Shades of 2003...

[The Chad]

2003- 7 wins
Youngsters Collis, Farah, Gibbs, Marshall, Fulton, O'Donnell & Halatau get blooded.

2004- 10 wins
Dominant player in Scott Prince added. Further blooding of juniors from previous year along with Heighinton, Harrison & Lafranchi. Sattler, Hodgson, Payten, Richards added..

2024- 4 wins so far
Youngsters Galvin, Fainu, Bula, Mason, Miller, Lualili'i x 2, Matamua blooded along with Da Silva, Sione Fainu, Pole, Faataape.

2025- ?
Dominant player in Luai added along with Turuva...

 

[Tiger Woods]

I think in 25 we'll win about 15

 

[innsaneink]

2003- 7 wins
Youngsters Collis, Farah, Gibbs, Marshall, Fulton, O'Donnell & Halatau get blooded.

2004- 10 wins
Dominant player in Scott Prince added. Further blooding of juniors from previous year along with Heighinton, Harrison & Lafranchi. Sattler, Hodgson, Payten, Richards added..

2024- 4 wins so far
Youngsters Galvin, Fainu, Bula, Mason, Miller, Lualili'i x 2, Matamua blooded along with Da Silva, Sione Fainu, Pole, Faataape.

2025- ?
Dominant player in Luai added along with Turuva...

That was off the back of the Magpies SG Ball squad winning the comp in 2002.

We.just had a Magpies junior rep team go thru undefeated a year or two ago

Very similar

 

[Winston Churchill]

Everyone forgets how important Phats and Elford were in adding to the stability in attack and D of those naughties squads.

Olam and Doohey fit in nicely with the 20 year later similarities.

 

[Odessa]

Everyone forgets how important Phats and Elford were in adding to the stability in attack and D of those naughties squads.

Olam and Doohey fit in nicely with the 20 year later similarities.

Great centres Phats and Elford so underrated

 

[TIGERS]

I think this is a brilliant thread and a terrific comparison to imagine. I try and make the same sort of comparisons in my head all the time these days.

People think I'm nuts when I say this, but I'd rather get wooden spoons for the right reasons rather than finishing 9th for all the wrong reasons. I'd rather win 4 games in a season breaking in really good talent than winning 12 games trying to make the 8 with Moses Mbye and Michael Chee-Kam in the starting team. Richo gets this and that's why he is a godsend.

But the whole blooding junior talent and not being worried about the table, thats the vibe of 2003 and 2004 for me. 2004 was a really fun season. That's when we really started to play amazing side to side "Sheensball". Its really hilarious fo think back about how we had a supposedly veteran, almost out of date, finished coach back then but he was coaching us again 19 years later.

Do we have the same unglamourous but awesome veterans now as we did back in 2003/ 2004? (Skando, Galea, O'Neill), Maybe Alex Twal?? Thats probbably the main difference, we had more of a core of people who were used to losing at least 68% of their games a season, but got way better after a couple seasons under Sheens. I don't think we do.

The other big difference is that Wests Tigers almost NEVER got a mention in the media back in those days. We are tender prey for news corp now, as negative stories and outrage are more valueable now to media outlets than success, excellence and popularity were back then. There was no scruitny on our club like there is now.. Buzz wasn;t writing about who Steve Noyce was hiring.. (Can you imagine if Raddison Marne was our sponsor today???)

Fun memories, and exciting to dream about the future now as I did when I was an 18 year old panel beating apprentice from Campbelltown

 

[TIGERS]

Great centres Phats and Elford so underrated

Don't forget poor old John Wilson

 

[Mighty_Tiger]

Don't forget poor old John Wilson

Good old white legs