Round 2 team 2026

[BlackWhiteGold]

Latu's strength is crazy for a half and tackling his big brothers has taken care of his one on one tackling

Just need him on the field someday

If we had

1.Bula
6.Jerome
7.Latu
13.AD
9.Api

14 Haywood

We should be able to score points

I heard last year that pound-for-pound Latu is the best on the wrestling matt in the gym.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

I heard last year that pound-for-pound Latu is the best on the wrestling matt in the gym.

Shows through with his defense, when he's on the field that is.

 

[Chunk]

1. Bula
2. Turuva
3. May
4. Toa
5. Skelton
6. Luai
7. Douihei
8. Terrell May
9. Api
10. Pole
11. Sam Fainu
12. KPP
13. Twal
14. Hope
15. Hunt
16. Bunty Afoa
17. Sione Fainu/Seyfarth
18. Jock Madden
19. Makasini

If Madden ends up being our halfback we are stuffed, our only chance is for AD to play well, lets pray. AD can be three times the footballer Madden is.

Api can't play 80, so we'll need a ready to go dummy half, so Hope is the guy.

And leave Makasini's powder dry for the time being, Skelton has shown he can be more then an adequate player.

 

[Vicious]

1. Bula
2. Skelton (RW)
3. Taylan May (RC)
4. Makasini (LC)
5. Turuva (LW)
6. Luai
7. Doueihi
8. Terrell May
9. Korisau
10. Afoa
11. KPP
12. Samuela Fainu
13. Twal

14. Hope or Murray or Mason
15. Sione Fainu
16. Pole
17. Hunt
18. Madden
19. Saukuru or To’a

20. To’a or Saukuru
21. Seyfarth

** If the weather is expected to be hot when the game kicks off we would need Seyfarth in the 17 for the extra fitness levels he brings, probably in place of Hunt or Afoa.
** Saukuru is a potential match winner with his size, power and aggression and his ability to play centre or edge back row.
** While Latu Fainu is out injured we will need Jock Madden somewhere in the 19, whether it be as our 14 and spending some time at dummy half or as our 18th man just in case one of our starting halves get injured.
** I think Haywood is closer to being in our top 17 or 19 than what some think as yes he ideally needs to toughen up and be more solid defensively, but he’s a very confident kid who could help win us games with his attacking quality, initially in 15-20 minute stints.

 

[Odessa]

1. Bula
2. Turuva
3. May
4. Toa
5. Skelton
6. Luai
7. Douihei
8. Terrell May
9. Api
10. Pole
11. Sam Fainu
12. KPP
13. Twal
14. Hope
15. Hunt
16. Bunty Afoa
17. Sione Fainu/Seyfarth
18. Jock Madden
19. Makasini

If Madden ends up being our halfback we are stuffed, our only chance is for AD to play well, lets pray. AD can be three times the footballer Madden is.

Api can't play 80, so we'll need a ready to go dummy half, so Hope is the guy.

And leave Makasini's powder dry for the time being, Skelton has shown he can be more then an adequate player.

I would not start Twal at all I would prefer Bunty his tackling is almost on par with Twal

Bunty hits harder then Twal runs harder then Twal

I would have Bunty play the first 25 minutes then bring him off and replace him with Twal and he finishes the game and it's just 1 use of the interchange

Then if you have Royce on the bench take May off at 30 minutes bring him back on at the 50 minute mark and he finishes the game and that's Royces 20 minutes with a break in there to go hard as he can

And May and Twal are on the field together for the last 30 minutes to bring us home

 

[Chunk]

I would not start Twal at all I would prefer Bunty his tackling is almost on par with Twal

Bunty hits harder then Twal runs harder then Twal

I would have Bunty play the first 25 minutes then bring him off and replace him with Twal and he finishes the game and it's just 1 use of the interchange

Then if you have Royce on the bench take May off at 30 minutes bring him back on at the 50 minute mark and he finishes the game and that's Royces 20 minutes with a break in there to go hard as he can

And May and Twal are on the field together for the last 30 minutes to bring us home

Yeah that makes sense, however starting Twal gives you a bit more flexibility because of the minutes he can play but what you say could work because you couldn't have Hunt and Bunty on at the same time.

 

[Lestronge]

Where does Latu play then. Because he isn't going to be starting 7 ahead of AD at present and realistically Madden is a more steady hand as the back up 7 to provide structure if AD isn't available or in form. Latu needs time and first grade experience. Coming off the bench as a utility like a Connor Watson is ideal for him in my opinion

Reserve grade. He needs to learn how to run a team for extended periods of time . It’s not a question of talent or value , it’s about what’s best for him.
And he is not a lock . I see that as a detrimental move . At least not yet . If he can’t handle the physical toll and workload on his body playing half then talk about it , but much like Benji sometimes these kids need to wait until their body matures and strengthens.

