Juniors - Pathways General Discussion

We've got a lot of small forwards and Zak Clarke is the one we should be focusing on developing. He's got a lot of footy IQ and natural ability. Anyone that can play centre, 5/8, halfback, prop, second row and lock has something about them. He should definitely be on a dev contract next season. Would be good for him to focus on one position for the next 12 months though, don't want him to be a utility all his life.

I'd like to see Herman, Aho and Tuipolutu on T&T or Dev contracts too.

Broedelow should be a start in his age group too. He's genuinely the only second row prospect we have currently at the club in the top 3 grades.
 
Vicious said:
That is brilliant BlackWhiteGold 👍
Plenty of talent amongst them, just a matter of which ones knuckle down and develop the best and which ones Wests Tigers will prioritise.
A lot depends on his attitude and dedication, but I think Onitoni Large should we keep him has the attributes to become a potential superstar that we are craving.
In saying this he seems to hold back and not allow his elite running game to prosper when playing 5/8, I think he’s an elite fullback in waiting.
I’m also a big fan of Heath Mason and hope we can find an NRL spot for him, maybe initially as a 14 ?
Do we have an elite edge back rower emerging in Broederow, Clarke or Sukkar , or do we still need to recruit in this position ? Godinet a bit younger but looks very tough & uncompromising in the Jayden Su’a mould,
Have we got anyone within our ranks that can potentially be an NRL 14 to capably play as a hooker or other positions ?
I’ve mentioned Mason for that role, we cannot forget how talented Da Silva is, but is he versatile enough to play other positions ? Cayne Nicholas is one to watch as he’s only small for a forward, but has good leg speed, plays tough and has a bit of genuine playmaking in his game, I can’t discount him as a potential NRL 14 either.
Click to expand...
I agree re Onitoni Large. Hopefully all the rumour mongering on Twitter about his family wanting him out is rubbish & they are open to him being tried in the centres, fullback even wing.

Looking forward to seeing how Mason progresses. I'm sure he will get time at fullback, 5/8, centre, even lock as he physically develops to determine what his best position is & best position for us.

The 2 hooker/utilities I reckon have eyes on them are Cayne Nicholas as you mention & also Bailey Hodges. Possibly Zak Clarke given his versatility. Maybe Mason, who knows!
 
balmain boy said:
We've got a lot of small forwards and Zak Clarke is the one we should be focusing on developing. He's got a lot of footy IQ and natural ability. Anyone that can play centre, 5/8, halfback, prop, second row and lock has something about them. He should definitely be on a dev contract next season. Would be good for him to focus on one position for the next 12 months though, don't want him to be a utility all his life.

I'd like to see Herman, Aho and Tuipolutu on T&T or Dev contracts too.

Broedelow should be a start in his age group too. He's genuinely the only second row prospect we have currently at the club in the top 3 grades.
Click to expand...
I just hope at least 2 of Herman, Aho & Tuipolutu have stormers for the rest of this season and really sure up our emerging props with Miller, Faagutu, Pole.

Same with Broedelow, signs are positive the way he handled his NSW Cup debut. I hold out hope with Sukkar, really want to see him take a game by the scruff of the neck.
 
balmain boy said:
We've got a lot of small forwards and Zak Clarke is the one we should be focusing on developing. He's got a lot of footy IQ and natural ability. Anyone that can play centre, 5/8, halfback, prop, second row and lock has something about them. He should definitely be on a dev contract next season. Would be good for him to focus on one position for the next 12 months though, don't want him to be a utility all his life.

I'd like to see Herman, Aho and Tuipolutu on T&T or Dev contracts too.

Broedelow should be a start in his age group too. He's genuinely the only second row prospect we have currently at the club in the top 3 grades.
Click to expand...
Zak Clarke could be a good Wade Graham type of player if we keep developing him. Agree on Broederlow he's been great this year.
 
Thanks for sharing @BlackWhiteGold

When I first joined the forum there was a lot of criticism about the club's management of our junior pathways. Most people were frustrated there was little attention in this area.
Recall players like Moses Suli, Paseka, and Ryan Papenhuyzen were well rated and spoken about a lot. Even the names of Junior Tatola, Watson Heleta, Marion Seve Jessie Sue, JJ Felise, Esan Marsters and Adam Doueihi came up in discussions.

