will make everyone think we have turned it around.

I'm hoping for a Top 6 finish. I expect a 8-12 finish. I would accept that.

I'd accept lower IF there are obvious signs of improvement.

One thing that will change my mind is if the players clearly switch off & Benji loses the room. Failing that, I view this as 2 years in on a 5 year plan. If, after this season, it doesn't look like remotely changing- then you reassess.

But I see everyone else's viewpoint on this too.
 
weststigers said:
In terms of wins and losses, I see potential to win between 10 to 14 games this season with the current roster. The full potential of this roster is now up to the coach.

10 is the bare minimum and would be considered a D+.

14 would be an A.

We have the talent to achieve somewhere in this range not withstanding the various factors that present themselves throughout the season.

whatever happens, he and Richo have really turned the club around in terms or juniors and recruitment in a relatively short space of time. I want Benji to be successful because he took on the hardest job in the NRL and has made progress in terms of a strong club direction. Officially, it's his second season, so the results need to be far better.

On a side note, I think he would have been a great assitant to Flanno to get more experience, especially with Richo at the helm, but those decisions have been and gone.
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10 wins represents a couple of wins shy of doubling this year's effort and going 50/50 win/loss.

That's a clear pass grade considering the starting point in my opinion.
 
The Chad said:
On the fence on this.

I'm probably more willing to let it play out for 2025 & look for improvements across the board, simply because we are on version 6 of "the 5 year plan" & changing coach puts the club back to Day 1 of the next 5 year plan.

Benji & Richo have recruitment going well. Junior development appears to be set up.

Results on the field SHOULD follow ( I believe they will, but belief & reality are not always the same). If our lower grades & junior squads show some success- that will be very positive signs.

We are still a young, incomplete squad. We probably will lose games we are supposed to win. We will likely win games that will make everyone think we have turned it around.

I'm hoping for a Top 6 finish. I expect a 8-12 finish. I would accept that.

I'd accept lower IF there are obvious signs of improvement.

One thing that will change my mind is if the players clearly switch off & Benji loses the room. Failing that, I view this as 2 years in on a 5 year plan. If, after this season, it doesn't look like remotely changing- then you reassess.

But I see everyone else's viewpoint on this too.
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You smart man, you are using your fence as a fulcrum as the results through the season swing one side to the other until the weight produces a result, wish I took this approach to prevent the possibility of looking like a goose.
 
Rock Hopper Steve said:
We have landed a lot of good cattle for the team this year this is great but they could take a while to gel and get a role on, if we land another of the rumours targets it will be stronger again the team should improve the more quality you add, I think some NRL coaches only look good because of their rosters let's see how Robinson goes this season, Benji's influence is improving quality we must be patient.
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Yes but by your own metric, Benji may be considered successful this year due to the star players that are being added.
Does that necessarily mean he can coach?
 
Something I've noticed about Benji from attending both trials is that his body language is much different compared to last year. Last year he was pretty nonchalant & relaxed but at the trial games he seemed a lot more invested, on edge & anxious (which I think is a good thing). And with all the reports about the breach notices & how Benji has been much different this pre season I'm hoping it translates to on field success.
 
WesternSuburbsBoy said:
Something I've noticed about Benji from attending both trials is that his body language is much different compared to last year. Last year he was pretty nonchalant & relaxed but at the trial games he seemed a lot more invested, on edge & anxious (which I think is a good thing). And with all the reports about the breach notices & how Benji has been much different this pre season I'm hoping it translates to on field success.
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Lets hope so because his approach the past 2 seasons has not worked at all.
 
Tucker said:
Yes but by your own metric, Benji may be considered successful this year due to the star players that are being added.
Does that necessarily mean he can coach?
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Your logic is killing me Tuck, that's the question how do we know, unless attack and defense improves out of sight I would suggest and a matter of personal opinion, how do we know how some of the other supposed good coaches would go without their top rosters, this season will test Robinson as a coach, very interesting.
 
Tucker said:
Yes but by your own metric, Benji may be considered successful this year due to the star players that are being added.
Does that necessarily mean he can coach?
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When I look at some other coaches, they will not touch teams unless there is a strong roster to ensure success. I should add or have a strong benefactor to buy the success required.
 
