Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[The Chad]

Sullivan isn't a 'terrible' game manager, he just also happens to be a good runner.

Sezar is definately more the game manager, and given Sheens has talked up an experienced half for about 38 months, I expect this what he envisions for the short term.

Fainu is not the second coming of Suiali'i- an out & out athlete. If you watch him play he is infinately more effective setting up others than actually running himself. He might wear 6, but he is the organising player needed going forward. Everyone just gets hung up on the number the player wears.

 

[Ermo]

Anyone watch 360 tonight?

Anasta sounded like a bloke that was trying to sell a "Game Managing" 7 to me....
Also seemed concerned with the length of the contracts we're giving young halves...
Why'd that be you think?

Thought the same thing

 

[Coastie_Tiger]

Ilias is a very robotic player. Whole hearted, good defender but limited in attack. He’s better than what we have but will get found out at the Tigers.

Maybe that’s why Braith is trying to be semi nice to us, trying to flog us Illias as a game managing 7.

 

[The Chad]

Watch Latu play on these highlights- probably more tries associated to passing & kicking for supports than actually running.

Manly #7 is nowhere to be seen.

Fainu runs the team from 6.

 

[LeichhardtTiger]

Watch Latu play on these highlights- probably more tries associated to passing & kicking for supports than actually running.

Manly #7 is nowhere to be seen.

Fainu runs the team from 6.

How many tries did he set Josh Feledy up for? Gazillions!

 

[The Chad]

Potentially re-signing Staines certainly helps fill 1 area of weakness. I feel we still need 1 more winger to add to our mix. I think, of the off-contract players, I'd still be looking at either Hymel Hunt (yeah, I know - half of you think he's trash. He's also a very good defensive winger..) or the other option I think could be Dean Ieremia from the Storm. He's a fullback/winger that is firmly stuck behind the starters but won the Storm ROTY award in 2021. More a stocky type like Nofa than a big guy like Hunt. But both offer something different.

And I'll keep banging the Alamoti drum until he's unavailable. U19 SOO centre, has had his struggles in a struggling team as essentially a rookie player. Knows how to set up the guy outside him.

 

[The Chad]

If the Connor Watson rumours are true & the Tigers are chasing him- so long as he remains fit, it's an outstanding addition.

Can fill in at 9, 13, 6, 1 or even in the centres. Yeah, I know we will tag him at 14 right away. If Simpkin & Rua are moving on, we need another guy that can play 9 badly. He's a dynamic, hard worker. Definate addition if possible.

 

[rusted-on]

Seriously do not get why any of us fans worry about the actual salary range .. what do we care if they get 4,5,6. over 2-e years as if we have any idea, understanding or clue about any of it… ffs we never get the correct figures and for us to waste time on here saying oh I’d pay them 500, 000 but no way is he worth 600,000 as if any of that makes a difference to us is absolutely ridiculous

I completely agree. Not having sufficient room in the cap has not been the reason we have struggled to attract top players, so what difference does it make?

 

[Tiger-ferret]

Seriously do not get why any of us fans worry about the actual salary range .. what do we care if they get 4,5,6. over 2-e years as if we have any idea, understanding or clue about any of it… ffs we never get the correct figures and for us to waste time on here saying oh I’d pay them 500, 000 but no way is he worth 600,000 as if any of that makes a difference to us is absolutely ridiculous

The years definitely matter for me.I reckon its the back ending of long contracts that hurt. Overpaying for 1-2 years doesn’t matter.

 

[Needaname]

So to clarify one point, the heat map was representative of where the play the ball was that immediately preceded points. The very large proportion of those tries are scored by backs.

Aside from that I agree with everything else you have highlighted. The top 4 teams are all high performers in a measure that reflects defence of expected points, a measure that we are below par.

I really thought this was the year for the Tigers, I have to get a Tatoo on my arse in a few weeks as a result of a bet I had with a mate that we would make the 8. I thought the quality we had brought in to the pack would finally allow our halves and outside backs to convert opportunities. For something like the first 8 weeks we lead the comp in field position and hadn't won a game. The teams in 2nd, 3rd and 4th were Panthers, Storm and Broncos. It lead me to the perspective that while our forwards could be improved our backs are just so far below NRL standard imo. A deep dive into some other stats and a keen eye on our backs has just grown that opinion for me.

We all want improvement and I absolutely support any fan wanting it. I was just trying to provide a perspective that our backs are in significantly more need of an upgrade than our pack that I think is a tick above NRL average.

