Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape

[twentyforty]

Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape, if club holds its nerve over Michael Maguire

After finally committing to a way out of a decade-long cycle of failure, Wests Tigers must fight calls that will send them spiralling back into the rugby league abyss, PAUL KENT writes.

Paul Kent
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
JULY 26, 20215:20PM

The ammunition against Michael Maguire is overly simplistic, but effective.

It seems to be a campaign driven by out-of-work coaches and their future assistants happy to aggravate the job market.

Little attention is paid to what Maguire is doing to clean up the problem at Wests Tigers, which was always the business someone was going to have to do eventually and which was always going to come with some skin lost, no matter who it was.

And it had to come at some point.

For too long the coaches at Wests spent their salary cap with wild indifference to the problems they were creating; namely, caps can be stretched only so much before they burst.

Too many treated the cap like a Ponzi scheme. Buy now, leave the consequence for whomever comes next.

It happened in the interest of short-term job security.

Maguire arrived in town for the long haul, knowing the problems he was inheriting but, still, as he goes about his business out-of-work coaches and their future assistants, at the cost of a phone call, continue to agitate for change.

The subtext goes that only they can fix the problem, without full disclosure that Maguire has finally turned the club in the right direction.

The problem for too long was that the Tigers’ management was unsure itself what success looked like so, unwittingly, they listened to outside voices, wondering if there was a better way.

So they continued to treat the symptom, not the cause.

The knock on Maguire came again over the weekend.

Dale Finucane signed with Cronulla after the Tigers came in with an 11th hour offer Friday. It was portrayed in some quarters that Finucane knocked back the Tigers to sign with Cronulla because he did not want to play under Maguire at the Tigers.

This happened after Tevita Pangai signed with Canterbury last week despite a bigger offer from the Tigers because, it went again, Pangai did not want to play under Maguire.

If only it were that simple.

There was no four-year deal to the Tigers for Finucane.

The Tigers offered a two-year deal with the third season in their favour.

Their reasoning was simple. The Tigers were only just coming out of a cycle where long-term deals, all well above market value, crippled the club and there was no appetite to begin the cycle again, no matter how good Finucane might be.

The Tigers also quietly dropped off Pangai after running a couple of character checks on him, which uncovered the same reasons the Broncos were happy to release Pangai immediately but declined Melbourne’s request to release Xavier Coates immediately.

What is being refused to be recognised at Wests is the job the club is doing in regard to the salary cap, and finally getting in order, but also the drive to develop elite junior pathways which has for too long been ignored.

Recruitment is essential at every club, and all the very best clubs realise it.

Without good young players coming through clubs are forced to always go to market, and invariably must pay overs to recruit outside talent.

Wests have done this for far too long.

Development allows clubs to grow from within, and always offers several good years where young players are cheap at the price.

The Tigers dropped off their development many years ago when the club suffered a critical lack of nerve and the coaches, and here it probably began in the final years of Tim Sheens’ tenure, saw no choice but to coach for the immediate future to guarantee their job security.

So they kept going for the sugar hits, the quick fixes, and it came at the cost of long-term development.

All the good clubs realise now the benefit of strong, and honest, junior programs.

Penrith has long been regarded as the junior template, but it took five or six frustrating years to get this current squad in the shape it is in now, which can win a premiership.

Manly has got its pathways in order in recent years and is showing the benefits this season. The Sea Eagles were widely criticised when they scouted wide, recruiting Blacktown as its feeder club, but the emergence of a stack of young stars this season has shown the intelligence in that decision.

The Roosters often get criticised for failing to develop their own but this is an old stereotype, the Roosters having long taken over the Central Coast juniors and poured plenty of effort into them.

Their success came on the back of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, and many others, which continues today, being contracted at young ages so they could be coached in the Roosters way of football, through the important years of their development.

Then, when it was time for the icing, the Roosters signed James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk to finish off their list.

Melbourne began with a similar model all the way back in Craig Bellamy’s early years and now reap the annual benefits of maintaining discipline and control of their cap.

So much the Storm were comfortable to offer Finucane under market price, which was really more a symbolic gesture more than a genuine attempt to retain him, because the club was in control of its salary cap and already has somebody trained to replace him.

This has long been the Storm way, comfortable losing one at the top because they already have identified the next young one coming through.

