OFFICIAL Jersey Flegg Cup

[balmain boy]

The common theme that stands out about West lower grades is the lack of coaching and development in current and past players this is a area Conti and Clarke said was the biggest difference between tigers and their respective clubs. We seem in such a rush to promote and pass it off as we are developing players who will improve once they gain that experience in first grade. Well guess what it has not work to a great extent over the last 3 years. This is why we have not seen improvement in Mitch Taotua and Lachlan Broederlow for a example same mistakes and same inconsistent performances. The club needs to change philosophy.

And the question is what do other clubs do that we still don't? Why are we the only club not developing players? Our training and coaching levels appear to be lightyears away from every other club, so why hasn't this changed in the last decade? Bring in a church from elsewhere and ask them to build our system modelled on what they learnt. How hard can it be?

 

[Vicious]

And the question is what do other clubs do that we still don't? Why are we the only club not developing players? Our training and changing levels appear to be lightyears away from every other club, so why hasn't this changed in the last decade? Bring in a church from elsewhere and ask them to build our system modelled on what they learnt. How hard can it be?

I’m my opinion development is about firstly identifying the things each player does well and highlighting them, but moreso identifying the areas each player needs improvement and constantly working with that player, including regular video review and stats review until these areas are up to standard or better.
Keep in mind one head coach will not physically have the time to put into each player to ensure this process is followed, so it’s reliant on the assistant coaches and support staff the get around each player individually and ensure the right messages are getting through constantly.
With some players you could keep working with them and telling them about the areas they need to focus on and improve every day for a full season and it either doesn’t sink in or they are just not good enough or willing to improve in these areas, that’s when as a club you have to ask the question does that player need more time or are they just not willing to follow instructions and improve ?
In saying all this the concerning part is that very few of our NSW Cup or Flegg players have improved over the last 3-4 seasons, so it makes you wonder if the right areas are being identified, if the right questions are being asked and video review highlighted to them ?
Another issue is the ones they have shown promise, but need to work hard on their fitness, it’s only really Sione Fainu that has really changed his body shape and fitness which is full credit to him.
Likewise the ones that need to bulk up/muscle up, not many have improved other than Talyn Da Silva and Heath Mason.
Of this seasons Flegg team nobody has really showed any improvement as the season has progressed and that is very concerning.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

I’m my opinion development is about firstly identifying the things each player does well and highlighting them, but moreso identifying the areas each player needs improvement and constantly working with that player, including regular video review and stats review until these areas are up to standard or better.
Keep in mind one head coach will not physically have the time to put into each player to ensure this process is followed, so it’s reliant on the assistant coaches and support staff the get around each player individually and ensure the right messages are getting through constantly.
With some players you could keep working with them and telling them about the areas they need to focus on and improve every day for a full season and it either doesn’t sink in or they are just not good enough or willing to improve on these areas, that’s when as a club you have to ask the question does that player need more time or are they just not willing to follow instructions and improve ?
In saying all this the concerning part is that very few of our NSW Cup or Flegg players have improved over the last 3-4 seasons, so it makes you wonder if the right areas are being identified, if the right questions are being asked and video review highlighted to them ?
Another issue is the ones they have shown promise, but need to work hard on their fitness, it’s only really Sione Fainu that has really changed his body shape and fitness which is full credit to him.
Likewise the ones that need to bulk up/muscle up, not many have improved other than Talyn Da Silva and Heath Mason.
Of this seasons Flegg team nobody has really showed any improvement as the season has progressed and that is very concerning.

Some very good points @Vicious

Just speaking off the top of my head, some 'no brainer' things that we should have/do to build the culture & development of the 'whole' club are:

1 Have sessions for the Jersey Flegg squad to come in and train with the NRL squad at Concord and also times to integrate with them (i.e. bbq after these sessions).

2 A staff member responsible for overseeing the development of players from Flegg, Cup into NRL - responsible for individual player development plans, training systems & overall consistency of systems from NRL down to Flegg.

3 Visibility & involvement of our top dogs Richo, Benji & NRL assistants at NSW Cup & Flegg training & games. Not all the time, just regularly.

4 Specialised coaching included at NSW Cup & Jersey Flegg level - wrestling, kicking, tackle techniques etc

5 Showcase our junior prospects in more club communication both to show the value we place in our pathways, give those players experience in media interview situations and build connection between this level and our fans.