 

[Lestronge]

They're both only going to play first grade in a utility bench role so they effectively are battling each other

No they’re not. It’s a 6 man bench . You can specialise if you like . 1x back 1x 9 , 1x utility . Then the other 3 continue with thier normal rotation as I can’t see that changing much . It will be the 4th player where teams will have choice .
The prop rotation will stay the same , as there’s a shit tonne of data most teams go off to optimise thier performance like when to take them off , what point in the game they come on , what position etc. I can’t see that changing at all .
The 6 man bench will only give you choice in that 4th role . Pole will need to be replaced at minute 23-35, a little longer for twal and a little longer still for May . That’s if you do it cleverly 6 interchanges . Which still leaves you 2. 2 for a forced change like injury , the other maybe you bring someone back on who was apart of that initial prop rotation .
I mean that’s how I’d roll. It would be much like most managers in football operate . You need a goal ? Send in the speedy winger who needs to learn defence . You’re up by a goal send in the old Wiley veteran defender to close out the match.
The cleverness will be in how they use the middles . Like potentiallY rolling a Murray into 9, then using API to replace say Sione or Royce , and rotating twal to prop and Murray to lock , then using the third interchange to replace Murray with a Robert’s or Geyer … just as an example .

 

[WesternSuburbsBoy]

If the system we saw on saturday is how the team is going to play I just don't see how it works with AD at 7

 

[Odessa]

Yeah that makes sense, however starting Twal gives you a bit more flexibility because of the minutes he can play but what you say could work because you couldn't have Hunt and Bunty on at the same time.

Not starting Twal would hurt you if another forward got injured in the game

But if no one got injured Twal coming off the bench and playing 55 minutes would be great

I think May and Twal should not play more then 60 minutes a game this year

We have the forwards this year to not burn May and Twal out

 

[InBenjiWeTrust]

I don’t understand the Heath Mason hate. Do people realise he was playing lock on Saturday ? He was putting shots on , making 1 on 1 tackles against much bigger men at full pace , finding his front in his play the balls … and the biggest thing not getting pushed backwards causing the team to lose momentum .
I think this is the perfect way to use him . Basically a second fullback without the pressure of playing fullback . I thought he was good on the weekend .
I think people are looking him through a half/fullback lense . When I don’t think that’s the way the club wants to play him nor is it his own personals future . He always struck me as a kid who wants get in there and mix it , he simply wasn’t strong enough yet . It seems maybe he’s hit some PBs in the weights room this off season .

Surely those two new Penrith guys, followed by Turuva and AD must be tried at the FB long before Heath “look Ma, I cannot catch any bomb”,

 

[jrtiger]

"Latu's issue has always been developing his voice and refining the fundamentals of playing halfback, mainly kicking and game management". Thanks, jrtiger.

They are the most important skills to develop, and it takes a lot of experience to get it right.
So many decisions to make in a split second. Not easy for a young guy to get it right consistently.
Maybe as a 14 he can observe and be coached why plays went the way they did, or could have been done better? Time to pick everyone's brains on why things went either right or wrong.
From 14 he can watch Madden, Doueihi and Luai strut their different methods and design his own unique blend?
IMO not ready to be the NRL half. 3rd choice.

I don't think he was far off being there last year. you look at the way we played against the Raiders and the Gold Coast when he was on the field and we were lethal. there's a lot to like about Latu at 7. I'd say he's more likely to be wearing the 7 at the end of the year than Doueihi or Madden.

 

[Jolls]

I don't think he was far off being there last year. you look at the way we played against the Raiders and the Gold Coast when he was on the field and we were lethal. there's a lot to like about Latu at 7. I'd say he's more likely to be wearing the 7 at the end of the year than Doueihi or Madden.

I am with you there, and given that is the likely scenario AD should have been training where he is most likely to end up - at 13. I expect that if Latu was fit and firing AD would not be starting in the 7. That would mean next man up should be Jock with AD having got his body and skills right for his long term position (if he stays).

We really don't quite get how next man up works!

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Wests Tigers NRL Head Coach, Benji Marshall has named a 28-man squad to take on the Penrith Panthers in the Club’s second Witzer Pre-Season Challenge fixture.

The Tigers will play host to the Panthers at Leichhardt Oval as part of a double-header on Friday, 20 September – kicking off in the second match of the evening at 8.10pm.