Cameron Smith goes out, Harry Grant is ready to step in. Billy Slater retires, Ryan Papenhuyzen steps in.

It is the natural order until clubs bend their salary cap out of shape.

It is a lesson the Tigers are also finally disciplining themselves to adhere to, despite the outside noise.

**Already rivals have recognised the early shoots of development, which will only strengthen now the Tigers are exercising discipline, which will be stronger again next year.**

The way forward is north.

Well Well Well...
Colour me Pink and call me Mary..
That my friends is the best article I have read for a long time about the Tigers. Give credit to where credit is due as Kent has done some research and talking about where we are heading.
The best part is he can see what we are trying to do and not paying overs for quick fixes.
I love the last section as smart players will see the growth and want to join us.
If we can somehow finish the season off strong that will help with recruitment.

I wonder if he work mates at Fox or DT had a read of this article as the Dogs are doing the exact opposite to us and putting bandaids on... I also think this will help the fanbase as well as its been a rocky road lately and this is a boost to our morale.

Yep, the dogs are doing what we did 5 odd years ago, I hope their medical staff can keep them together?

With a slight difference. They’ve recruited speed in all those fullbacks and wingers.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape, if club holds its nerve over Michael Maguire

After finally committing to a way out of a decade-long cycle of failure, Wests Tigers must fight calls that will send them spiralling back into the rugby league abyss, PAUL KENT writes.

Paul Kent
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
JULY 26, 20215:20PM

The ammunition against Michael Maguire is overly simplistic, but effective.

It seems to be a campaign driven by out-of-work coaches and their future assistants happy to aggravate the job market.

Little attention is paid to what Maguire is doing to clean up the problem at Wests Tigers, which was always the business someone was going to have to do eventually and which was always going to come with some skin lost, no matter who it was.

And it had to come at some point.

For too long the coaches at Wests spent their salary cap with wild indifference to the problems they were creating; namely, caps can be stretched only so much before they burst.

Too many treated the cap like a Ponzi scheme. Buy now, leave the consequence for whomever comes next.

It happened in the interest of short-term job security.

Maguire arrived in town for the long haul, knowing the problems he was inheriting but, still, as he goes about his business out-of-work coaches and their future assistants, at the cost of a phone call, continue to agitate for change.

The subtext goes that only they can fix the problem, without full disclosure that Maguire has finally turned the club in the right direction.

The problem for too long was that the Tigers’ management was unsure itself what success looked like so, unwittingly, they listened to outside voices, wondering if there was a better way.

So they continued to treat the symptom, not the cause.

The knock on Maguire came again over the weekend.

Dale Finucane signed with Cronulla after the Tigers came in with an 11th hour offer Friday. It was portrayed in some quarters that Finucane knocked back the Tigers to sign with Cronulla because he did not want to play under Maguire at the Tigers.

This happened after Tevita Pangai signed with Canterbury last week despite a bigger offer from the Tigers because, it went again, Pangai did not want to play under Maguire.

If only it were that simple.

There was no four-year deal to the Tigers for Finucane.

The Tigers offered a two-year deal with the third season in their favour.

Their reasoning was simple. The Tigers were only just coming out of a cycle where long-term deals, all well above market value, crippled the club and there was no appetite to begin the cycle again, no matter how good Finucane might be.

The Tigers also quietly dropped off Pangai after running a couple of character checks on him, which uncovered the same reasons the Broncos were happy to release Pangai immediately but declined Melbourne’s request to release Xavier Coates immediately.

What is being refused to be recognised at Wests is the job the club is doing in regard to the salary cap, and finally getting in order, but also the drive to develop elite junior pathways which has for too long been ignored.

Recruitment is essential at every club, and all the very best clubs realise it.

Without good young players coming through clubs are forced to always go to market, and invariably must pay overs to recruit outside talent.

Wests have done this for far too long.

Development allows clubs to grow from within, and always offers several good years where young players are cheap at the price.

The Tigers dropped off their development many years ago when the club suffered a critical lack of nerve and the coaches, and here it probably began in the final years of Tim Sheens’ tenure, saw no choice but to coach for the immediate future to guarantee their job security.

So they kept going for the sugar hits, the quick fixes, and it came at the cost of long-term development.

