The 'problem' at the Tigers goes beyond any one individual player. The consistent drone of Brooks-bashing is completely overlooking some of the other glaring needs- some mentioned in here, and some actually backing up things Tim Sheens has been saying.
Firstly- this "Hastings would have us winning 4 games" narrative is pure speculation. When he was with the Tigers, he did a lot of pointing, yelling, interviewing & talking up the playing group. He also did a lot of losing. And he's slow, can't kick & has a history of not fitting any team's plans long term. Hastings was a flier that Madge took because he didn't have players to direct his team around the park. Luke Brooks is the more talented player, but is playing dumb. Wakeham is a back-up & should be treated as such when discussing the issues the club faces. Doueihi is the most 'talented' player in the halves, but he's an athletic player, not an organiser, and probably a bad fit with Brooks (somewhat similar in that they are both not organisers). We can only hope that Laurie can show something as a 5/8 or Halfback. But he's going to need time.
For those saying that Sheens didn't realise we had an issue at 6/7, as has been brought up, he chased HARD for both Moses & Munster, and has obviously reached out to Mitchell Pearce. All off-season there were rumours that Sheens was chasing George Williams. Sheens has only recently said that he is looking for an 'experienced half'. This tells me that the coaches are well aware we are short in the halves.
As some have briefly touched on, we also lack any real 'difference makers' at 1 through to 5, although Bula looked decent in game 1. To'a, Naden, Staines, Tupou, Talau, Kepeoa & Nofa....are all decent players. But certainly not players that the opposition defence slide an extra defender over for. Young Feledy in reserves looks like he might be decent. What we have is young, developing centres, wingers & fullbacks. None that are recognised as star players, and maybe none likely to be star players. But with the heavy investment in forwards last off season, the coaches clearly wanted to see who, if any, of these guys stood up. Seems likely that Tupou & Bula are going to become long term options, and potentially good players. Will any of the others develop? Maybe. But I'd suggest that there might be more investment in these areas next off season.
My biggest question regarding the off season is why did they let Jock Madden go so easily? Of all the players that 'might' have made a difference to our fortunes, I think he might have been the one to actually advance us further. Not saying he's going to be great, but when you see the Sean O'Sullivan's of the world succeeding, or the sudden desire to sign untested players like Volkman etc, surely the safer & more obvious solution was giving Madden a shot?
Some of the suggested "solutions" that will 'definately mean we won 4 games this year' such as Connor Tracey, Trindall etc..... these guys are reserve grade players. You can't guarentee anything with them. That said, Trindall in particular, is neither an organising player, or a particularly good general field kicker of the ball. I'd be willing to look at Daine Laurie and argue the talent is not that different.
I know some people laugh at Kurt Falls, but he actually fits the 'style' required a lot better. Personally, I like Blake Taafe, stuck behind 2 outstanding players in Latrell & Cody as well as behind Ilias. He's unlikely to be in First grade any time soon at Souths & he plays that direct attack better than what we have. Combine him with a player like Falls, Laurie or even an Aiden Sezar & you probably get 'effective' play from your halves. MAYBE....Luke Brooks. Maybe.
I realise this is a long post, but what this says to me is...this is a long-term fix. 5 year plan, etc. When you are the last pup at the food bowl, you have to search through the scraps. That's where the Tigers are right now. Best thing to do is lock up the good talent, sift through players every year, and develop the young players.