Marshall has named a combination of NRL Top 30, Development, NSW Cup and Wests Tigers Pathways players across an extended squad – bringing in several senior players who sat out the Tigers 42-26 victory over the Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Co-captains Api Koroisau and Jarome Luai have been named for their first hit-out of the 2026 campaign, along with senior leaders, Adam Doueihi and Alex Twal.

New recruits, Bunty Afoa and Kai Pearce-Paul will make their first appearance in the orange, white and black after impressing throughout their first pre-season at Concord.

Heamasi Makasini retains his place in the starting side following a hat-trick against the Roosters, while Jared Haywood, Tino Tavana and Javon Andrews have also been named in the extended squad.

Wests Tigers Team List: Pre-season Challenge v Penrith Panthers

1. Jahream Bula
2. Heamasi Makasini
3. Taylan May
4. Star To’a
5. Sunia Turuva
6. Jarome Luai (c)
7. Adam Douiehi
8. Bunty Afoa
9. Api Koroisau (c)
10. Fonua Pole
11. Samuela Fainu
12. Kai Pearce-Paul
13. Alex Twal
14. Jock Madden
15. Jack Attard
16. Alex Seyfarth
17. Sione Fainu
18. Patrick Herbert
19. Tony Sukkar
20. Kit Laulilii
21. Tristan Hope
22. Heath Mason
23. Luke Laulilii
24. Jared Haywood
25. Mavrik Geyer
26. Tino Tavana
27. Charlie Murray
28. Javon Andrews

Match details:
Friday, 20 February
Wests Tigers v Penrith Panthers
Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt
Kick-off: 8.10pm
Tickets: Available via Ticketek
Broadcast: Live on Fox League and Kayo Sports

 

[wstigers11]

Terrell must be injured

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Wests Tigers NRL Head Coach, Benji Marshall has named a 28-man squad to take on the Penrith Panthers in the Club’s second Witzer Pre-Season Challenge fixture.

The Tigers will play host to the Panthers at Leichhardt Oval as part of a double-header on Friday, 20 September – kicking off in the second match of the evening at 8.10pm.

Marshall has named a combination of NRL Top 30, Development, NSW Cup and Wests Tigers Pathways players across an extended squad – bringing in several senior players who sat out the Tigers 42-26 victory over the Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Co-captains Api Koroisau and Jarome Luai have been named for their first hit-out of the 2026 campaign, along with senior leaders, Adam Doueihi and Alex Twal.

New recruits, Bunty Afoa and Kai Pearce-Paul will make their first appearance in the orange, white and black after impressing throughout their first pre-season at Concord.

Heamasi Makasini retains his place in the starting side following a hat-trick against the Roosters, while Jared Haywood, Tino Tavana and Javon Andrews have also been named in the extended squad.

Wests Tigers Team List: Pre-season Challenge v Penrith Panthers

1. Jahream Bula
2. Heamasi Makasini
3. Taylan May
4. Star To’a
5. Sunia Turuva
6. Jarome Luai (c)
7. Adam Douiehi
8. Bunty Afoa
9. Api Koroisau (c)
10. Fonua Pole
11. Samuela Fainu
12. Kai Pearce-Paul
13. Alex Twal
14. Jock Madden
15. Jack Attard
16. Alex Seyfarth
17. Sione Fainu
18. Patrick Herbert
19. Tony Sukkar
20. Kit Laulilii
21. Tristan Hope
22. Heath Mason
23. Luke Laulilii
24. Jared Haywood
25. Mavrik Geyer
26. Tino Tavana
27. Charlie Murray
28. Javon Andrews

Match details:
Friday, 20 February
Wests Tigers v Penrith Panthers
Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt
Kick-off: 8.10pm
Tickets: Available via Ticketek
Broadcast: Live on Fox League and Kayo Sports

Sorry wrong thread, Have now created one.

 

[BunganHead Tiger]

I'd say you can add Jeral and Royce to the injured list.

 

[Tigerstigerstigers]

Terrell must be injured

No Hunt either , one player would lkke
To see have as many hit outs as possible

 

[Lestronge]

Surely those two new Penrith guys, followed by Turuva and AD must be tried at the FB long before Heath “look Ma, I cannot catch any bomb”,

?? He played lock on the weekend

 

[Vicious]

?? He played lock on the weekend

I thought Heath played really well on Saturday considering it was really the first time he’s played as a middle forward.
All his carries were energetic and his defensive line speed was good. His energy at least played a part in helping swing the momentum our way.
Many have said he has the traits of a good utility similar to Connor Watson and he showed some good signs in his first crack at it.