I hear you. I was there at Leichhardt round one watching us dominate the titans exactly how you have mentioned only to have that same old feeling come over me the moment the possession turned and the titans first scored a try.
No matter who gets added to the side there is an underbelly of mediocre that continues to follow the club around.
A lack of effort on effort. Players giving everything into every run. fighting for every inch. The way rugby league is won.
What followed the next 7 weeks was that same trend.
Every game was extremely exciting for the first 15 minutes until possession turned and we conceded points; watching the enthusiasm from the whole team, backs and forwards drip away from them. Week by week the battle got tougher as it became clear not just to the fans but the team that their pre season ‘wasn’t the best ever’ and that every other team in the comp had improved also.
This current team even with our flawed backs would absolutely destroy last years team but even still we have failed to improve in terms of the position in the comp.
I am genuinely shocked we managed to pick up Api. He is an actual gem and even though we made him one of the highest paid hookers in the game I feel we still got him for a steal.
Unfortunately I feel we have missed out on our opportunity to recruit another ‘Api’ given our decline since he and Ice signed on.

 

[Needaname]

Illias is unwanted at Souths. Walker to 7 and Wighton at 6 next year.

Surely Benji would have a heads up regarding this?

 

[Needaname]

Ilias is a very robotic player. Whole hearted, good defender but limited in attack. He’s better than what we have but will get found out at the Tigers.

To counter. They said the same thing about Nathan Cleary.

 

[LUPO]

It just shows there is an agenda towards Tigers as they mentioned Sullivan meeting with Knights but not once did they say anything about this, or even mention it was a bad signing. If we signed Jack Cogger for 3 years like knights did, we would be slaughtered buy them yet it's a good signing for anyone else.

It really is getting out of control from this So-called MAJOR sponsor of the game by TV rights. It is just gutter journalism and you don't see this in AFL or other codes from them. Maybe the NRL need to address this in the next TV deal as fans are just sick of it.

It just shows there is an agenda towards Tigers as they mentioned Sullivan meeting with Knights but not once did they say anything about this, or even mention it was a bad signing. If we signed Jack Cogger for 3 years like knights did, we would be slaughtered buy them yet it's a good signing for anyone else.

It really is getting out of control from this So-called MAJOR sponsor of the game by TV rights. It is just gutter journalism and you don't see this in AFL or other codes from them. Maybe the NRL need to address this in the next TV deal as fans are just sick of it.

Totally agree..gutter journalism by gutter journalists who occupy seats on NRL 360. Two of them have been before the courts and others (namely Buzz & Crawley) should be for the continuous flow of verbal diarrhoea. Hypocrites of the highest order and they wonder why people are tuning off. Just wish the club would take these grubs to court when they make unfounded, defamatory comments about WT they claim are substantiated through so called “close sources”. Let’s stick together, make some noise and hopefully powers that be replace these germs with balanced presenters. They could do worse than see how the female presenters conduct themselves.

 

[Needaname]

The years definitely matter for me.I reckon it’s the back ending of long contracts that hurt. Overpaying for 1-2 years doesn’t matter.

There is a way around this.
Sullivan is injured at the moment but even fit there isn’t much of a season left to benefit him making an immediate move.
However financially if there is still a fair bit of cap money left for this year. It would make sense to sign Sullivan in an immediate switch and front load a fair portion of his whole contract under this years salary cap. Then for the remaining 3 years he is on our books for 200-300k

 

[Yossarian]

How many tries did he set Josh Feledy up for? Gazillions!

Feledy is almost the forgotten man. I think he’ll be a good NRL centre.

 

[Coastie_Tiger]

I'm sure he is......

Coincidentally - Anasta mentioned yesterday he was talking to 'someone in recruitment at the Tigers' and they're pretty sure they have Bud Sullivan. (Whys he talking to Tigers recruitment about their halves?)
Today he's selling a 7....
Did I read we've maybe gone cold on Sezer because we've been presented a better option?
Ilias is a Tigers Junior?
I note Anasta hasn't really been bagging us as much the last couple weeks....

I'm no Perry Mason....
But seems like a jib is on here to me....

Yeah I think I’m almost of the same opinion here, I think for Illias a lot depends on how he plays come finals time. If he has a good series does his worth go up, do they potentially keep him do we have time to wait for that to play out.
Also the chat about Hawkins have we signed him have we not, do South’s let him go if they are trying to shift Illias.
If I had my choice between Illias and Sezer I think I’m taking Illias, he younger but still experienced enough and Benji has history with him.
The Sezer stuff definitely cooled it’s jets it was odds on a week or so ago, now there’s crickets. Then there’s this so called better option mentioned on the other forum, where there smoke there’s fire.

 

[Camel2281]

Illias is unwanted at Souths. Walker to 7 and Wighton at 6 next year.

That's a terrible halves combo. Walker is too erratic for a 7 and Wighton sux in the halves

 

[Tigers4ever]

Feledy is almost the forgotten man. I think he’ll be a good NRL centre.

Feledy will be very good for us.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Unbelievable to think it’s been nearly 20 years since we have unearthed a quality first grade centre. That’s got to be some sort of record. How hard can it be?

 

[weststigerman]

Unbelievable to think it’s been nearly 20 years since we have unearthed a quality first grade centre. That’s got to be some sort of record. How hard can it be?

I think this says more about the quality of our halves outside of Benji over this period.

To’a for example, probably had the best game of any centre at WT ever against the Cowboys, but he has rarely had any good ball since then and is now trying too hard and making too many errors.