Rothfield’s weekly dribble

[Tigermars]

Buzz: Pressure builds on Wests Tigers’ Michael Maguire as Shane Flanagan waits for coaching shot
Shane Flanagan has a proven track record of producing what the Wests Tigers are critically lacking. When will the club bite the bullet and make a change, asks PHIL ROTHFIELD.
The Wests Tigers have missed out on yet another big-name signing opportunity, placing further pressure on the board to sack coach Michael Maguire.
On Sunday morning Storm forward Dale Finucane joined the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Tevita Pangai Junior, Josh Addo-Carr, Jai Arrow, AJ Brimson, Matt Moylan and Joseph Suaalii in rejecting lucrative offers from the struggling club in the last 18 months.
And they’re only the ones we’ve heard about.
Even Canterbury, who have hopelessly struggled in recent years, have been able to snare Matt Burton, Pangai Junior, probably Paul Vaughan, Addo-Carr, Luke Thompson (who almost every club chased) and Nick Cotric while he was a NSW and Australian player.
But no-one wants to go to the Wests Tigers.
There is even a senior official at the Wests Tigers who has been ringing around player managers in recent weeks to ask: “Is it Madge?”
Latrell Mitchell could have pocketed an extra $1.2 million by signing to play for Maguire instead of Wayne Bennett at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Souths offered him $800,000 for one year, the Wests Tigers $1.2 million per season for three years.
That is a huge monetary sacrifice.

The Finucane story is similar. He has taken an average of around $650,000 a year from the Sharks but could have got $800,000 a year from the Wests Tigers.
This has become a huge issue for the club on top of another season of terrible results.
In the last five weeks this team has now conceded 212 points at an average of 42.4 per game.
They can’t just wait for old four-time premiership winning coach Tim Sheens, who has been out of the NRL for 10 years, to come in and fix things.
They can’t just wait to find the next James Tedesco out of Campbelltown.
The Wests Tigers’ board has a huge decision to make.
Do they stick with Maguire or find a coach with a proven track record of building a premiership-winning side.
The Cronulla Sharks were in a similar position to the Wests Tigers when Shane Flanagan started a roster rebuild that would lead them to the 2016 premiership win.
He got James Maloney from the Roosters, Andrew Fifita, Beau Ryan and Chris Heighington from the Wests Tigers.
He got Luke Lewis and Wade Graham from the Penrith Panthers. Ben Barba from the Canterbury Bulldogs, Jack Bird from St George-Illawarra and perhaps the most important signing of all, Mick Ennis from the Bulldogs.
Equal credit for the recruitment should go to skipper Paul Gallen, who was the NSW captain at the time and so many players in the NRL wanted to play in his team.
Flanagan is about to become available for another head coaching job.
He has made some well documented mistakes.
None more so than hiring people on his high performance staff at the Sharks who injected peptides into his players.
Rightly or wrongly, there are still clubs concerned about his image, all these years later.
However it’s got to a stage for a club like the Wests Tigers where they have no choice.
It’s obvious they will not improve with their current roster – or their current coach.
THE SIGNS ARE THERE
Players Michael Maguire has missed at Wests Tigers
Dale Finucane, Latrell Mitchell, Tevita Pangai Junior, Josh Addo-Carr, Jai Arrow, A J Brimson, Matt Moylan
Players Shane Flanagan signed at Cronulla
James Maloney, Michael Ennis, Andrew Fifita, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Ben Barba, Jack Bird, Chis Heighington.

 

[JRDee]

Will Flanagan bring his needles and salary cap cheating? And even worst his son ?

 

[SeanT]

Buzz: Pressure builds on Wests Tigers’ Michael Maguire as Shane Flanagan waits for coaching shot
Shane Flanagan has a proven track record of producing what the Wests Tigers are critically lacking. When will the club bite the bullet and make a change, asks PHIL ROTHFIELD.
The Wests Tigers have missed out on yet another big-name signing opportunity, placing further pressure on the board to sack coach Michael Maguire.
On Sunday morning Storm forward Dale Finucane joined the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Tevita Pangai Junior, Josh Addo-Carr, Jai Arrow, AJ Brimson, Matt Moylan and Joseph Suaalii in rejecting lucrative offers from the struggling club in the last 18 months.
And they’re only the ones we’ve heard about.
Even Canterbury, who have hopelessly struggled in recent years, have been able to snare Matt Burton, Pangai Junior, probably Paul Vaughan, Addo-Carr, Luke Thompson (who almost every club chased) and Nick Cotric while he was a NSW and Australian player.
But no-one wants to go to the Wests Tigers.
There is even a senior official at the Wests Tigers who has been ringing around player managers in recent weeks to ask: “Is it Madge?”
Latrell Mitchell could have pocketed an extra $1.2 million by signing to play for Maguire instead of Wayne Bennett at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Souths offered him $800,000 for one year, the Wests Tigers $1.2 million per season for three years.
That is a huge monetary sacrifice.