All the good clubs realise now the benefit of strong, and honest, junior programs.

Penrith has long been regarded as the junior template, but it took five or six frustrating years to get this current squad in the shape it is in now, which can win a premiership.

Manly has got its pathways in order in recent years and is showing the benefits this season. The Sea Eagles were widely criticised when they scouted wide, recruiting Blacktown as its feeder club, but the emergence of a stack of young stars this season has shown the intelligence in that decision.

The Roosters often get criticised for failing to develop their own but this is an old stereotype, the Roosters having long taken over the Central Coast juniors and poured plenty of effort into them.

Their success came on the back of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, and many others, which continues today, being contracted at young ages so they could be coached in the Roosters way of football, through the important years of their development.

Then, when it was time for the icing, the Roosters signed James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk to finish off their list.

Melbourne began with a similar model all the way back in Craig Bellamy’s early years and now reap the annual benefits of maintaining discipline and control of their cap.

So much the Storm were comfortable to offer Finucane under market price, which was really more a symbolic gesture more than a genuine attempt to retain him, because the club was in control of its salary cap and already has somebody trained to replace him.

This has long been the Storm way, comfortable losing one at the top because they already have identified the next young one coming through.

Cameron Smith goes out, Harry Grant is ready to step in. Billy Slater retires, Ryan Papenhuyzen steps in.

It is the natural order until clubs bend their salary cap out of shape.

It is a lesson the Tigers are also finally disciplining themselves to adhere to, despite the outside noise.

**Already rivals have recognised the early shoots of development, which will only strengthen now the Tigers are exercising discipline, which will be stronger again next year.**

The way forward is north.

Well Well Well...
Colour me Pink and call me Mary..
That my friends is the best article I have read for a long time about the Tigers. Give credit to where credit is due as Kent has done some research and talking about where we are heading.
The best part is he can see what we are trying to do and not paying overs for quick fixes.
I love the last section as smart players will see the growth and want to join us.
If we can somehow finish the season off strong that will help with recruitment.

I wonder if he work mates at Fox or DT had a read of this article as the Dogs are doing the exact opposite to us and putting bandaids on... I also think this will help the fanbase as well as its been a rocky road lately and this is a boost to our morale.

Yep, the dogs are doing what we did 5 odd years ago, I hope their medical staff can keep them together?


With a slight difference. They’ve recruited speed in all those fullbacks and wingers.

And a gun young half, and TPJ and most likely Vaughan. Seems because we’ve made mistakes in the past we shouldn’t sign anyone ever again.

 

[Papacito]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

 

[Aceshigh]

I remember when Sheensy got to the Tiges in 2003 , one of the first things he done was securing as many of the previous years Wests Sg ball team who had just won a premiership ,the likes of Gibbs , Fulton, Collis , De Gois ,Ben Roberts , he did lose Ryan Hoffman but 2 yrs later we won the comp , we are def heading in the right direction

 

[GNR4LIFE]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did they reference Sheens age?

 

[The_Patriot]

Hooper has Pascoe in his sights - does not like him. Buzz wants Flanagan in for Maguire and Kent likes to disagree with both of them when it suits. Must bore other fans of other clubs senseless.

Thats a good accurate take on it. especially the Hooper v Pascoe element.

 

[jrtiger]

thank you, Kenty, for putting the opinions and feelings of the majority of this supporter base out into the open.

 

[Demps]

Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape, if club holds its nerve over Michael Maguire

After finally committing to a way out of a decade-long cycle of failure, Wests Tigers must fight calls that will send them spiralling back into the rugby league abyss, PAUL KENT writes.

Paul Kent
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
JULY 26, 20215:20PM

The ammunition against Michael Maguire is overly simplistic, but effective.

It seems to be a campaign driven by out-of-work coaches and their future assistants happy to aggravate the job market.

Little attention is paid to what Maguire is doing to clean up the problem at Wests Tigers, which was always the business someone was going to have to do eventually and which was always going to come with some skin lost, no matter who it was.

And it had to come at some point.

For too long the coaches at Wests spent their salary cap with wild indifference to the problems they were creating; namely, caps can be stretched only so much before they burst.

Too many treated the cap like a Ponzi scheme. Buy now, leave the consequence for whomever comes next.

It happened in the interest of short-term job security.