After Madge came on board it was probably the first time I heard a coach emphasise the importance of the Wests Tigers junior pathways system, since Sheens. His proposal wasn't just about tapping into talent but he spoke excitedly about harnessing the potential of our catchment areas, bridging the communities of inner west Sydney and Campbelltown. He said he recognised the abundant participation in Campbelltown and the subsequent talent drain to other clubs due to neglect and his aim was to reverse this trend by ensuring that kids from both regions were integral to the club's future. I felt he understood the significance of this in terms of our future and his priority was to rectify the previous oversight by making Wests Tigers the destination of choice for local talent.

With several teams making Grand Finals since then, some even winning and numerous junior talents thriving in our system and representing at national levels, I'd say Madge's goal/task is already materialising and it's basically up to the club to maintain this momentum.
It was only a few years ago there were no Wests Tigers players being selected in any of the rep teams and now we have several highly touted in several grades/age groups. Plus there's a real buzz around some of our juniors again, which was absent in recent years.
 
Lauren said:
Thanks for sharing @BlackWhiteGold

When I first joined the forum there was a lot of criticism about the club's management of our junior pathways. Most people were frustrated there was little attention in this area.
Recall players like Moses Suli, Paseka, and Ryan Papenhuyzen were well rated and spoken about a lot. Even the names of Junior Tatola, Watson Heleta, Marion Seve Jessie Sue, JJ Felise, Esan Marsters and Adam Doueihi came up in discussions.

After Madge came on board it was probably the first time I heard a coach emphasise the importance of the Wests Tigers junior pathways system, since Sheens. His proposal wasn't just about tapping into talent but he spoke excitedly about harnessing the potential of our catchment areas, bridging the communities of inner west Sydney and Campbelltown. He said he recognised the abundant participation in Campbelltown and the subsequent talent drain to other clubs due to neglect and his aim was to reverse this trend by ensuring that kids from both regions were integral to the club's future. I felt he understood the significance of this in terms of our future and his priority was to rectify the previous oversight by making Wests Tigers the destination of choice for local talent.

With several teams making Grand Finals since then, some even winning and numerous junior talents thriving in our system and representing at national levels, I'd say Madge's goal/task is already materialising and it's basically up to the club to maintain this momentum.
It was only a few years ago there were no Wests Tigers players being selected in any of the rep teams and now we have several highly touted in several grades/age groups. Plus there's a real buzz around some of our juniors again, which was absent in recent years.
Click to expand...
"With several teams making Grand Finals since then, some even winning and numerous junior talents thriving in our system and representing at national levels"
I wish we had some junior forwards at the national level?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BZN
Doing some forecasting here guys for next season & extending on my posts yesterday with age group teams, this is who could be our Jersey Flegg top 17 & Magpies SG Ball top 17.

Excluding all those NRL contracted going by Richo's email saying they get fast-tracked into NSW Cup.

Don't know enough about Balmain's depth in these grades to forecast SG Ball for them.

Jersey Flegg 2025
Cameron Kanaan
Fangavulu Hammond
Max Taotua
Brendan Naicori
Tino Tavana
Jon Ibrahim
Luke Keppie
Zak Clarke
Lachlan Broederlow
Mitchell Taotua
Junior Taungatua
Heith Pritchard
Tom Fisher
-
Keenan Lawandos
Ryan Polsen
Roy Quiroz-Mapasua
Daniel Waqa

SG Ball 2025 - Magpies
Ali Karnib
Riley Oitmann
Heamasi Makasini
Callum McMenemy
Saint Fuatimau
Onitoni Large
Alex Isdale
Peter Ta'ai
Archie Duncombe
Pheonix Godinet
Kohan Lewis
Dylan Smith
Christian Taupau-Moors
-
Maddax Fui
PJ French
Denzel Shaafhausen-Mino
Sonny Edwards-Moeke
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Doing some forecasting here guys for next season & extending on my posts yesterday with age group teams, this is who could be our Jersey Flegg top 17 & Magpies SG Ball top 17.

Excluding all those NRL contracted going by Richo's email saying they get fast-tracked into NSW Cup.

Don't know enough about Balmain's depth in these grades to forecast SG Ball for them.