The Finucane story is similar. He has taken an average of around $650,000 a year from the Sharks but could have got $800,000 a year from the Wests Tigers.
This has become a huge issue for the club on top of another season of terrible results.
In the last five weeks this team has now conceded 212 points at an average of 42.4 per game.
They can’t just wait for old four-time premiership winning coach Tim Sheens, who has been out of the NRL for 10 years, to come in and fix things.
They can’t just wait to find the next James Tedesco out of Campbelltown.
The Wests Tigers’ board has a huge decision to make.
Do they stick with Maguire or find a coach with a proven track record of building a premiership-winning side.
The Cronulla Sharks were in a similar position to the Wests Tigers when Shane Flanagan started a roster rebuild that would lead them to the 2016 premiership win.
He got James Maloney from the Roosters, Andrew Fifita, Beau Ryan and Chris Heighington from the Wests Tigers.
He got Luke Lewis and Wade Graham from the Penrith Panthers. Ben Barba from the Canterbury Bulldogs, Jack Bird from St George-Illawarra and perhaps the most important signing of all, Mick Ennis from the Bulldogs.
Equal credit for the recruitment should go to skipper Paul Gallen, who was the NSW captain at the time and so many players in the NRL wanted to play in his team.
Flanagan is about to become available for another head coaching job.
He has made some well documented mistakes.
None more so than hiring people on his high performance staff at the Sharks who injected peptides into his players.
Rightly or wrongly, there are still clubs concerned about his image, all these years later.
However it’s got to a stage for a club like the Wests Tigers where they have no choice.
It’s obvious they will not improve with their current roster – or their current coach.
THE SIGNS ARE THERE
Players Michael Maguire has missed at Wests Tigers
Dale Finucane, Latrell Mitchell, Tevita Pangai Junior, Josh Addo-Carr, Jai Arrow, A J Brimson, Matt Moylan
Players Shane Flanagan signed at Cronulla
James Maloney, Michael Ennis, Andrew Fifita, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Ben Barba, Jack Bird, Chis Heighington.

What a bunch of crap. Sharks where over the salary cap every year for 5 years part from 6 weeks in the finals. Not to mention he was apart of the rotting and drug culture there.

My god if Buzz and the players managers want Maguire gone than I say give Maguire 5 more years. Player managers just dont like the fact we are underpaying for a change.

 

[hobbo1]

Buzz should be in a nursing home

 

[Kiama Tiger]

Wasn’t Flanagan assistant coach at the Dragons last year. How did that work out?

 

[Telltails]

He has an unhealthy obsession with us.

 

[Curaeus]

Cannot understand the old buzzard's obsession with finding Flanagan a new head coaching job. Are these guys related?

 

[Snake]

Maybe he thinks Flanagan will be the final nail in the coffin ⚰️ for the club ! Many outside the club think the end is near .

 

[pedrolaurie]

Rothfields a miserable corpse

 

[tiger_one]

Buzz and all the media cronies who supposedly get their income from promoting the greatest game of all - this is more than click-bait and ratings, it's aimed at our club from top management down. It has to stop.

 

[TYGA]

The game plan is clear posted it a few times re Flanagan. There are a few sympathising with Madge as there is more to the story. What I’ve heard from people with a good idea is we are asleep at the wheel with scouting and showing up to get deals done with players. Somethings up and it’s not all the coach.

 

[Needaname]

The game plan is clear posted it a few times re Flanagan. There are a few sympathising with Madge as there is more to the story. What I’ve heard from people with a good idea is we are asleep at the wheel with scouting and showing up to get deals done with players. Somethings up and it’s not all the coach.

Well the latest is it’s our recruitment manager.
I thought he was a ‘big coup’ and was going to transform us.

 

[LeichhardtTiger]

Clearly, the drugs Phil Rothfield is on are not on the PBS.

 

[twentyforty]

If we started winning more than our share of footy games ...most of this disappears

Blame the club .....they recruit , retain , coach , train and ultimately picks the 17 every week

If they don't make the 8 ........