G'day fellow Wests Tigers fans! This is my first post 🙂

My honest thought surrounding Benji is that we are in the box seat, some people may agree with me or may not agree but that's fine, we all want what is best for the club going forward both on and off the field. Benji has 346 games of NRL under his belt, recently been inducted into the rugby league hall of fame, without a doubt and I'm sure we all know that he has a wealth of experience. Young players in particular want to be coached by a person whom they admire and look up to, you think about Luai, he is loving being coached by Benji and all of the youngsters look up to him. For example he saw something in Galvin that many other nrl coaches, critics, players couldn't see and that is talent and he gave him a chance at first grade in our first game last year when he was just 18 years old!

Also, it is clear that all of the singings we have made coming into 2025 are because Benji has a sense of looking through the rugby league player and seeing them as a person, which is what the modern day players want. They want to be seen as a person first and then a rugby league player, hence why his family first mentality.

My prediction is that Benji will become over the next 5-8 years one of the best coaches in the game and the Wests Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with. No more laughs, chuckles or wooden spoon pranks at work but a premiership or even premierships. I'm more than happy to put my hand up and be wrong if things don't work out, but I just can't see that happening.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy 2025.

Dare to dream my fellow Wests Tigers fans....dare to dream 🐅🧡🖤🤍
 
Rock Hopper Steve said:
Your logic is killing me Tuck, that's the question how do we know, unless attack and defense improves out of sight I would suggest and a matter of personal opinion, how do we know how some of the other supposed good coaches would go without their top rosters, this season will test Robinson as a coach, very interesting.
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Robbo has been tested a few times for mine. A couple of years back he had a lot of guys on the sideline and they still played finals. This is his 13th year and he has missed the finals only once.
Our defence will be a good indicator. The 2024 Wests Tigers squad produced the worst defence in our history.
Coming up with individual plans to ambush opponents will be another sign.
A lot of other metrics have to improve as well but hopefully most of them can be player led through our recruitment.
 
TigerTime05 said:
G'day fellow Wests Tigers fans! This is my first post 🙂

My honest thought surrounding Benji is that we are in the box seat, some people may agree with me or may not agree but that's fine, we all want what is best for the club going forward both on and off the field. Benji has 346 games of NRL under his belt, recently been inducted into the rugby league hall of fame, without a doubt and I'm sure we all know that he has a wealth of experience. Young players in particular want to be coached by a person whom they admire and look up to, you think about Luai, he is loving being coached by Benji and all of the youngsters look up to him. For example he saw something in Galvin that many other nrl coaches, critics, players couldn't see and that is talent and he gave him a chance at first grade in our first game last year when he was just 18 years old!

Also, it is clear that all of the singings we have made coming into 2025 are because Benji has a sense of looking through the rugby league player and seeing them as a person, which is what the modern day players want. They want to be seen as a person first and then a rugby league player, hence why his family first mentality.

My prediction is that Benji will become over the next 5-8 years one of the best coaches in the game and the Wests Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with. No more laughs, chuckles or wooden spoon pranks at work but a premiership or even premierships. I'm more than happy to put my hand up and be wrong if things don't work out, but I just can't see that happening.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy 2025.

Dare to dream my fellow Wests Tigers fans....dare to dream 🐅🧡🖤🤍
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Outstanding positivity welcome.
 
WesternSuburbsBoy said:
I know people go on about him having no experience & what not but honestly I think he would've learned a lot more last year coaching NRL compared to say coaching 5 years of lower grade.
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Possibly. The lack of mentor does hurt him though.
He may have a fair idea what not to do after 23 & 24 but does that knowledge extend to how to fix things?
 
Tucker said:
Robbo has been tested a few times for mine. A couple of years back he had a lot of guys on the sideline and they still played finals. This is his 13th year and he has missed the finals only once.
Our defence will be a good indicator. The 2024 Wests Tigers squad produced the worst defence in our history.
Coming up with individual plans to ambush opponents will be another sign.
A lot of other metrics have to improve as well but hopefully most of them can be player led through our recruitment.
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True what you say about getting them to the finals with all the injuries, but their depth was so strong the team they put on the paddock could beat a lot of teams at full strength, this year they look weaker, intrigued to see what he can do with them.
 
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