Round 1 Team

[LeichhardtTiger]

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/will-moses-mbye-have-to-turn-into-the-tigers-super-sub-20210303-p577ij.html

 

[JC99]

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/will-moses-mbye-have-to-turn-into-the-tigers-super-sub-20210303-p577ij.html

Mbye saying he could play 6 round 1 and Laurie at fullback. That's the strongest way to do it I think

 

[mike]

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/will-moses-mbye-have-to-turn-into-the-tigers-super-sub-20210303-p577ij.html

Mbye saying he could play 6 round 1 and Laurie at fullback. That's the strongest way to do it I think

As it should be if Laurie is going to be the long term Fullback.

 

[Tim Sheens]

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/will-moses-mbye-have-to-turn-into-the-tigers-super-sub-20210303-p577ij.html

Mbye saying he could play 6 round 1 and Laurie at fullback. That's the strongest way to do it I think

As it should be if Laurie is going to be the long term Fullback.

Trialled in the position the club pursued him to fill and performed well in his combinations, which on the left that was only missing BJ from our expected squad, so why on earth would they even consider changing it.

 

[Krammy]

Starting to get a twitch in my left eye and a tendency to yell obscenities for no reason... round 1 is close....

Too funny oldman. Love it!

 

[Aubanon]

Incidentally what was the go with the inferior Leluia brother on the weekend?
Was he craving some maccas or something or did he have a twinge somewhere?

Was in a moonboot.

Just Gout - was walking without it Monday morning

 

[Fade.To.Black]

Does anyone have any insight to what teams do between last trial game and season starts.

Play forcin back


They call that Aussie Rules.
What are your thoughts on Garner?
Does he come off the bench red 1?

Had a poor year last year and didn't do much in the trials. CC for Garner round 1 at least for mine.

1. Mbye (if fit)
2. Nofa
3. BJ
4. JTJ
5. Kapoea
6. Laurie
7. Brooks
8. Tamou
9. Liddle
10. Twal
11. Luciano
12. Simpkins
13. Ofahenguhe

14. Stefano
15. Mikaele
16. Packer
17. Talau

A lot comes down to whether Mbye is ready to go or not. If he is out, Laurie to 1 and either Talau or Madden at 6, with Jake Simpkin on the bench.

 

[twentyforty]

Does anyone have any insight to what teams do between last trial game and season starts.

Play forcin back


They call that Aussie Rules.
What are your thoughts on Garner?
Does he come off the bench red 1?

Had a poor year last year and didn't do much in the trials. CC for Garner round 1 at least for mine.

1. Mbye (if fit)
2. Nofa
3. BJ
4. JTJ
5. Kapoea
6. Laurie
7. Brooks
8. Tamou
9. Liddle
10. Twal
11. Luciano
12. Simpkins
13. Ofahenguhe

14. Stefano
15. Mikaele
16. Packer
17. Talau

A lot comes down to whether Mbye is ready to go or not. If he is out, Laurie to 1 and either Talau or Madden at 6, with Jake Simpkin on the bench.

Agree, I don’t think Garner has done enough to earn a spot round one?

 

[AJ1]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/tigers/nrl-2021-new-wests-tigers-signing-joe-ofahengaue-speaks-about-demise-of-brisbane-broncos-under-anthony-seibold/news-story/5a63b65219bf38566e524d4e48db3d75?utm_source=breaking_sportsmail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=crm&utm_content=static

New Wests Tigers signing Joe Ofahengaue relieved for change of scenery after Broncos hell
WESTS TIGERS
George Clarke
March 3, 2021 3:49pm
GEORGE CLARKE
Source: FOX SPORTS

Joe Ofahengaue has a lot to get off his chest.
In a new city and with new club, he’s feeling fresh after moving from the Broncos to the Wests Tigers.

“Besides getting swiped off the road, Sydney’s good,” he says with a smile.

“No indicators, no nothing, they push in, everyone’s in a rush. There are some crazy drivers. I’m settling in well, though, and the club has a really good family culture.”

Ofahengaue admits he needed a new start.

A guy who turned out for Queensland as a starting front-rower and played a role in Tonga’s stunning win over Australia was reduced to a shadow of his former self as Brisbane slumped to the wooden spoon in 2020.

