Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TrueTiger]

This thread has become ultra depressing...

9 years of no semis will do that to a person

Im hoping things are about to change starting with a revamp and great 2021,a person that is totally stuck on the WTs never gives up hope or gets depressed because of a long bad run he just keeps on paying his membership and supports the team best he can...thats what Im going to do...

 

[TrueTiger]

I still dont think we will get JAC...why?..because he loved the WTs and had to go elsewhere to forge his career,if he needs to get back to Sydney to be with family and he STILL loves the WTs he would have got his manager to start talks even though he is in a team playing finals.I reckon the brotherhood out Redfern way are calling some of the shots..
I could be wrong,but dont be dissapointed if we dont get him..

While Im at it I think Madge has a plan in place now that Benji wont be in the team next year and he favours young dynamic juniors with huge talent that he can mould and develop his way...dont forget he is a coach who builds gameplans on defense,hence he bought Tamou to guide them on the field and to adhere to the plan worked out on the training paddock...just my opinion...

Madge said he has been talking to JAC so there is some talks happening. We offered him a contract as well apparently

I hope your right,but sometimes things arent what they seem..in a different situation I recall Tedesco was heavy in discussion with the Raiders and then backflipped,maybe JAC is still trying to wiegh up his best options..

 

[Fade.To.Black]

This thread has become ultra depressing...

9 years of no semis will do that to a person

Im hoping things are about to change starting with a revamp and great 2021,a person that is totally stuck on the WTs never gives up hope or gets depressed because of a long bad run he just keeps on paying his membership and supports the team best he can...thats what Im going to do...

People are still diehard WT fans and support the club but now it's getting to the point where not making the finals is a given year after year.

 

[TrueTiger]

Im going to go out on a limb here and say that the way that Madge has been going with this squad and through one of the toughest years ever with covid and no CC games,he is still determined to change the culture and the way we have been playing football for years....
We now have a faster game with rule changes that he and his players must adapt to..this to me suggests why he is going for the younger more athletic players with a couple of hardened experienced players such as recruiting Tamou..Madge may have faults but he also has a coaching skill that has won him premierships...irrespective who we do end up recruiting I think that first and foremost Madge has the interest of the squad and club at heart and will do what he thinks is best to get this team finals bound,after all it is the pinnacle of any coach and club to win the premiership..

 

[Don Kershane]

3 year free bar tab for his hick mates at Penrith Leagues club sealed the deal. Does this class as a TPA.

 

[Newtown]

3 year free bar tab for his hick mates at Penrith Leagues club sealed the deal. Does this class as a TPA.

At least it's not the same as free apartments and long time free loans of Bentlys.

 

[JD Tiger]

3 year free bar tab for his hick mates at Penrith Leagues club sealed the deal. Does this class as a TPA.

At least it's not the same as free apartments and long time free loans of Bentlys.

As a club we really need to be smarter about things. And do the same but better.

 

[Fade.To.Black]

3 year free bar tab for his hick mates at Penrith Leagues club sealed the deal. Does this class as a TPA.

At least it's not the same as free apartments and long time free loans of Bentlys.

As a club we really need to be smarter about things. And do the same but better.

Absolutely, dodgy deals and backhanded shonky payments. It's the only way to compete. Nice guys definitely do finish last in this corrupt competition.

 

[Goanna57]

This thread has become ultra depressing...

9 years of no semis will do that to a person

Im hoping things are about to change starting with a revamp and great 2021,a person that is totally stuck on the WTs never gives up hope or gets depressed because of a long bad run he just keeps on paying his membership and supports the team best he can...thats what Im going to do...

Being Wests tigers supporters we all live in the land of hope

 

[Balmainian]

Looking at the Roosters, panthers and storm.
I see a lot of speed, not the social kind haha.
Speed is there weapon along with good direction.
Without speed you can’t win the race, chasing kicks backing up in support, making breaks and not being run down....that’s were they win it every week.
We need speed, it doesn’t matter if there well known or green as Gumby we just need some pace in our back line to give us a leg up.

 

[JD Tiger]

Looking at the Roosters, panthers and storm.
I see a lot of speed, not the social kind haha.
Speed is there weapon along with good direction.
Without speed you can’t win the race, chasing kicks backing up in support, making breaks and not being run down....that’s were they win it every week.
We need speed, it doesn’t matter if there well known or green as Gumby we just need some pace in our back line to give us a leg up.

And JAC aside, the next winger we buy I want them to be Fijian.