Maguire arrived in town for the long haul, knowing the problems he was inheriting but, still, as he goes about his business out-of-work coaches and their future assistants, at the cost of a phone call, continue to agitate for change.

The subtext goes that only they can fix the problem, without full disclosure that Maguire has finally turned the club in the right direction.

The problem for too long was that the Tigers’ management was unsure itself what success looked like so, unwittingly, they listened to outside voices, wondering if there was a better way.

So they continued to treat the symptom, not the cause.

The knock on Maguire came again over the weekend.

Dale Finucane signed with Cronulla after the Tigers came in with an 11th hour offer Friday. It was portrayed in some quarters that Finucane knocked back the Tigers to sign with Cronulla because he did not want to play under Maguire at the Tigers.

This happened after Tevita Pangai signed with Canterbury last week despite a bigger offer from the Tigers because, it went again, Pangai did not want to play under Maguire.

If only it were that simple.

There was no four-year deal to the Tigers for Finucane.

The Tigers offered a two-year deal with the third season in their favour.

Their reasoning was simple. The Tigers were only just coming out of a cycle where long-term deals, all well above market value, crippled the club and there was no appetite to begin the cycle again, no matter how good Finucane might be.

The Tigers also quietly dropped off Pangai after running a couple of character checks on him, which uncovered the same reasons the Broncos were happy to release Pangai immediately but declined Melbourne’s request to release Xavier Coates immediately.

What is being refused to be recognised at Wests is the job the club is doing in regard to the salary cap, and finally getting in order, but also the drive to develop elite junior pathways which has for too long been ignored.

Recruitment is essential at every club, and all the very best clubs realise it.

Without good young players coming through clubs are forced to always go to market, and invariably must pay overs to recruit outside talent.

Wests have done this for far too long.

Development allows clubs to grow from within, and always offers several good years where young players are cheap at the price.

The Tigers dropped off their development many years ago when the club suffered a critical lack of nerve and the coaches, and here it probably began in the final years of Tim Sheens’ tenure, saw no choice but to coach for the immediate future to guarantee their job security.

So they kept going for the sugar hits, the quick fixes, and it came at the cost of long-term development.

All the good clubs realise now the benefit of strong, and honest, junior programs.

Penrith has long been regarded as the junior template, but it took five or six frustrating years to get this current squad in the shape it is in now, which can win a premiership.

Manly has got its pathways in order in recent years and is showing the benefits this season. The Sea Eagles were widely criticised when they scouted wide, recruiting Blacktown as its feeder club, but the emergence of a stack of young stars this season has shown the intelligence in that decision.

The Roosters often get criticised for failing to develop their own but this is an old stereotype, the Roosters having long taken over the Central Coast juniors and poured plenty of effort into them.

Their success came on the back of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, and many others, which continues today, being contracted at young ages so they could be coached in the Roosters way of football, through the important years of their development.

Then, when it was time for the icing, the Roosters signed James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk to finish off their list.

Melbourne began with a similar model all the way back in Craig Bellamy’s early years and now reap the annual benefits of maintaining discipline and control of their cap.

So much the Storm were comfortable to offer Finucane under market price, which was really more a symbolic gesture more than a genuine attempt to retain him, because the club was in control of its salary cap and already has somebody trained to replace him.

This has long been the Storm way, comfortable losing one at the top because they already have identified the next young one coming through.

Cameron Smith goes out, Harry Grant is ready to step in. Billy Slater retires, Ryan Papenhuyzen steps in.

It is the natural order until clubs bend their salary cap out of shape.

It is a lesson the Tigers are also finally disciplining themselves to adhere to, despite the outside noise.

**Already rivals have recognised the early shoots of development, which will only strengthen now the Tigers are exercising discipline, which will be stronger again next year.**

The way forward is north.

Well Well Well...
Colour me Pink and call me Mary..
That my friends is the best article I have read for a long time about the Tigers. Give credit to where credit is due as Kent has done some research and talking about where we are heading.
The best part is he can see what we are trying to do and not paying overs for quick fixes.
I love the last section as smart players will see the growth and want to join us.
If we can somehow finish the season off strong that will help with recruitment.

I wonder if he work mates at Fox or DT had a read of this article as the Dogs are doing the exact opposite to us and putting bandaids on... I also think this will help the fanbase as well as its been a rocky road lately and this is a boost to our morale.