It didn’t help that under Anthony Seibold, Ofahengaue changed position every week, give or take. Prop one week, lock the next, followed by a spell in the back-row.


And he’s hopeful that playing in the middle under Michael Maguire on a weekly basis can help him recapture his form after Brisbane’s year from hell.

“Yeah it got really bad... I’m not going to sugar-coat it,” he tells foxsports.com.au.

“Things got really bad and I went away from a lot of things I knew I was good at. I just wasn’t buying into my footy and wasn’t playing to my potential.

“I was starting in Origin the year before that. I think I just let the losses really affect me.

“And that’s not really me. But if you ask any of my teammates, I’m usually the happiest guy in the club.

“I’m the one who is trying to get the boys around me going and get the energy up.

“Yeah, last year was just a really, really bad one for me and the club.”


One of the critiques of Brisbane was their fitness.

Last year it seemed as if they were gassed after 50 minutes where opposition sides would turn the screw and rack up a big scoreline.

“We were fit, bro,” he counters.

“We just weren’t winning, you know?

“And when you’re when you’re losing your players lose belief in your coach, it’s hard to get the team to click because everyone’s minds are in different places.

“You know, some boys maybe believed in the coach. Some boys didn’t, that’s what the Broncos were last year.

Did Ofahengaue believe in Seibold?

“At stages, and I’m not going to badmouth Seibs. I think he was a great guy,” he says.

“I think his coaching strategies were nowhere near what we needed last year.

“Us players as well, we were at fault as well, because we weren’t honest [with Seibold] sometimes. He’d say we need to do this? And as players we just agreed.

“So we played a big part in that as well. It wasn’t just a coach like, I’m not going to fault Seibs. It was on all of us as a club.

“You know, we lost belief in our processes, belief in each other our beliefs, and our teammates and belief in our coach.

“All in one, bro, no one really believed us. And that’s what it showed, you know, that’s not the Broncos spirit.

Another criticism was how Seibold had a gamelan for every 10m section of the field like an NFL-style playbook.

It’s something the Broncos players found frustrating and when things turned sour, they went away from everything they had trained for.

“Sometimes we were just too structured and sometimes some players would get the s**ts and say we don’t want to run that play, or they just didn’t get a match style of footy,” he says. “But that’s all in the past.

“I wish Seibs all the best. And I was pretty sad when he was telling us he got fired, it’s a man losing his job.”

The good news for the Tigers is that Ofahengaue will be staying in the middle.

He’s trained on the edge during the off-season, but that’s purely as a back-up option.

He’s likely to start with James Tamou in the front row when the Tigers face the Raiders in Round 1 and also has eyes on returning to the representative football.

“Tonga is my main goal. I want to play in that World Cup,” he adds.

“If Queensland comes then it’s a bonus. On the rep side of things, Tonga is my main aim and I want to lead with those boys like Jason Taumalolo.

“Hopefully we can go all the way. My main season goal, though, is to play consistent footy for this club. That’s what this club needs and that’s what I hope to deliver.”

Articles trashing the Broncos are more interesting that the Tigers being a club on the up it seems

Theres some nuggets in there...

Imagine if the article was quoting Aloiai rather than Ofahengaue discussing Madge not Seibold, the forum would have gone into meltdown.

It seems pretty standard for former players to open up on their previous club, it's not only common to us.

 

[Guest]

Does anyone have any insight to what teams do between last trial game and season starts.

Play forcin back


They call that Aussie Rules.
What are your thoughts on Garner?
Does he come off the bench red 1?

Had a poor year last year and didn't do much in the trials. CC for Garner round 1 at least for mine.

1. Mbye (if fit)
2. Nofa
3. BJ
4. JTJ
5. Kapoea
6. Laurie
7. Brooks
8. Tamou
9. Liddle
10. Twal
11. Luciano
12. Simpkins
13. Ofahenguhe

14. Stefano
15. Mikaele
16. Packer
17. Talau

A lot comes down to whether Mbye is ready to go or not. If he is out, Laurie to 1 and either Talau or Madden at 6, with Jake Simpkin on the bench.


Agree, I don’t think Garner has done enough to earn a spot round one?

I wonder what game some people watch sometimes.