 

[jirskyr]

If we want a fullback than I would enter the race to get Suaalii’s signature.
This kid is special talent. You just need to look what benefit Knights got from identifying Kalyn Ponga early.


He is a Souths kid....

And the Wallabies...and Roosters want him...

The hottest prospect in either code....

Honestly, we would be zero chance of his manager even taking a call. Don't want to sound negative....but there is no way. We could offer double and still not get a meeting.

Preposterous. Money talks and he'd be a mug not to engage all legitimate parties.

What a stupid stupid comment you've made at the end there. Sorry, just stupid comments that players wouldn't engage Tigers at any cost.


We have signed NO current NSW or Kangaroo players ever in their prime. None. When was the last time any of us read "Current Kangaroo joins Wests Tigers".

Why? If money talks, we would have landed someone by now. Reality is most see us a bad option. When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again...I hope it is soon.

Not being negative...I just don't think players see us like they see other clubs. Even Canterbury, no matter how low, have always been able to sign rep players.

We signed an Origin player just 2 years ago - Moses Mbye. He played 3 Origins half a season after joining us. James Tamou is both an Origin and Kangaroo rep. Benji Marshall was NZ captain and played rep football after we signed him for a second time. Adam Blair was NZ rep and Gareth Ellis was a guaranteed England rep. Blah blah.

But if you want to be technical and say only "current" Australian rep players, being pedantic and excluding all Pacifica players and Kiwis, well if JAC signs then you have it.

Because I'll give you an interesting stat: of the 34 players that contested Origin III in 2019, 53% (18/34) have only ever played for one first grade club. Of the remaining 16 players, 10 of those (62.5%) have only ever played for 2 teams. And of those 10, 50% were not rep players when they were signed up by their second club.

From that sample it is clear that there is very little trading done in AUSTRALIAN rep-level players, and if it does occur, it's very common to be a single trade, i.e. moving to one club.

"When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again". You must be high to think teams go around signing on 2 current Kangaroos. Not even Roosters are doing that - future Kangaroos perhaps, but not multiple current ones.

Anyway you were talking about Suaalii who has done diddly squat in rugby league and my post was specifically in reference to that.

You are being negative, you are assuming to understand how players view Tigers, and I assume you haven't spoken to a single player about the topic (but please enlighten us if you have). We land lots of players all the time and many of them have rep experience. The issue for Tigers is not landing big-name players, the issue is getting maximum consistent performance out of a balanced side.

2 cases in point: Newcastle landed several "big name" players recently. Ponga was just a kid and a calculated risk, so he technically does not count as a "current rep player". Mitchell Pearce was not selected for Origin the year he signed for Newcastle. Klemmer was in Origin. Tim Glasby played Origin too though nobody trumpets that much.

Good for Newcastle, landing these "big fish", sum total output was to finish 11th in both 2018-2019, then make the finals and bomb out first go 2020. That is not a rousing case study the "signing of rep players" to be a cornerstone of your roster strategy.

Titans 2021 will also be a real test given the big-name talent they've landed - we can judge that in a year. However, Gold Coast already have some history of signing rep-level players and it has not resulted in any consistent success. In fact lots of those rep signings turned out rather poorly (here is a list, not all were poor): Jai Arrow, Dan Sargison, Tyrone Peachey, Shannon Boyd, Kallum Watkins, Jarrod Wallace, Koni Jurrell, Chris McQueen, Agnatius Paasi, David Shillington.

 

[jirskyr]

You’r probably right. Even Newy and Titans appear a more attractive destination than us.

Newy and Gold Coast have the advantage of being non-Sydney teams. There are plenty of footballers who don't want to live in a big city, esp. fishbowl like Sydney rugby league.

That is specifically the reason Klemmer sought a release to Newcastle.

 

[the_third]

Looking at the Roosters, panthers and storm.
I see a lot of speed, not the social kind haha.
Speed is there weapon along with good direction.
Without speed you can’t win the race, chasing kicks backing up in support, making breaks and not being run down....that’s were they win it every week.
We need speed, it doesn’t matter if there well known or green as Gumby we just need some pace in our back line to give us a leg up.

Spot on.

The 6 again rule has made speed even more important - especially if you have a couple of cluey playmakers and a forward that can offload.

The best way to play at the moment seems be to roll it up, the middle, get an offload, get a six again then go wide at speed for a try

 

[JD Tiger]

If we want a fullback than I would enter the race to get Suaalii’s signature.
This kid is special talent. You just need to look what benefit Knights got from identifying Kalyn Ponga early.


He is a Souths kid....