Yep, the dogs are doing what we did 5 odd years ago, I hope their medical staff can keep them together?


With a slight difference. They’ve recruited speed in all those fullbacks and wingers.

And a gun young half, and TPJ and most likely Vaughan. Seems because we’ve made mistakes in the past we shouldn’t sign anyone ever again.

Gun half?

Burton got moved back to the centres because they think May is better.

Burton showed promise in his first few games at half and has been killing it.... at centre.

Since Cleary has been out for origin / injured... Burton has been rubbish in the halves.

Dogs have no decent hooker and I don't think Dufty is that good at 1... their spine for 2022 is average.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape, if club holds its nerve over Michael Maguire

After finally committing to a way out of a decade-long cycle of failure, Wests Tigers must fight calls that will send them spiralling back into the rugby league abyss, PAUL KENT writes.

Paul Kent
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
JULY 26, 20215:20PM

The ammunition against Michael Maguire is overly simplistic, but effective.

It seems to be a campaign driven by out-of-work coaches and their future assistants happy to aggravate the job market.

Little attention is paid to what Maguire is doing to clean up the problem at Wests Tigers, which was always the business someone was going to have to do eventually and which was always going to come with some skin lost, no matter who it was.

And it had to come at some point.

For too long the coaches at Wests spent their salary cap with wild indifference to the problems they were creating; namely, caps can be stretched only so much before they burst.

Too many treated the cap like a Ponzi scheme. Buy now, leave the consequence for whomever comes next.

It happened in the interest of short-term job security.

Maguire arrived in town for the long haul, knowing the problems he was inheriting but, still, as he goes about his business out-of-work coaches and their future assistants, at the cost of a phone call, continue to agitate for change.

The subtext goes that only they can fix the problem, without full disclosure that Maguire has finally turned the club in the right direction.

The problem for too long was that the Tigers’ management was unsure itself what success looked like so, unwittingly, they listened to outside voices, wondering if there was a better way.

So they continued to treat the symptom, not the cause.

The knock on Maguire came again over the weekend.

Dale Finucane signed with Cronulla after the Tigers came in with an 11th hour offer Friday. It was portrayed in some quarters that Finucane knocked back the Tigers to sign with Cronulla because he did not want to play under Maguire at the Tigers.

This happened after Tevita Pangai signed with Canterbury last week despite a bigger offer from the Tigers because, it went again, Pangai did not want to play under Maguire.

If only it were that simple.

There was no four-year deal to the Tigers for Finucane.

The Tigers offered a two-year deal with the third season in their favour.

Their reasoning was simple. The Tigers were only just coming out of a cycle where long-term deals, all well above market value, crippled the club and there was no appetite to begin the cycle again, no matter how good Finucane might be.

The Tigers also quietly dropped off Pangai after running a couple of character checks on him, which uncovered the same reasons the Broncos were happy to release Pangai immediately but declined Melbourne’s request to release Xavier Coates immediately.

What is being refused to be recognised at Wests is the job the club is doing in regard to the salary cap, and finally getting in order, but also the drive to develop elite junior pathways which has for too long been ignored.

Recruitment is essential at every club, and all the very best clubs realise it.

Without good young players coming through clubs are forced to always go to market, and invariably must pay overs to recruit outside talent.

Wests have done this for far too long.

Development allows clubs to grow from within, and always offers several good years where young players are cheap at the price.

The Tigers dropped off their development many years ago when the club suffered a critical lack of nerve and the coaches, and here it probably began in the final years of Tim Sheens’ tenure, saw no choice but to coach for the immediate future to guarantee their job security.

So they kept going for the sugar hits, the quick fixes, and it came at the cost of long-term development.

All the good clubs realise now the benefit of strong, and honest, junior programs.

Penrith has long been regarded as the junior template, but it took five or six frustrating years to get this current squad in the shape it is in now, which can win a premiership.

Manly has got its pathways in order in recent years and is showing the benefits this season. The Sea Eagles were widely criticised when they scouted wide, recruiting Blacktown as its feeder club, but the emergence of a stack of young stars this season has shown the intelligence in that decision.

The Roosters often get criticised for failing to develop their own but this is an old stereotype, the Roosters having long taken over the Central Coast juniors and poured plenty of effort into them.