Yes, it’s such a pity the club doesn’t have a stronger focus on winning.
Personally, I prefer to have the Rothfields calling our club to account. And they do if we care to sieve through the bs to find reasons for our mediocrity.
The jab at Hartigan, could have actually been directed at those who override his decisions?
The WT appears to be disorganised and unprofessional. The wild wests doco could prove to be their biggest blunder if it reinforces this?

 

[pawsandclaws1]

The game plan is clear posted it a few times re Flanagan. There are a few sympathising with Madge as there is more to the story. What I’ve heard from people with a good idea is we are asleep at the wheel with scouting and showing up to get deals done with players. Somethings up and it’s not all the coach.

As soon as Maguire comes under the microscope the mantra "look over there" emanates. He is accountable for the atrocious defence and must go.

 

[twentyforty]

The game plan is clear posted it a few times re Flanagan. There are a few sympathising with Madge as there is more to the story. What I’ve heard from people with a good idea is we are asleep at the wheel with scouting and showing up to get deals done with players. Somethings up and it’s not all the coach.

As soon as Maguire comes under the microscope the mantra "look over there" emanates. He is accountable for the atrocious defence and must go.

We had one player miss 11 of the 48 missed tackles against Manly. We have an inexperienced roster not playing as a team, because they not only don’t know each other, but they are still learning to play . I honestly believe this is a true reflection of the entire organisation, and if that’s the case, sacking the coach will not fix it.

 

[Fade.To.Black]

Buzz should be in a nursing home

He refused to go apparently because they serve food for breakfast instead of gin.

 

[Snake]

If we started winning more than our share of footy games ...most of this disappears

Blame the club .....they recruit , retain , coach , train and ultimately picks the 17 every week

If they don't make the 8 ........

Yes, it’s such a pity the club doesn’t have a stronger focus on winning.
Personally, I prefer to have the Rothfields calling our club to account. And they do if we care to sieve through the bs to find reasons for our mediocrity.
The jab at Hartigan, could have actually been directed at those who override his decisions?
The WT appears to be disorganised and unprofessional. The wild wests doco could prove to be their biggest blunder if it reinforces this?

Exactly Buzz is calling out the club I say well done !the media and others know exactly what’s going on within the club !
I believe there has been a power shift within the club and not in a good way .
Flanagan will attract players ..Maguire doesn’t that’s Fact !
The club is floundering and needs a new direction .. I am glad finally someone is calling the club out because 11 seasons of not making a final serious is a massive FAIL by all that have administered this club in that period .

 

[cktiger]

If we started winning more than our share of footy games ...most of this disappears

Blame the club .....they recruit , retain , coach , train and ultimately picks the 17 every week

If they don't make the 8 ........

Yes, it’s such a pity the club doesn’t have a stronger focus on winning.
Personally, I prefer to have the Rothfields calling our club to account. And they do if we care to sieve through the bs to find reasons for our mediocrity.
The jab at Hartigan, could have actually been directed at those who override his decisions?
The WT appears to be disorganised and unprofessional. The wild wests doco could prove to be their biggest blunder if it reinforces this?

Exactly Buzz is calling out the club I say well done !the media and others know exactly what’s going on within the club !
I believe there has been a power shift within the club and not in a good way .
Flanagan will attract players ..Maguire doesn’t that’s Fact !
The club is floundering and needs a new direction .. I am glad finally someone is calling the club out because 11 seasons of not making a final serious is a massive FAIL by all that have administered this club in that period .

How good did Flanagan go shadow coaching the Dragons?

 

[pawsandclaws1]

The game plan is clear posted it a few times re Flanagan. There are a few sympathising with Madge as there is more to the story. What I’ve heard from people with a good idea is we are asleep at the wheel with scouting and showing up to get deals done with players. Somethings up and it’s not all the coach.

As soon as Maguire comes under the microscope the mantra "look over there" emanates. He is accountable for the atrocious defence and must go.


We had one player miss 11 of the 48 missed tackles against Manly. We have an inexperienced roster not playing as a team, because they not only don’t know each other, but they are still learning to play . I honestly believe this is a true reflection of the entire organisation, and if that’s the case, sacking the coach will not fix it.

One player did miss many tackles but this appalling defence has been there all year. This is Maguire's third year and surely has had sufficient tenure to imprint his defensive structure on the team. Enough with the excuses, it's time for him to go.