The recruitment Richo has over seen with Benji this year, mind you Richo hasn't been at the Tigers for a full year yet, till next month. It is night and day compared to the trash we were used to dealing with. Richo has achieved this in 11 months. In another 2 years we will have a team that the rest of the comp will be drooling over. This has been the biggest off-season for signings in our history. When Sheens signed Prince, Hodgeson and the rest of the guys we built our premiership around the Tigers were nowhere in as much of a hole we are in now. Can't imagine what Richo will be able to bring to the club once we start seeing some regular success.
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Everything Richo is doing is to help Benji. Give him everything he needs to succeed. If he doesn't then that's on Benji and there are no excuses just like for the players. The other thing being done is assembling a squad that other coaches wouldn't mind getting their hand on incase Benji does fail. Imo if Benji doesn't make it, I'm on the phone to Ivan Cleary telling him you left the Tigers in a shambles because you had unfinished business at Penrith, now you have unfinished business at the Tigers and after everything you owe the club and supporters. Lead them to success and you will have redeemed yourself in their eyes, it's the one thorn in the side of your coaching career, the way you left the Tigers. Name your price and redeem yourself.
Same I can see it turning around in the future at some point, not like every other preseason where we hope it might get better, we have recruited guys that guarantee it will get better. Not there yet but we'll on our way. Happy days in Tiger Town are coming soon.
Depends how you look at it. Getting people to buy into a family-like culture is so important. All the players know it’s a business at the end of the day, but a coach or leader that establishes the importance of looking after each other like family is a positive and helps develop the bond that together we’re in the fight and have a purpose collectively.
Back in my office work days, work shops sucked. But I learnt something in one that really changed my mindset. They gave everyone a bit of paper and had us all write down the most important thing to us.
The majority wrote family. One guy (who had 10 kids mind you), wrote ‘money’.
At first I was like really, but then he explained it. If he had money, he could provide for his family, he could afford to look after his health better, he could enjoy a better lifestyle for his kids. Ultimately his answer was family, but he himself just felt that money would give him a better way of looking after his most important thing.
I don’t believe money makes you truly happy or makes you love someone more or less, I grew up with nothing. But I can understand why he felt that way.
So at the end of the day, family is the most important thing, we just have to convince players that we have that common goal to help them achieve that.
If a player says I want to buy mum and dad a house…alright mate, we’ll let’s sit you down with some experts and help you do that with your salary.
If a player wants a premiership, mate we’ve got a squad here that cares about your family and wants you to have a ring within the next couple of years. If you buy in with everyone and fight for it everyday. You’ll have your ring.
Family and culture setting is the starting point for a club at the bottom. We’ve got to get these guys to get hungry for success and providing a workplace that people want to be at is step one. And I think Benji is trying to embrace that. One in, all in.
South’s had the cattle last year, but we’re miserable. You could see they weren’t in for a fight. They bring in the best man manager to get them competing again.
Yes, they are insanely well paid for their profession, but human after all. Sometimes you’ve got to do a Reno, strip it all back and build it back.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
I don’t think Benji has ever had a killer instinct, as a player or coach. He’s always been very bla’se. Which really made it remarkable that he was as good as he was at his peak, and at the same time is probably why he regressed so far as a player over the second half of his career. He could get away with it as a player, but that attitude doesn’t cut it as a first grade coach. It isn’t a 9-5 job, as much as he tries to paint it as one. It’s an attitude he needs to reassess if he’s going to be a successful coach.
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.
Buttface
Well-known member
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.
Still? ,I hired a few ghost writers on good coin. Will sack em and go back to slurring
Tucker
Well-known member
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
Well-known member
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
Well-known member
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…
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’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
Well-known member
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.
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.
Yep time will tell.
💯 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