Their success came on the back of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, and many others, which continues today, being contracted at young ages so they could be coached in the Roosters way of football, through the important years of their development.

Then, when it was time for the icing, the Roosters signed James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk to finish off their list.

Melbourne began with a similar model all the way back in Craig Bellamy’s early years and now reap the annual benefits of maintaining discipline and control of their cap.

So much the Storm were comfortable to offer Finucane under market price, which was really more a symbolic gesture more than a genuine attempt to retain him, because the club was in control of its salary cap and already has somebody trained to replace him.

This has long been the Storm way, comfortable losing one at the top because they already have identified the next young one coming through.

Cameron Smith goes out, Harry Grant is ready to step in. Billy Slater retires, Ryan Papenhuyzen steps in.

It is the natural order until clubs bend their salary cap out of shape.

It is a lesson the Tigers are also finally disciplining themselves to adhere to, despite the outside noise.

**Already rivals have recognised the early shoots of development, which will only strengthen now the Tigers are exercising discipline, which will be stronger again next year.**

The way forward is north.

Well Well Well...
Colour me Pink and call me Mary..
That my friends is the best article I have read for a long time about the Tigers. Give credit to where credit is due as Kent has done some research and talking about where we are heading.
The best part is he can see what we are trying to do and not paying overs for quick fixes.
I love the last section as smart players will see the growth and want to join us.
If we can somehow finish the season off strong that will help with recruitment.

I wonder if he work mates at Fox or DT had a read of this article as the Dogs are doing the exact opposite to us and putting bandaids on... I also think this will help the fanbase as well as its been a rocky road lately and this is a boost to our morale.

Yep, the dogs are doing what we did 5 odd years ago, I hope their medical staff can keep them together?


With a slight difference. They’ve recruited speed in all those fullbacks and wingers.

And a gun young half, and TPJ and most likely Vaughan. Seems because we’ve made mistakes in the past we shouldn’t sign anyone ever again.

Gun half?

Burton got moved back to the centres because they think May is better.

Burton showed promise in his first few games at half and has been killing it.... at centre.

Since Cleary has been out for origin / injured... Burton has been rubbish in the halves.

Dogs have no decent hooker and I don't think Dufty is that good at 1... their spine for 2022 is average.

I really rate Burton. I think he'll turn out to be a very good signing. Not so sure about Dufty though...his defence absolutely sucks.

 

[Demps]

Paul Kent: Wests Tigers’ rebuild taking shape, if club holds its nerve over Michael Maguire

After finally committing to a way out of a decade-long cycle of failure, Wests Tigers must fight calls that will send them spiralling back into the rugby league abyss, PAUL KENT writes.

Paul Kent
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
JULY 26, 20215:20PM

The ammunition against Michael Maguire is overly simplistic, but effective.

It seems to be a campaign driven by out-of-work coaches and their future assistants happy to aggravate the job market.

Little attention is paid to what Maguire is doing to clean up the problem at Wests Tigers, which was always the business someone was going to have to do eventually and which was always going to come with some skin lost, no matter who it was.

And it had to come at some point.

For too long the coaches at Wests spent their salary cap with wild indifference to the problems they were creating; namely, caps can be stretched only so much before they burst.

Too many treated the cap like a Ponzi scheme. Buy now, leave the consequence for whomever comes next.

It happened in the interest of short-term job security.

Maguire arrived in town for the long haul, knowing the problems he was inheriting but, still, as he goes about his business out-of-work coaches and their future assistants, at the cost of a phone call, continue to agitate for change.

The subtext goes that only they can fix the problem, without full disclosure that Maguire has finally turned the club in the right direction.

The problem for too long was that the Tigers’ management was unsure itself what success looked like so, unwittingly, they listened to outside voices, wondering if there was a better way.

So they continued to treat the symptom, not the cause.

The knock on Maguire came again over the weekend.

Dale Finucane signed with Cronulla after the Tigers came in with an 11th hour offer Friday. It was portrayed in some quarters that Finucane knocked back the Tigers to sign with Cronulla because he did not want to play under Maguire at the Tigers.

This happened after Tevita Pangai signed with Canterbury last week despite a bigger offer from the Tigers because, it went again, Pangai did not want to play under Maguire.