And the Wallabies...and Roosters want him...

The hottest prospect in either code....

Honestly, we would be zero chance of his manager even taking a call. Don't want to sound negative....but there is no way. We could offer double and still not get a meeting.

Preposterous. Money talks and he'd be a mug not to engage all legitimate parties.

What a stupid stupid comment you've made at the end there. Sorry, just stupid comments that players wouldn't engage Tigers at any cost.


We have signed NO current NSW or Kangaroo players ever in their prime. None. When was the last time any of us read "Current Kangaroo joins Wests Tigers".

Why? If money talks, we would have landed someone by now. Reality is most see us a bad option. When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again...I hope it is soon.

Not being negative...I just don't think players see us like they see other clubs. Even Canterbury, no matter how low, have always been able to sign rep players.

We signed an Origin player just 2 years ago - Moses Mbye. He played 3 Origins half a season after joining us. James Tamou is both an Origin and Kangaroo rep. Benji Marshall was NZ captain and played rep football after we signed him for a second time. Adam Blair was NZ rep and Gareth Ellis was a guaranteed England rep. Blah blah.

But if you want to be technical and say only "current" Australian rep players, being pedantic and excluding all Pacifica players and Kiwis, well if JAC signs then you have it.

Because I'll give you an interesting stat: of the 34 players that contested Origin III in 2019, 53% (18/34) have only ever played for one first grade club. Of the remaining 16 players, 10 of those (62.5%) have only ever played for 2 teams. And of those 10, 50% were not rep players when they were signed up by their second club.

From that sample it is clear that there is very little trading done in AUSTRALIAN rep-level players, and if it does occur, it's very common to be a single trade, i.e. moving to one club.

"When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again". You must be high to think teams go around signing on 2 current Kangaroos. Not even Roosters are doing that - future Kangaroos perhaps, but not multiple current ones.

Anyway you were talking about Suaalii who has done diddly squat in rugby league and my post was specifically in reference to that.

You are being negative, you are assuming to understand how players view Tigers, and I assume you haven't spoken to a single player about the topic (but please enlighten us if you have). We land lots of players all the time and many of them have rep experience. The issue for Tigers is not landing big-name players, the issue is getting maximum consistent performance out of a balanced side.

2 cases in point: Newcastle landed several "big name" players recently. Ponga was just a kid and a calculated risk, so he technically does not count as a "current rep player". Mitchell Pearce was not selected for Origin the year he signed for Newcastle. Klemmer was in Origin. Tim Glasby played Origin too though nobody trumpets that much.

Good for Newcastle, landing these "big fish", sum total output was to finish 11th in both 2018-2019, then make the finals and bomb out first go 2020. That is not a rousing case study the "signing of rep players" to be a cornerstone of your roster strategy.

Titans 2021 will also be a real test given the big-name talent they've landed - we can judge that in a year. However, Gold Coast already have some history of signing rep-level players and it has not resulted in any consistent success. In fact lots of those rep signings turned out rather poorly (here is a list, not all were poor): Jai Arrow, Dan Sargison, Tyrone Peachey, Shannon Boyd, Kallum Watkins, Jarrod Wallace, Koni Jurrell, Chris McQueen, Agnatius Paasi, David Shillington.

Didnt Roosters sign Teddy and Cronk in the same year? Both of them were Aus rep players.

But valid points, and all of them I pretty much agree with.

 

[JC99]

Looking at the Roosters, panthers and storm.
I see a lot of speed, not the social kind haha.
Speed is there weapon along with good direction.
Without speed you can’t win the race, chasing kicks backing up in support, making breaks and not being run down....that’s were they win it every week.
We need speed, it doesn’t matter if there well known or green as Gumby we just need some pace in our back line to give us a leg up.

Spot on.

The 6 again rule has made speed even more important - especially if you have a couple of cluey playmakers and a forward that can offload.

The best way to play at the moment seems be to roll it up, the middle, get an offload, get a six again then go wide at speed for a try

2005 Tigers would’ve killed it with how the games currently played. Big men had skills we loved throwing the ball around and Benji would’ve killed opposition defence lines

 

[jirskyr]

Didnt Roosters sign Teddy and Cronk in the same year? Both of them were Aus rep players.

No Tedesco didn't play for Australia until after he left Tigers. 4 games of Origin only. Unless we are now counting Italy rep football.

And being technical, Cooper Cronk retired from rep footy before joining Easts.

So *technically* neither player was a current Kangaroo.

