Yesterday wasn’t just another bad loss. It felt like a reality check about where this club sits in the NRL. And it made me wonder if we have any respect at all?
Answer: we lost 68 - 0 to a very good but perhaps not great Penrith team. (I argue that they have had to shed so many players, they are not the same side that went 4 in a row.)
TLDR: No we are not respected when we perform like that!
Particularly on top of losses to Manly, Storm and Cronulla.
Then there’s Terrell May comments this week. He openly said his loyalty isn’t to Wests Tigers, it’s to Benji Marshall. As long as Benji is there, he’s there. I suppose on one hand, you can appreciate the honesty. However, it seems his relationship with the club actually paying him is dependent on the choice of coach he gets along with. And the worst part, I don’t think he’s an isolated case amongst the playing group. I think most think that way. And the fact the club feels they need to sign their siblings to keep them happy tells me the club has no spine. To me, respected clubs create loyalty to the jersey and the organisation. Players come and go, coaches come and go, but the club remains bigger than any one person. For a while. it feels like we have relied on personal relationships rather than institutional strength. If you’re going to play finals and win premierships that way, hey, whatever works. But we are perennial failures, and this strategy of creating a brotherhood, while it may be good for team morale and creating bonds that go beyond footy. It’s not something that’s going to get you to the promised land all by itself. And it seems to be what Benji has gone all in on, because he doesn’t bring much else to the table as a first grade coach.
That's the problem isn't it?
Benji is bringing players in, Great!
Heck he can keep our talent signed? Excellent...
But can Benji actually coach?
It's that last point that matters. I don't think Benji can bring the same passion or drive to another organisation. He would make an awesome halves coach or specialist that came in just before a grand final...
Just can he do the head coach job? and can he do it better then Ivan Cleary, Bellamy, Bennett, Madge, Payten and the rest of the coaches?
Plus can he do it HERE? One of the biggest issues with the WT is Training and development.
We are not hardening players, players are dropping once they come here. We seem to have a "super hard pre-season" then we see a massive drop in performance.
Our culture and training is missing a key ingredient. Benji in his wisdom has doubled down and hired all ex tigers. So we cannot change our culture... We need change and our board has rehired Benji for 5 years ARRGH.