If only it were that simple.

There was no four-year deal to the Tigers for Finucane.

The Tigers offered a two-year deal with the third season in their favour.

Their reasoning was simple. The Tigers were only just coming out of a cycle where long-term deals, all well above market value, crippled the club and there was no appetite to begin the cycle again, no matter how good Finucane might be.

The Tigers also quietly dropped off Pangai after running a couple of character checks on him, which uncovered the same reasons the Broncos were happy to release Pangai immediately but declined Melbourne’s request to release Xavier Coates immediately.

What is being refused to be recognised at Wests is the job the club is doing in regard to the salary cap, and finally getting in order, but also the drive to develop elite junior pathways which has for too long been ignored.

Recruitment is essential at every club, and all the very best clubs realise it.

Without good young players coming through clubs are forced to always go to market, and invariably must pay overs to recruit outside talent.

Wests have done this for far too long.

Development allows clubs to grow from within, and always offers several good years where young players are cheap at the price.

The Tigers dropped off their development many years ago when the club suffered a critical lack of nerve and the coaches, and here it probably began in the final years of Tim Sheens’ tenure, saw no choice but to coach for the immediate future to guarantee their job security.

So they kept going for the sugar hits, the quick fixes, and it came at the cost of long-term development.

All the good clubs realise now the benefit of strong, and honest, junior programs.

Penrith has long been regarded as the junior template, but it took five or six frustrating years to get this current squad in the shape it is in now, which can win a premiership.

Manly has got its pathways in order in recent years and is showing the benefits this season. The Sea Eagles were widely criticised when they scouted wide, recruiting Blacktown as its feeder club, but the emergence of a stack of young stars this season has shown the intelligence in that decision.

The Roosters often get criticised for failing to develop their own but this is an old stereotype, the Roosters having long taken over the Central Coast juniors and poured plenty of effort into them.

Their success came on the back of Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, and many others, which continues today, being contracted at young ages so they could be coached in the Roosters way of football, through the important years of their development.

Then, when it was time for the icing, the Roosters signed James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk to finish off their list.

Melbourne began with a similar model all the way back in Craig Bellamy’s early years and now reap the annual benefits of maintaining discipline and control of their cap.

So much the Storm were comfortable to offer Finucane under market price, which was really more a symbolic gesture more than a genuine attempt to retain him, because the club was in control of its salary cap and already has somebody trained to replace him.

This has long been the Storm way, comfortable losing one at the top because they already have identified the next young one coming through.

Cameron Smith goes out, Harry Grant is ready to step in. Billy Slater retires, Ryan Papenhuyzen steps in.

It is the natural order until clubs bend their salary cap out of shape.

It is a lesson the Tigers are also finally disciplining themselves to adhere to, despite the outside noise.

**Already rivals have recognised the early shoots of development, which will only strengthen now the Tigers are exercising discipline, which will be stronger again next year.**

The way forward is north.

Well Well Well...
Colour me Pink and call me Mary..
That my friends is the best article I have read for a long time about the Tigers. Give credit to where credit is due as Kent has done some research and talking about where we are heading.
The best part is he can see what we are trying to do and not paying overs for quick fixes.
I love the last section as smart players will see the growth and want to join us.
If we can somehow finish the season off strong that will help with recruitment.

I wonder if he work mates at Fox or DT had a read of this article as the Dogs are doing the exact opposite to us and putting bandaids on... I also think this will help the fanbase as well as its been a rocky road lately and this is a boost to our morale.

Yep, the dogs are doing what we did 5 odd years ago, I hope their medical staff can keep them together?


With a slight difference. They’ve recruited speed in all those fullbacks and wingers.

And a gun young half, and TPJ and most likely Vaughan. Seems because we’ve made mistakes in the past we shouldn’t sign anyone ever again.

Gun half?

Burton got moved back to the centres because they think May is better.

Burton showed promise in his first few games at half and has been killing it.... at centre.

Since Cleary has been out for origin / injured... Burton has been rubbish in the halves.

Dogs have no decent hooker and I don't think Dufty is that good at 1... their spine for 2022 is average.

I really rate Burton. I think he'll turn out to be a very good signing. Not so sure about Dufty though...his defence absolutely sucks.