 

[rihannafan1]

3 year free bar tab for his hick mates at Penrith Leagues club sealed the deal. Does this class as a TPA.

At least it's not the same as free apartments and long time free loans of Bentlys.

As a club we really need to be smarter about things. And do the same but better.

Absolutely, dodgy deals and backhanded shonky payments. It's the only way to compete. Nice guys definitely do finish last in this corrupt competition.

Whose to say we don't do the same? Not that we can offer free drinks at a club anywhere but Ashfield or Leumeah. Dunno why Meriton can't chip in free accomm.

 

[JD Tiger]

Didnt Roosters sign Teddy and Cronk in the same year? Both of them were Aus rep players.

No Tedesco didn't play for Australia until after he left Tigers. 4 games of Origin only. Unless we are now counting Italy rep football.

And being technical, Cooper Cronk retired from rep footy before joining Easts.

So *technically* neither player was a current Kangaroo.

Fair enough. I rated those two players in the top 4 of the game at the time, but yes, as you said they weren't current Aussie players, I stand corrected mate.

 

[rihannafan1]

If we want a fullback than I would enter the race to get Suaalii’s signature.
This kid is special talent. You just need to look what benefit Knights got from identifying Kalyn Ponga early.


He is a Souths kid....

And the Wallabies...and Roosters want him...

The hottest prospect in either code....

Honestly, we would be zero chance of his manager even taking a call. Don't want to sound negative....but there is no way. We could offer double and still not get a meeting.

Preposterous. Money talks and he'd be a mug not to engage all legitimate parties.

What a stupid stupid comment you've made at the end there. Sorry, just stupid comments that players wouldn't engage Tigers at any cost.


We have signed NO current NSW or Kangaroo players ever in their prime. None. When was the last time any of us read "Current Kangaroo joins Wests Tigers".

Why? If money talks, we would have landed someone by now. Reality is most see us a bad option. When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again...I hope it is soon.

Not being negative...I just don't think players see us like they see other clubs. Even Canterbury, no matter how low, have always been able to sign rep players.

We signed an Origin player just 2 years ago - Moses Mbye. He played 3 Origins half a season after joining us. James Tamou is both an Origin and Kangaroo rep. Benji Marshall was NZ captain and played rep football after we signed him for a second time. Adam Blair was NZ rep and Gareth Ellis was a guaranteed England rep. Blah blah.

But if you want to be technical and say only "current" Australian rep players, being pedantic and excluding all Pacifica players and Kiwis, well if JAC signs then you have it.

Because I'll give you an interesting stat: of the 34 players that contested Origin III in 2019, 53% (18/34) have only ever played for one first grade club. Of the remaining 16 players, 10 of those (62.5%) have only ever played for 2 teams. And of those 10, 50% were not rep players when they were signed up by their second club.

From that sample it is clear that there is very little trading done in AUSTRALIAN rep-level players, and if it does occur, it's very common to be a single trade, i.e. moving to one club.

"When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again". You must be high to think teams go around signing on 2 current Kangaroos. Not even Roosters are doing that - future Kangaroos perhaps, but not multiple current ones.

Anyway you were talking about Suaalii who has done diddly squat in rugby league and my post was specifically in reference to that.

You are being negative, you are assuming to understand how players view Tigers, and I assume you haven't spoken to a single player about the topic (but please enlighten us if you have). We land lots of players all the time and many of them have rep experience. The issue for Tigers is not landing big-name players, the issue is getting maximum consistent performance out of a balanced side.

2 cases in point: Newcastle landed several "big name" players recently. Ponga was just a kid and a calculated risk, so he technically does not count as a "current rep player". Mitchell Pearce was not selected for Origin the year he signed for Newcastle. Klemmer was in Origin. Tim Glasby played Origin too though nobody trumpets that much.

Good for Newcastle, landing these "big fish", sum total output was to finish 11th in both 2018-2019, then make the finals and bomb out first go 2020. That is not a rousing case study the "signing of rep players" to be a cornerstone of your roster strategy.

Titans 2021 will also be a real test given the big-name talent they've landed - we can judge that in a year. However, Gold Coast already have some history of signing rep-level players and it has not resulted in any consistent success. In fact lots of those rep signings turned out rather poorly (here is a list, not all were poor): Jai Arrow, Dan Sargison, Tyrone Peachey, Shannon Boyd, Kallum Watkins, Jarrod Wallace, Koni Jurrell, Chris McQueen, Agnatius Paasi, David Shillington.

This is better written and researched than most league articles I've read this season. Not saying much, I know, but thanks.