DISCLAIMER - the above may already be happening, I doubt all of it is but it's just off the top of my head.

 

[Bellend]

A lot of work stills needs to be done on Cultural and standards this has improved but not to the point were outside players recognize that we can go there and develop?? The best up and comers will stand out to a certain point, but they still need that development and skills training and that is what is still needs to be improved on.

 

[Betterdays22]

Some very good points @Vicious

Just speaking off the top of my head, some 'no brainer' things that we should have/do to build the culture & development of the 'whole' club are:

1 Have sessions for the Jersey Flegg squad to come in and train with the NRL squad at Concord and also times to integrate with them (i.e. bbq after these sessions).

2 A staff member responsible for overseeing the development of players from Flegg, Cup into NRL - responsible for individual player development plans, training systems & overall consistency of systems from NRL down to Flegg.

3 Visibility & involvement of our top dogs Richo, Benji & NRL assistants at NSW Cup & Flegg training & games. Not all the time, just regularly.

4 Specialised coaching included at NSW Cup & Jersey Flegg level - wrestling, kicking, tackle techniques etc

5 Showcase our junior prospects in more club communication both to show the value we place in our pathways, give those players experience in media interview situations and build connection between this level and our fans.

DISCLAIMER - the above may already be happening, I doubt all of it is but it's just off the top of my head.

Gee you would think this is all happening wouldnt you?

 

[WestMagpieChosen]

Tom fisher - concussion
Cameron kanaan - pec
Max lyles - ankle
All unavailable for the next couple weeks.

 

[Vicious]

Tom fisher - concussion
Cameron kanaan - pec
Max lyles - ankle
All unavailable for the next couple weeks.

What happened to Jack Nicholas, is he injured also ?
We need to find a lightning fast, tall athletic outside back, I thought he could potentially be the one ?

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Tom fisher - concussion
Cameron kanaan - pec
Max lyles - ankle
All unavailable for the next couple weeks.

We've got the depth. Will be interesting who they replace Liles with this week, Haywood again perhaps. Tino Tavana, Logan Brookes & Riley Oitmann all fullback options.

Any word on Max Taotua who has missed the pass couple?

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

What happened to Jack Nicholas, is he injured also ?
We need to find a lightning fast, tall athletic outside back, I thought he could potentially be the one ?

Yeah he came back in the Penrith game and had a stormer after missing most of SG Ball season. Don't remember him picking up an injury in that game.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

What happened to Jack Nicholas, is he injured also ?
We need to find a lightning fast, tall athletic outside back, I thought he could potentially be the one ?

We encourage big wingers who aren't necessarily quick to "hit it up" out of our quarter and wonder why there is a dearth of fast, elusive wingers of the JAC variety.

 

[Needaname]

Jersey Flegg is too late. Development begins at Matts level. 20-21 yr olds currently playing Flegg every week aren't going to make it to the NRL. The good ones are already in reserve grade or NRL. It's the 18-19 yr olds in Flegg that have a chance and they will have played SG Ball and Matts before hand. SG Ball is the main junior development grade?

Besides, you focus on development of every player earlier in their rep career, and they will be better players in senior grades.

And I'm confused why you're including NSW Cup in this? Most players playing NSW Cup are training with NRL squads. NSW Cup training groups are essentially NRL-club contracted Ron Massey players aren't they?

I was going to respond to this one above and also @Vicious post from before. The system needs to start at the grass roots. The development needs to begin there. Build up the skills of the players and teams and you’ll have more talented kids to pick from.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Jersey Flegg is too late. Development begins at Matts level. 20-21 yr olds currently playing Flegg every week aren't going to make it to the NRL. The good ones are already in reserve grade or NRL. It's the 18-19 yr olds in Flegg that have a chance and they will have played SG Ball and Matts before hand. SG Ball is the main junior development grade?

Besides, you focus on development of every player earlier in their rep career, and they will be better players in senior grades.

And I'm confused why you're including NSW Cup in this? Most players playing NSW Cup are training with NRL squads. NSW Cup training groups are essentially NRL-club contracted Ron Massey players aren't they?

I agree on starting the development process earlier in pathways yes. I was just commenting on Flegg upwards for however the discussion started.

Re. NSW Cup, as it's still an important pathway to NRL. Some players are NRL squad contracted & some are just NSW Cup contracted, but I'm saying to ensure there is a system & manager in place so all players are included.