Jersey Flegg 2025
Cameron Kanaan
Fangavulu Hammond
Max Taotua
Brendan Naicori
Tino Tavana
Jon Ibrahim
Luke Keppie
Zak Clarke
Lachlan Broederlow
Mitchell Taotua
Junior Taungatua
Heith Pritchard
Tom Fisher
-
Keenan Lawandos
Ryan Polsen
Roy Quiroz-Mapasua
Daniel Waqa

SG Ball 2025 - Magpies
Ali Karnib
Riley Oitmann
Heamasi Makasini
Callum McMenemy
Saint Fuatimau
Onitoni Large
Alex Isdale
Peter Ta'ai
Archie Duncombe
Pheonix Godinet
Kohan Lewis
Dylan Smith
Christian Taupau-Moors
-
Maddax Fui
PJ French
Denzel Shaafhausen-Mino
Sonny Edwards-Moeke
Click to expand...
BWG what about Will Craig.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Doing some forecasting here guys for next season & extending on my posts yesterday with age group teams, this is who could be our Jersey Flegg top 17 & Magpies SG Ball top 17.

Excluding all those NRL contracted going by Richo's email saying they get fast-tracked into NSW Cup.

Don't know enough about Balmain's depth in these grades to forecast SG Ball for them.

Jersey Flegg 2025
Cameron Kanaan
Fangavulu Hammond
Max Taotua
Brendan Naicori
Tino Tavana
Jon Ibrahim
Luke Keppie
Zak Clarke
Lachlan Broederlow
Mitchell Taotua
Junior Taungatua
Heith Pritchard
Tom Fisher
-
Keenan Lawandos
Ryan Polsen
Roy Quiroz-Mapasua
Daniel Waqa

SG Ball 2025 - Magpies
Ali Karnib
Riley Oitmann
Heamasi Makasini
Callum McMenemy
Saint Fuatimau
Onitoni Large
Alex Isdale
Peter Ta'ai
Archie Duncombe
Pheonix Godinet
Kohan Lewis
Dylan Smith
Christian Taupau-Moors
-
Maddax Fui
PJ French
Denzel Shaafhausen-Mino
Sonny Edwards-Moeke
Click to expand...
Well done, thanks
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Doing some forecasting here guys for next season & extending on my posts yesterday with age group teams, this is who could be our Jersey Flegg top 17 & Magpies SG Ball top 17.

Excluding all those NRL contracted going by Richo's email saying they get fast-tracked into NSW Cup.

Don't know enough about Balmain's depth in these grades to forecast SG Ball for them.

Jersey Flegg 2025
Cameron Kanaan
Fangavulu Hammond
Max Taotua
Brendan Naicori
Tino Tavana
Jon Ibrahim
Luke Keppie
Zak Clarke
Lachlan Broederlow
Mitchell Taotua
Junior Taungatua
Heith Pritchard
Tom Fisher
-
Keenan Lawandos
Ryan Polsen
Roy Quiroz-Mapasua
Daniel Waqa

SG Ball 2025 - Magpies
Ali Karnib
Riley Oitmann
Heamasi Makasini
Callum McMenemy
Saint Fuatimau
Onitoni Large
Alex Isdale
Peter Ta'ai
Archie Duncombe
Pheonix Godinet
Kohan Lewis
Dylan Smith
Christian Taupau-Moors
-
Maddax Fui
PJ French
Denzel Shaafhausen-Mino
Sonny Edwards-Moeke
Click to expand...
Great list. The future looks bright.
 
I know there is a lot of great backs out there including figures like Heamasi and will craig, but can we acknowledge the consistency Callum McMenemy is showing. Hes playing a year above his age bracket and is showing other teams up with 9 tries in 7 games. Crazy how hes not talked about as a up and coming prodigy at this club, no wonder tigers fan are sooking about the lack of juniors coming through when you have the likes of Callum McMenemy flying under the radar.
 
I noticed Solo Saukuru played a bit of left centre (inside Hymel Hunt) & also right wing last week in Ron Massey Cup. Always seems to find the score sheet. Would not be surprised to see him as a late inclusion in NSW Cup this weekend (given the club would surely take Faataape to Brisbane as an 18th/19th man).
 
shannongallant06 said:
I know there is a lot of great backs out there including figures like Heamasi and will craig, but can we acknowledge the consistency Callum McMenemy is showing. Hes playing a year above his age bracket and is showing other teams up with 9 tries in 7 games. Crazy how hes not talked about as a up and coming prodigy at this club, no wonder tigers fan are sooking about the lack of juniors coming through when you have the likes of Callum McMenemy flying under the radar.
Click to expand...
well said. been really impressed with him every time I've seen him and he will only improve from here. stood out to me when I watched him live as well. expecting a strong season from him in SG next year.

I don't think anyone's sooking about the lack of juniors if I'm honest. ideally we'd have a backrower that would be pressing for selection soon but there's plenty to be excited about for the most part.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Staff online

Members online

Total: 529 (members: 33, guests: 496)
Back
Top