BlackWhiteGold
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2025 Laurie Daley Cup Season Preview: Macarthur Wests Tigers
Can they reach the 2025 Grand Final?

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Your thoughts on the Harold Matt's and Ball games?Results Rd 1
Tarsha Gale Cup
Wests Tigers 12 d IA Roosters 10
Lisa Fiaola Cup
CC Roosters 28 d Wests Tigers 0
Harold Matthews Cup
Western Suburbs 42 d Balmain 4
S G Ball
Balmain 28 d Western Suburbs 16
The Balmain HM side was fitter than Wests?What stood out for me how fitter the Balmain sides where and the talk between players, know that was good to see.
Nice report, thank you.I missed most of Harold Matthews so can't comment much but Lakeman looked great from what I saw.
Balmain SG Ball were genuinely impressive. They looked better prepared, more cohesive, better coached and fitter. They won that game by being the better side not the more talented side which was really quite nice to see.
Tannous (7) has a very intentional approach to the game. He seems to have a reason for everything he does. He's not the biggest or fastest half but he's definitely a pure halfback. He has time as well.
Brookes or Deininger (1) as he's now known was very quiet in the first half but once he made one big line break off a kick return he went nuclear. His left foot step is absolutely world class. He steps like Benji used to with that mid air shuffle and leaves people grasping for air. Every run he made in the 2nd half he beat the first man with it. One on one he will beat anyone.
Haywood (9) was class in everything he did. Set up a great try with a well timed simple flat ball. Benson (6) was very skilled for someone I'd never even really heard of and I thought both centres were excellent against more fancied opposition. Tauafaiga from Keebra Park was especially classy. I liked what I saw from the 8 Farr-McKay, 13 Bunt and 14 Van Drie also. The Balmain pack are just a pack of hard workers who stick to the gameplan well and they eventually got on top of the younger more precocious Magpies pack.
For the Magpies I thought the wingers Nicholas and Oittman were both good. Makasini was kept quiet both by his own halves and also by Moughan. He also just didn't seem to want to take the game on really. He was quite pedestrian I thought. Laupepa (12) was probably their best. Karnib (1), Duncombe (13) and Bursill (9) were also good
I'd say the main difference between the sides was the halves. Magpies halves didn't seem to have anywhere near as much game feel as Tannous and Benson. Fairly even otherwise.
Great to see all our teams on the weekend. Both teams for Matts and Ball had a great games.Your thoughts on the Harold Matt's and Ball games?
For mine, Balmain looked a lot better in both grades compared to last year. Yesterday they just made too many errors in Matts in first half and dug themselves a hole.
The half Lakeman for Wests Matt's was outstanding in attack. Had two assists in first half and could have easily had three. Their #5 winger Laylan had a highlight run of about 60m in first half and looked a gangly, hard to tackle prospect.
Tannous for Balmain Ball was brilliant. His kicking game kept the pressure on Wests. His team are mostly older than Wests and it kinda showed. A lot of big boys and were able to keep with and wear down their more favoured rivals. Balmain centres Xavier T and Moughan were very good. Strong carries. Xavier is athletic and explosive. Makasini for Wests was strong in everything he did and set up his winger for what was eventually a bombed try (a nuclear bomb of a try). Ali Karnib fullback for Wests was quiet in the second half but had a nice try from an angled run in the first.
Bar TV has a clear feed if you're interested in watching these games. I was impressed by the product. Can watch replays and highlights, no buffering for me. No commentator so very difficult to know who is who on the field.
It shows how important a classy spine is.Anyone see Round 2 of Matts and Ball games? Balmain have been surprisingly good to watch and Wests Matts are outstanding.
Balmain Matts made a lot of errors again and will struggle to win many games if that happens regularly. Unlile their Ball team, they lack an x-factor atm, with perhaps their biggest strength being their toughness. It kept them in the game after the Dragons led 14-0 at half time and Tigers actually had a chance to win it late but eventually went down 14-10.
Wests Matts have been brilliant. Halves Lakeman and Lele were excellent again, with Lakeman on fire to start the season. The winger, Vella, kicked some tough goals and was unmatched in the air, taking a tough kick for a try as well as batting one back to set up his team. They are organised, and particularly when compared to the clunkiness of their Ball team. Started down 10-0 early against a big Dogs team but were all over them after that, winning 32-16.