 

[twentyforty]

Does anyone have any insight to what teams do between last trial game and season starts.

Play forcin back


They call that Aussie Rules.
What are your thoughts on Garner?
Does he come off the bench red 1?

Had a poor year last year and didn't do much in the trials. CC for Garner round 1 at least for mine.

1. Mbye (if fit)
2. Nofa
3. BJ
4. JTJ
5. Kapoea
6. Laurie
7. Brooks
8. Tamou
9. Liddle
10. Twal
11. Luciano
12. Simpkins
13. Ofahenguhe

14. Stefano
15. Mikaele
16. Packer
17. Talau

A lot comes down to whether Mbye is ready to go or not. If he is out, Laurie to 1 and either Talau or Madden at 6, with Jake Simpkin on the bench.


Agree, I don’t think Garner has done enough to earn a spot round one?

It appeared Talau was trying to state a claim for the 6 with a few kicks near the line, but none came off. I’d be happy for any option at 6, but if Mbye is not fit I think Madge might go with Madden?

 

[Deleted member 3518]

Does anyone have any insight to what teams do between last trial game and season starts.

Play forcin back


They call that Aussie Rules.
What are your thoughts on Garner?
Does he come off the bench red 1?

Had a poor year last year and didn't do much in the trials. CC for Garner round 1 at least for mine.

1. Mbye (if fit)
2. Nofa
3. BJ
4. JTJ
5. Kapoea
6. Laurie
7. Brooks
8. Tamou
9. Liddle
10. Twal
11. Luciano
12. Simpkins
13. Ofahenguhe

14. Stefano
15. Mikaele
16. Packer
17. Talau

A lot comes down to whether Mbye is ready to go or not. If he is out, Laurie to 1 and either Talau or Madden at 6, with Jake Simpkin on the bench.


Agree, I don’t think Garner has done enough to earn a spot round one?

It appeared Talau was trying to state a claim for the 6 with a few kicks near the line, but none came off. I’d be happy for any option at 6, but if Mbye is not fit I think Madge might go with Madden?

I thought that was a given for round 1. And Mbye basically admitted he’s going to try to be a Craig wing type super sub . Which is a huge asset if you can do that . Kurt Gidley as well was very good at that role .

 

[TheDaBoss]

Laurie at 1 and mbye at 6 for me

 

[Tiger_Fanatic3]

WT are satisfied with their 2021 fixture.
Via
@JoelFletchSEN
https://twitter.com/i/status/1367345308250894357

 

[Needaname]

Incidentally what was the go with the inferior Leluia brother on the weekend?
Was he craving some maccas or something or did he have a twinge somewhere?

Was in a moonboot.

Just Gout - was walking without it Monday morning

Holly hell. Gout. That isn’t ideal for a professional footballer and a male just over 30.

 

[weststigerman]

Sounds like Simpkin is in the team for round 1. I assume at 14.

 

[TigerWest]

Sounds like Simpkin is in the team for round 1. I assume at 14.

where is that info coming from?

 

[weststigerman]

Sounds like Simpkin is in the team for round 1. I assume at 14.

where is that info coming from?

Congrats from Chris Lawrence on Instagram

 

[JC99]

Sounds like Simpkin is in the team for round 1. I assume at 14.

where is that info coming from?

Congrats from Chris Lawrence on Instagram

They're referring to him posting a photo of his girlfriend for the first time as a 'debut', although Walters did say 'that's two debuts in a week' so you never know. As for all the other comments they're not talking about his footy I believe

 

[The-moP]

With options available,who we play will depend on the opposition i think,. Wighton will our main threat,and having players in his face that can tackle will be a priority. He is a strong body. Stewart coached sides rely on a strong kicking game, and our flanks will be tested. Our big advantage is that Madge has their games on film to study, where we are an unknown quantity.

Wighton is a huge threat completely agree but unless our big boys wrap up papali it's going to be a long night. For a prop he truly is a game changer. Would've looked great with a tiger on his Jersey lol

Yeah big papa is a beast, imo he was in the top 10 players in the game last year.
It will be a very good test for WTs pack taking on Canberra who will still be very strong despite missing Horsburgh and CHN.

I do believe Canberra are without Croker for round one too.