Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Buttface]

Geeze benji pushing family before footy again so front and center is going to be his downfall

No other coach says it

During the press conference I reckon Richo was sitting there thinking “shut up benji” when he started his rant about it

Yea everyone know family is more important but to win a premiership players need to be told footy is everything to make them train and play that extra harder to the death

That’s just my opinion

Let’s see

I totally agree.
Everyone knows Fam is the most important thing in your life. To be a good family member you need to be happy, and winning makes people happier. How good do you feel when you have trained or, worked really hard to be better than everyone else and then you go out and nail it. You take that feeling home to ya fam and the whole family feel like winners. It also is a good role model for kids watching their parents work really hard, making sacrifices, (and sometimes it’s the fam making sacrifices), and then they see those sacrifices pay off. It’s just life for the rest of us.
It shites me, everyone’s family has to make sacrifices so we can go to work for a better life, and most of us don’t get to kick a footy around to get paid, so the least you can do is pretend to be putting work first just like the rest of us.

 

[Merlot]

Kool, for me they are just like an @Merlot post, my daily riddle.
Still love ya work Merlot.

Still? ,I hired a few ghost writers on good coin. Will sack em and go back to slurring

 

[Tucker]

I genuinely think this comes from him trying to emulate Bennet. Anyone who speaks about Bennet speaks about how much he cares about players off the field, with family etc.

Difference is Bennet is a seasoned coach with plenty of respect, so when it comes to work - it's going to be work.

Yes.
Anyone that employs people has surely noticed that there has been a huge shift since Covid - led by Gen Z to move away from work dominated lives and actually have lives outside of their profession. They want to get their work done ASAP and go home to enjoy themselves with friends, family, hobbies etc. I remember being a young bloke - we worked a minimum of 10 hours, rushed home for a quick bite before running out to training or the gym or sport and then we'd catch up with friends afterwards if possible, before getting home @ 10ish, shower, bed, do it all again. Young people these days are saying forks to that. They dont want to live frantic. It is very nobel...as long as the work gets done.
I think its pretty obvious the work is not getting done at Concord these past two years. Not to the level required. Benji must get the balance right. Is there time to do so before finals series 2025? I believe so. Lets hope they evolve.

 

[Tiger_claws]

Geeze benji pushing family before footy again so front and center is going to be his downfall

No other coach says it

During the press conference I reckon Richo was sitting there thinking “shut up benji” when he started his rant about it

Yea everyone know family is more important but to win a premiership players need to be told footy is everything to make them train and play that extra harder to the death

That’s just my opinion

Let’s see

I was very fortunate to be in an induction with Cooper Cronk speaking for about 30 minutes. He said football is not even 10% of his life. When he is in footy mode he is all in 100%. Don’t think for one second Benji and the players aren’t doing extras. A little snippet was after they got embarrassed by the Sharks at Shark Park. Benji was back in the office the next morning at 4am reviewing the tape. He probably didn’t get home after that game until midnight. Thats just one moment I know of. The key is squeezing everything out of the players when they’re in footy mode. Time will tell

 

[Tiger-ferret]

Yes.
Anyone that employs people has surely noticed that there has been a huge shift since Covid - led by Gen Z to move away from work dominated lives and actually have lives outside of their profession. They want to get their work done ASAP and go home to enjoy themselves with friends, family, hobbies etc. I remember being a young bloke - we worked a minimum of 10 hours, rushed home for a quick bite before running out to training or the gym or sport and then we'd catch up with friends afterwards if possible, before getting home @ 10ish, shower, bed, do it all again. Young people these days are saying forks to that. They dont want to live frantic. It is very nobel...as long as the work gets done.
I think its pretty obvious the work is not getting done at Concord these past two years. Not to the level required. Benji must get the balance right. Is there time to do so before finals series 2025? I believe so. Lets hope they evolve.

They want it both ways. Clear working boundaries with a great lifestyle. My dad worked 3 jobs at one point to put a modest roof over our head back in the 80s. It wasn’t easy but he got the job done. I’ll be forever greatful to him and now he can enjoy life with his grandkids.