Balmain Ball was all about fullback Logan Brookes, who grabbed a hattrick, including one pretty ridiculous 60m effort through the heart of the Dogs defence. He seems to be one second ahead of the defence and nearly always beat first contact. So far he's been a class above and looks set for a special season. This is a fit team and you'd think they'll have an excellent season. Both centres run hard and do everything with intensity. Jared Haywood in the 9 also led from the front and despite letting in 3 late tries to the Dragons to win 32-26, this wasn't close for most of the match.
Wests Ball have been average. They look clunky and appear to be more a team of individuals at this stage. Makasini is the big name but has been invisible for two games. The ball hasn't come his way much and if he's tried to go looking for it, the ball hasn't really found him. He might just be above this grade at the moment. A big Dogs pack dominated the second half and Wests never capitalised on the opportunities they had, going down by about 20 in the end. Former Wests half Alex Conti starred for the Dogs and showed us what we'ee missing. Shouts to our frontrower Phoenix Godinet, playing against players a year older but he was tough to stop all the same.
Logan Brookes in Balmain's S G Ball side scored 3 tries. Very impressive! But I was also very impressed with his gutsy head on last line of defence try saving tackles.Anyone see Round 2 of Matts and Ball games? Balmain have been surprisingly good to watch and Wests Matts are outstanding.
Balmain Matts made a lot of errors again and will struggle to win many games if that happens regularly. Unlile their Ball team, they lack an x-factor atm, with perhaps their biggest strength being their toughness. It kept them in the game after the Dragons led 14-0 at half time and Tigers actually had a chance to win it late but eventually went down 14-10.
Wests Matts have been brilliant. Halves Lakeman and Lele were excellent again, with Lakeman on fire to start the season. The winger, Vella, kicked some tough goals and was unmatched in the air, taking a tough kick for a try as well as batting one back to set up his team. They are organised, and particularly when compared to the clunkiness of their Ball team. Started down 10-0 early against a big Dogs team but were all over them after that, winning 32-16.
Balmain Ball was all about fullback Logan Brookes, who grabbed a hattrick, including one pretty ridiculous 60m effort through the heart of the Dogs defence. He seems to be one second ahead of the defence and nearly always beat first contact. So far he's been a class above and looks set for a special season. This is a fit team and you'd think they'll have an excellent season. Both centres run hard and do everything with intensity. Jared Haywood in the 9 also led from the front and despite letting in 3 late tries to the Dragons to win 32-26, this wasn't close for most of the match.
Wests Ball have been average. They look clunky and appear to be more a team of individuals at this stage. Makasini is the big name but has been invisible for two games. The ball hasn't come his way much and if he's tried to go looking for it, the ball hasn't really found him. He might just be above this grade at the moment. A big Dogs pack dominated the second half and Wests never capitalised on the opportunities they had, going down by about 20 in the end. Former Wests half Alex Conti starred for the Dogs and showed us what we'ee missing. Shouts to our frontrower Phoenix Godinet, playing against players a year older but he was tough to stop all the same.
don t think your alone.Across a few sites from many clubs people aren't happy .Plenty stated the service was crap and other carries just keep jacking up the prices. If this was the great deal NSWRL spouted about earlier in the year,its an epic failure.Just wondering if anyone else is having problems with BarTVSports app ?
Whether I’m watching live or a replay, it just seems to close at certain intervals and I need to start the game again from the beginning.
I haven’t had any issues but I don’t use the app. I’ve just been logging in on the website on my laptop and then plugging the laptop into the TV.Just wondering if anyone else is having problems with BarTVSports app ?
Whether I’m watching live or a replay, it just seems to close at certain intervals and I need to start the game again from the beginning.
I'm old and dumb how do you plug the laptop into the TV.I haven’t had any issues but I don’t use the app. I’ve just been logging in on the website on my laptop and then plugging the laptop into the TV.
I refuse to admit im old n dumb,because im not.I dont didn't choose to be part of the tech world back in the 80's. It will turn this world 2 shiteI'm old and dumb how do you plug the laptop into the TV.
I've had no issues, it's been perfect for meJust wondering if anyone else is having problems with BarTVSports app ?
Whether I’m watching live or a replay, it just seems to close at certain intervals and I need to start the game again from the beginning.
I just use a HDMI cable.I'm old and dumb how do you plug the laptop into the TV.