VanillaThunder
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Unsure if this has already been posted, but just in case anyone missed it, it's from the latest issue of Rugby League Week. It's a little late, but still an interesting article nonetheless, good to see the coach giving Rob Lui a vote of confidence after a pretty strong last few weeks.
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**LEAVE LUI ALONE**
**Tigers dig in for the fight as Cowboys circle the wagon**
_Tony Adams; Rugby League Week, August 24 2011_
Keep away from our Halfback!
That's the clear warning from the rampaging Wests Tigers as they look to keep Robert Lui and Benji Marshall together in the halves for years to come. A driving force behind the Tigers' six-game winning run, Lui is under contract until the end of next season but has been linked to a return to his home town of Townsville - and the Cowboys - in 2012.
"They are kidding if they think we are going to let him go," coach Tim Sheens fires.
"Robert is a starting NRL halfback. Players like that don't grow on trees.
"We've invested a lot of time and effort into him - why would we just let him walk out?
"He and Benji have worked up a great understanding over the last couple of years and we see him having a future here."
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The Tigers have two rising halfback stars in Jacob Miller and Curtis Sironen in their ranks but both are seen as unready for the NRL is terms of experience. _RLW_ believes Lui, who has struggled with Sydney life off the field, may head to North Queensland when his contract expires at the end of 2012 - at which stage Sironen and Miller may be ready for the step up. The Tigers had finally restored stability following the much-publicised internal problems over the departures of Bryce Gibbs, Tim Moltzen and Andrew Fifita, so they were furious at the timing of the Lui rumour.
"We don't need this kind of speculation about our players in the media." Sheens says.
"The finals are just around the corner and constant rumour and innuendo can be unsettling."
Sheens and his staff see Lui as a crucial player in their title bid because of his ability to take the heat off Marshall in attack.
"Robert is going well but he needs to stand up more in the big games to take the pressure off Benji," Sheens says.
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With games to come against the lowly Titans and Sharks, the Tigers have set their sights on top-four finish - a goal that seemed well beyond them when they slumped to eighth after 12 rounds. Fullback Tim Moltzen, after a slow start to the year following a knee reconstruction, has come good and produced his best game of the year against the Eels last Sunday.
"I must admit I was bit blasé about the injury when I first came back ... I didn't think it would be a problem," Moltzen admits.
"But I was a bit all over the shop.
"I feel my confidence is back now and I'm back to where I should be."
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\
One of the few negatives to come out of last Sunday's win was a freak injury to prop Bryce Gibbs, who had his knee sliced open by a sprinkler head when he went in to make a tackle. Gibbs was forced from the field with the injury late in the match and wound required a dozen stitches. A member of the 2005 premiership side, Gibbs is hoping to play against the Gold Coast but may be told to sit out at least a week.
"I can't believe my luck," Gibbs says. "I did the same thing at the same ground a couple of years ago ... and it was actually worse that time."
Sheens says the location of the injury may force Gibbs to take a break.
"The stitches on the knee could burst open if he runs on it before it can heal, so he might have to have a break," the coach says.
–-----------------
**LEAVE LUI ALONE**
**Tigers dig in for the fight as Cowboys circle the wagon**
_Tony Adams; Rugby League Week, August 24 2011_
Keep away from our Halfback!
That's the clear warning from the rampaging Wests Tigers as they look to keep Robert Lui and Benji Marshall together in the halves for years to come. A driving force behind the Tigers' six-game winning run, Lui is under contract until the end of next season but has been linked to a return to his home town of Townsville - and the Cowboys - in 2012.
"They are kidding if they think we are going to let him go," coach Tim Sheens fires.
"Robert is a starting NRL halfback. Players like that don't grow on trees.
"We've invested a lot of time and effort into him - why would we just let him walk out?
"He and Benji have worked up a great understanding over the last couple of years and we see him having a future here."
\
\
The Tigers have two rising halfback stars in Jacob Miller and Curtis Sironen in their ranks but both are seen as unready for the NRL is terms of experience. _RLW_ believes Lui, who has struggled with Sydney life off the field, may head to North Queensland when his contract expires at the end of 2012 - at which stage Sironen and Miller may be ready for the step up. The Tigers had finally restored stability following the much-publicised internal problems over the departures of Bryce Gibbs, Tim Moltzen and Andrew Fifita, so they were furious at the timing of the Lui rumour.
"We don't need this kind of speculation about our players in the media." Sheens says.
"The finals are just around the corner and constant rumour and innuendo can be unsettling."
Sheens and his staff see Lui as a crucial player in their title bid because of his ability to take the heat off Marshall in attack.
"Robert is going well but he needs to stand up more in the big games to take the pressure off Benji," Sheens says.
\
\
With games to come against the lowly Titans and Sharks, the Tigers have set their sights on top-four finish - a goal that seemed well beyond them when they slumped to eighth after 12 rounds. Fullback Tim Moltzen, after a slow start to the year following a knee reconstruction, has come good and produced his best game of the year against the Eels last Sunday.
"I must admit I was bit blasé about the injury when I first came back ... I didn't think it would be a problem," Moltzen admits.
"But I was a bit all over the shop.
"I feel my confidence is back now and I'm back to where I should be."
\
\
One of the few negatives to come out of last Sunday's win was a freak injury to prop Bryce Gibbs, who had his knee sliced open by a sprinkler head when he went in to make a tackle. Gibbs was forced from the field with the injury late in the match and wound required a dozen stitches. A member of the 2005 premiership side, Gibbs is hoping to play against the Gold Coast but may be told to sit out at least a week.
"I can't believe my luck," Gibbs says. "I did the same thing at the same ground a couple of years ago ... and it was actually worse that time."
Sheens says the location of the injury may force Gibbs to take a break.
"The stitches on the knee could burst open if he runs on it before it can heal, so he might have to have a break," the coach says.