Things are different but same now…

 

[bbobb]

Geeze benji pushing family before footy again so front and center is going to be his downfall

No other coach says it

During the press conference I reckon Richo was sitting there thinking “shut up benji” when he started his rant about it

Yea everyone know family is more important but to win a premiership players need to be told footy is everything to make them train and play that extra harder to the death

That’s just my opinion

Let’s see

I think (hope) he is commenting a bit more about the type of person than the value of family its self.

I’d say Benji is wanting a group of players who have the right motivations, being here for the right reasons and knowing the change will be challenging going forward. If the group values family and will do anything for their family, then they potentially have the right value system to see their team and team mates as family and will go the extra mile.

My feeling that this is about building culture and bringing people to the club that are values aligned to develop the culture Benji wants.

 

[Flippedy]

I wouldn't say i am optimistic but it would be fair to say i am no longer pessimistic.The reason for that is the fact we now have the nucleus of a decent side but it needs to gell and the players to use the opportunity to develop into a good team

I’ve seen teams full of good players play like crap, most recently Canterbury after their spending spree a couple of years ago. It wasn’t until they bought Crichton that they started to improve. I hope this isn’t the case now that we have strengthened our side with some quality NRL players. I hope we can gel as a team much faster. I guess it all comes down to the coaching now and that’s where the question mark is for me. I’m not sure Benji is the coach to take us places, but time will tell.

 

[claws1]

Talk about culture, I wonder how many Weststigers players will be kneeling in the huddle, praying and thanking God at the end of each game this coming season? Lead by the Ex-Penrith boys.
Go Weststigers!

 

[jadtiger]

I’ve seen teams full of good players play like crap, most recently Canterbury after their spending spree a couple of years ago. It wasn’t until they bought Crichton that they started to improve. I hope this isn’t the case now that we have strengthened our side with some quality NRL players. I hope we can gel as a team much faster. I guess it all comes down to the coaching now and that’s where the question mark is for me. I’m not sure Benji is the coach to take us places, but time will tell.

It is still too early to tell with Benji imho,like everyone else i hope he becomes the coach we desperately need

 

[Tiger-ferret]

I think (hope) he is commenting a bit more about the type of person than the value of family its self.

I’d say Benji is wanting a group of players who have the right motivations, being here for the right reasons and knowing the change will be challenging going forward. If the group values family and will do anything for their family, then they potentially have the right value system to see their team and team mates as family and will go the extra mile.

My feeling that this is about building culture and bringing people to the club that are values aligned to develop the culture Benji wants.

I just can’t reconcile the contradiction here is that Benji walked out on his “work family” a number of times.

Also the family comes first thing is all well and good as long as the families are on the same page as the club. As soon as these values become misaligned it all falls apart. Ie a player will go back to qld or NZ on compassionate grounds. Or they want more money for the family so they’ll agitate to break a contract.

Benji has done well with Richo in regards to recruitment in recent times. If that flows into wins on the board then he’s doing something right I guess.

 

[SeanT]

I'm always hopeful, but this time I'm optimistic for the first time in many years.

Add a decent centre and il be a bit more optimistic. Olam will be one side but the other I have no confidence in any of the players we have.

 

[tigermate]

I was very fortunate to be in an induction with Cooper Cronk speaking for about 30 minutes. He said football is not even 10% of his life. When he is in footy mode he is all in 100%. Don’t think for one second Benji and the players aren’t doing extras. A little snippet was after they got embarrassed by the Sharks at Shark Park. Benji was back in the office the next morning at 4am reviewing the tape. He probably didn’t get home after that game until midnight. Thats just one moment I know of. The key is squeezing everything out of the players when they’re in footy mode. Time will tell

Yep time will tell.

 

[tigermate]

I totally agree.
Everyone knows Fam is the most important thing in your life. To be a good family member you need to be happy, and winning makes people happier. How good do you feel when you have trained or, worked really hard to be better than everyone else and then you go out and nail it. You take that feeling home to ya fam and the whole family feel like winners. It also is a good role model for kids watching their parents work really hard, making sacrifices, (and sometimes it’s the fam making sacrifices), and then they see those sacrifices pay off. It’s just life for the rest of us.
It shites me, everyone’s family has to make sacrifices so we can go to work for a better life, and most of us don’t get to kick a footy around to get paid, so the least you can do is pretend to be putting work first just like the rest of us.