Burton is definitely the goods.
I think he's a 6 but not sure who will play 7 outside him as they're not keen on Lewis, Wakeham, Flanagan which leaves Averillo.. who i think is also a 6... maybe a 1.

Roster isn't complete as it stands and their money is running out.

 

[Sco77y]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did Buzz actually say that? Hilarious. What an idiot

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did Buzz actually say that? Hilarious. What an idiot

he did it was a classic
Also when he pointed out the roster that Flannagan "built" Kent pointed out they were cheating the cap and could offer players more money.

 

[Demps]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did Buzz actually say that? Hilarious. What an idiot

Yeah, he said it..
Kenty and Hoops said he still has a lot to offer.

Kenty was amazing last night and Hooper played his part, like he's aware and has something of substance to say.

Rothfield is pushing this Flanagan agenda so hard at the moment.

 

[happy_tiger]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

I think Kent was talking about our Top 17

And he also said he was concerned Sheens was out of the NRL for 10 years ...not his age

 

[GNR4LIFE]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

I think Kent was talking about our Top 17

And he also said he was concerned Sheens was out of the NRL for 10 years ...not his age

See there’s a difference. It’s not about age, it’s about experience. Chris Anderson is 69, but hasn’t coached since 2007. No one would be in a rush to sign him up. Not cos of his age, but because he’s been out of the game so long. I don’t see what the issue is with Sheens though. He’s not in a head coaching role.

 

[Demps]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

I think Kent was talking about our Top 17

And he also said he was concerned Sheens was out of the NRL for 10 years ...not his age

See there’s a difference. It’s not about age, it’s about experience. Chris Anderson is 69, but hasn’t coached since 2007. No one would be in a rush to sign him up. Not cos of his age, but because he’s been out of the game so long. I don’t see what the issue is with Sheens though. He’s not in a head coaching role.

He backpedaled with that out of the game for 1p years stuff ( @happy_tiger )

I think he saw the others didn't share the same opinion and started to backtrack.

Said something like there's no shining lights and Yvonne brought up D. LAURIE.

Rothfield has had his vendetta for a few years now and it's getting desperate and obvious.

 

[happy_tiger]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

I think Kent was talking about our Top 17

And he also said he was concerned Sheens was out of the NRL for 10 years ...not his age

See there’s a difference. It’s not about age, it’s about experience. Chris Anderson is 69, but hasn’t coached since 2007. No one would be in a rush to sign him up. Not cos of his age, but because he’s been out of the game so long. I don’t see what the issue is with Sheens though. He’s not in a head coaching role.

I guess they mean the right player in 2012 is a bit different than the right player in 2022 ......

If we can't find quality recruitment and retention ......Sheens role becomes crucial

 

[Enmoretiger 0]

The junior development and pathways can continue without Maguire. We need a new coach who brings a new skillset to the Club.

Sorry this is wrong, when do we learn that continually changing coaches is counterproductive to us?
When has this worked?
Madge is the most successful coach since Tim, and since Tim how has the success gone?
Now is the time to tough it out and let the smarter heads keep control, junior pathways, center of excellence and develop the obvious young talent we have.
I am not interested in wining the first 5 games and falling away, I want a competitive side the whole year and I have suffered pain for years, a bit more will make the better results tatse that much better.

 

[Sco77y]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did Buzz actually say that? Hilarious. What an idiot

Yeah, he said it..
Kenty and Hoops said he still has a lot to offer.

Kenty was amazing last night and Hooper played his part, like he's aware and has something of substance to say.

Rothfield is pushing this Flanagan agenda so hard at the moment.

Sounds like a good episode, I'll need to watch a replay

 

[Demps]

The NRL 360 blokes say some ridiculous things.

A week ago, Kent was saying we should set fire to our roster. Now he's applauding us for not signing blokes?

Then last night Buzz says Tim Sheens is over the hill at 70 years of age, then says we should bring 71 year old Wayne Bennett in.

They all need to lay off the drink.

Did Buzz actually say that? Hilarious. What an idiot

Yeah, he said it..
Kenty and Hoops said he still has a lot to offer.

Kenty was amazing last night and Hooper played his part, like he's aware and has something of substance to say.

Rothfield is pushing this Flanagan agenda so hard at the moment.

Sounds like a good episode, I'll need to watch a replay

Worth a watch.
Best one since Ikin left.