For example, Charlie Murray who has been just WM Cup contracted receives a good amount of development & guidance as part of the greater Wests Tigers system. It was clear in his interviews last week, he only met his WT team mates when Benji called him into the squad to travel to Townsville.

I would think bringing together the Wests Magpies contracted players with the Wests Tigers contracted players regularly in-season & pre-season both for some sessions & socialising would be a thing.

Anyway that's just one example.

I'm not disagreeing you. Just offering suggestions to help drive a 'one club' inclusive culture with a solid development process for the players (and coaches for that matter).

 

[Vicious]

I was going to respond to this one above and also @Vicious post from before. The system needs to start at the grass roots. The development needs to begin there. Build up the skills of the players and teams and you’ll have more talented kids to pick from.

Nobody is saying development should not start at Harold Matthews level, of course it should, but don’t forget the budget for Harold Matthews and SG Ball is a lot less than it is for Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup where there is a more hands on approach.
What o have stated and I think BWG and others have also touched on is the fact we have rarely seen improvement in our players that have played Jersey Flegg or NSW Cup for us over the past 3-4 years in particular and it’s simply not good enough, it’s not this bad of a strike rate at any other club, therefore there has to be a problem with our development.
To say players cannot be developed once they are playing Jersey Flegg is ridiculous. We generally have a reasonably young g Jersey Flegg team and even the older JF aged players still have plenty of room for improvement with the right attitude and the right guidance.
There is plenty of NRL players, some of them top quality players that are not making their NRL debut or not becoming regular NRL players until after the age of 21.

 

[Needaname]

Nobody is saying development should not start at Harold Matthews level, of course it should, but don’t forget the budget for Harold Matthews and SG Ball is a lot less than it is for Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup where there is a more hands on approach.
What o have stated and I think BWG and others have also touched on is the fact we have rarely seen improvement in our players that have played Jersey Flegg or NSW Cup for us over the past 3-4 years in particular and it’s simply not good enough, it’s not this bad of a strike rate at any other club, therefore there has to be a problem with our development.
To say players cannot be developed once they are playing Jersey Flegg is ridiculous. We generally have a reasonably young g Jersey Flegg team and even the older JF aged players still have plenty of room for improvement with the right attitude and the right guidance.
There is plenty of NRL players, some of them top quality players that are not making their NRL debut or not becoming regular NRL players until after the age of 21.

No that’s right, need to be unified and uniformed from the highest grade to the lowest. I think it should start in the preseason. It’s a bit hard to include the part timers into the top squad. What’s happening with the renewed national 20s comp when is that coming into effect?

 

[Bellend]

We should not be waiting on the under 20's to come in and make changes to how we develop our lower grade players. Start bringing in your players that where in Matthews and sg ball and working on their ball skills, Tackling drills , video sessions. Put some of the kids in a mixed tag football comp, in hence and develop there potential it would be good for develop future coaches.

 

[Vicious]

We should not be waiting on the under 20's to come in and make changes to how we develop our lower grade players. Start bringing in your players that where in Matthews and sg ball and working on their ball skills, Tackling drills , video sessions. Put some of the kids in a mixed tag football comp, in hence and develop there potential it would be good for develop future coaches.

That’s a no brainer, of course that should be happening.
No player is the complete package therefore the development should never stop, but of course once a player reaches their late 20’s or older, the chances of them improving are much lower.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

https://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2025/06/10/team-list-jersey-flegg-cup-round-14-vs-bulldogs2/

Logan Brookes in for the injured Cameron Kanaan. Max Taotua returns & replaces brother Mitch at right centre. Mitch back to bench. Iverson Matai returns and replaces the injured Max Liles.

 

[Bellend]

That’s a no brainer, of course that should be happening.
No player is the complete package therefore the development should never stop, but of course once a player reaches their late 20’s or older, the chances of them improving are much lower.

Vicious to some extent that is correct but if the programs are there and they are evolving sort of programs that players will learn. It happens in Soccer,basketball,nfl.

 

[Vicious]

Vicious to some extent that is correct but if the programs are there and they are evolving sort of programs that players will learn. It happens in Soccer,basketball,nfl.

Essentially that’s what I initially stated, we have hardly seen any significant improvement in any of our Flegg or NSW Cup players over the past few years, therefore whatever programs we currently have in place are not working.

 

[Speed2burn]

We’re up 22-6 in the first half, anyone got any updates on stand outs? Seem to be playing well