💯 I remember Paul gallen commented on benji saying this earlier in the year…
Said he gets it but it doesn’t need to be said. It’s implied. But the great teams and players think winning is everything.

Look at michael jordan and tom Brady - winning was everything

Is their home life not great because of it - probably … but benjis job is not being a marriage Counsellor - it’s winning football games … that’s his job. If he wants to be their friend he should be the welfare coach

look at richo - he says “I don’t want to be invited to your wedding bc we’re not friends”

Benji has the opposite mindset

I reckon Richo will give him time to prove his worth but if Benji doesn’t get results first half of this year and the team is losing respect for him - Richo will punt him

 

[Tucker]

I was very fortunate to be in an induction with Cooper Cronk speaking for about 30 minutes. He said football is not even 10% of his life. When he is in footy mode he is all in 100%. Don’t think for one second Benji and the players aren’t doing extras. A little snippet was after they got embarrassed by the Sharks at Shark Park. Benji was back in the office the next morning at 4am reviewing the tape. He probably didn’t get home after that game until midnight. Thats just one moment I know of. The key is squeezing everything out of the players when they’re in footy mode. Time will tell

Surely <10% is a little bit exaggerated? He works in the NRL department of Fox Sports and is on camera a lot, consults with the Roosters and the Storm and is a director of the QRL.
I wouldnt confuse the coaching staff doing extras with the players doing them.

 

[upthetigers]

I'm always hopeful, but this time I'm optimistic for the first time in many years.

Awesome mate we need the optimistic people to balance out the negative nancies on the forum

 

[upthetigers]

Add a decent centre and il be a bit more optimistic. Olam will be one side but the other I have no confidence in any of the players we have.

Why are you writing off Turuva already? Let him have a crack.

 

[Tucker]

Awesome mate we need the optimistic people to balance out the negative nancies on the forum

Its pretty simplistic stuff to label people negative nancies when the team they support has played finals 3 times in 25 years, hasnt managed so in 13 years and has just completed 3 years in a row of running dead last.
A critical eye is not a bad thing. Blind optimism is for the children.

 

[upthetigers]

Its pretty simplistic stuff to label people negative nancies when the team they support has played finals 3 times in 25 years, hasnt managed so in 13 years and has just completed 3 years in a row of running dead last.
A critical eye is not a bad thing. Blind optimism is for the children.

Not having a shot at you btw. I'm as over it as the next guy but there are reasons for the optimism the club under Richo is going in a positive direction surely you see that.

We finally have the cattle so Benji will be judged fairly in 2025. If he can't deliver he needs to go back and get a proper apprenticeship.

 

[tigermate]

I think (hope) he is commenting a bit more about the type of person than the value of family its self.

I’d say Benji is wanting a group of players who have the right motivations, being here for the right reasons and knowing the change will be challenging going forward. If the group values family and will do anything for their family, then they potentially have the right value system to see their team and team mates as family and will go the extra mile.

My feeling that this is about building culture and bringing people to the club that are values aligned to develop the culture Benji wants.

I don’t disagree with you

I reckon lots of players would love hearing family over football

But when the other team is hungrier and you get pumped when in week out - you get despondent and then you’re not happy at home and football

Benji doesn’t need to say it publicly that’s my point

He’s setting himself up to have an easy target on his back if he starts losing

Think about soldiers at war

They do things because they are drilled to believe it’s country over anything else

If the commander said your family is more important than the mission - then when shit gets real - the soldiers probably think about walking away … if the soldiers believe that the mission is more important than family (bc the mission helps the family) than the soldier goes to die for the mission

Footy is no different

Winning football games puts food on the table and increases the earning capacity for winning players and makes them happier humans bc footy players get their highs from winning - it’s all linked to being happier at home

But benji preaching this stuff - is bad. I’m telling you. When the shit gets real - I reckon Craig Bellamy’s style of shouting in the coaching box even when he’s winning by 50 with 1 minute to go - creates more success on the field - then benji “turn your phone off when you get home bc when you retire family is going to be there for you”

That’s just my opinion

Let’s see

 

[SeanT]

Why are you writing off Turuva already? Let him have a crack.

Why isn't he playing wing?

Who will be the winger if not him.