Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[gregjm87]

Does this mean that Twal becomes a 10 year vet in 3 years thus providing salary cap relief thereon?

Yes but it after only 8 years for a one club player. But you only get one payment, not one payment per player qualifying so is kind of redundant as every club would have someone who qualifies.

 

[tony soprano]

29/30 spots filled at the moment.

Frightening

 

[das tigers]

Frightening

Yeah.

I really hope staines is here to stay.

 

[bbobb]

Twal hasn't really had much impact.

Just wondering where impact is magically going to appear from.

At times this season, I thought he had the best go forward which wasn’t really the case in previous seasons. I like that he is still developing his game so am pleased with his re-signing at a reportedly lower price.

Twally kind of reminds me a Bryce Gibbs who I think Sheens referred to as his “minister of defence” mostly for his efficiency and effort plays around the ruck. We went backwards when he left.

 

[Telltails]

Just on keppie.

It was a benji call to prioritise twal over keppie.

Personally, I question the recruitment decisions as keppie brings aggression to the pack.

Apparently this review will result in benji getting more power. Also questionable, but will die on hos sword.

Keppie is too undisciplined. Carries on a like goose gets binned and puts his team under pressure. Twal lacks the aggression but at least he works hard for his minutes. Fulton will have to do better than that to prove that the disruption was worth it

 

[king_sirro]

At times this season, I thought he had the best go forward which wasn’t really the case in previous seasons. I like that he is still developing his game so am pleased with his re-signing at a reportedly lower price.

Twally kind of reminds me a Bryce Gibbs who I think Sheens referred to as his “minister of defence” mostly for his efficiency and effort plays around the ruck. We went backwards when he left.

Yep, Bryce was one of the best defensive front rowers in the game at the time, just like Twal is. Twal is better as his go forward and leg speed have improved, he finds his front for quick play the balls (except that crap settler inside the opp 20), and can play huge minutes when required. Much better option then Keppie. Another good call by Benji

 

[earl]

Keppie is too undisciplined. Carries on a like goose gets binned and puts his team under pressure. Twal lacks the aggression but at least he works hard for his minutes. Fulton will have to do better than that to prove that the disruption was worth it

The only thing is Keppie offers more impact with the ball and we are a team that struggles scoring points. I reckon overall Twal is a better player but it'll be interesting where he fits in over the next couple of years.

We have Stef, Klemmer, Samuela Fainu, Pole and Blore who will all be pushing for first grade next year plus guys like Jordan Miller, Kit Laulilii, Faagutu and probably others coming through. I would also sign Seyfarth.

He should get plenty of game time though because he is good defender and I think his impact with the ball has improved.

 

[Dennisspicer1]

Yeah.

I really hope staines is here to stay.

Why.

 

[Tom Shines]

Why.

because he has some speed which is a rare commodity

 

[das tigers]

Why.

Because I want him to him to take nofa's position.
If Bula goes down,he'd be my next choice as starting fullback.

 

[The Chad]

Hymel Hunt.

Just sayin. Tighten up the defence out wide.

 

[jrtiger]

Keppie's a penalty machine who occasionally bends the line and puts a decent shot on. is a good prospect but keeping Twal on $400k is good business and ensures we aren't relying on the kids too early in their careers.

 

[Magpie_Magic]

Yep, Bryce was one of the best defensive front rowers in the game at the time, just like Twal is. Twal is better as his go forward and leg speed have improved, he finds his front for quick play the balls (except that crap settler inside the opp 20), and can play huge minutes when required. Much better option then Keppie. Another good call by Benji

People forget how good Bryce actually was.
Went 400 tackles without missing one in 2010 and not just 2nd or 3rd man in tackles, but mostly 1st man in......stopping offloads with good hands. The epic try saver in the 2010 PF rort on Gasnier.

Best forward defender ever at one of my clubs since Dallas.

Was the glue that held our pack together and was the beginning of the end when he was gone........taking Fifita with him.

 

[Magpie_Magic]

Keppie's a penalty machine who occasionally bends the line and puts a decent shot on. is a good prospect but keeping Twal on $400k is good business and ensures we aren't relying on the kids too early in their careers.

And while Keppies best games are in the backrow me thinking he's unlikely to make it there either being a bits and pieces player.

 

[TigerSJ]

Looking through our current roster, the players that in my opinion are of least value to our future 17 are AJ, Simpkin and Tumeth. However they are all contracted.
Ideally, considering the lack of better options, we should extend Staines, Seyfarth and Blore.
Will be interesting to see if our recruitment team are able to make some things happen in the coming months.

 

[supercoach]

People forget how good Bryce actually was.
Went 400 tackles without missing one in 2010 and not just 2nd or 3rd man in tackles, but mostly 1st man in......stopping offloads with good hands. The epic try saver in the 2010 PF rort on Gasnier.

Best forward defender ever at one of my clubs since Dallas.

Was the glue that held our pack together and was the beginning of the end when he was gone........taking Fifita with him.

Bryce was the quickest player over 800m in the club…massive engine

 

[TYGA]

Twal is a solid player had more impact than most of our forwards. Reduced contract is fine he’s a work horse valuable player at any club. Our issues have been in the halves and backline. Good move signing him.

 

[tigermate]

I was so happy Twal was leaving.

No more taking a hit up every 4th tackle we get and wasting a play.

No more hogging the ball in the ten meter attacking zone trying to get a try.

No more hit ups without bending the line.
Paying him $400k for three years is a complete waste of a roster spot.

We should’ve just kept him for next year and then let him go.
Another 3 years of having to watch his averageness.

Dam

 

[Tigermars]

NRL news: Benji Marshall the real winner from Wests Tigers review needs​

Nobody is denying the need for the underperforming Wests Tigers to undergo a review, but rather than target the face of the club change needs to start elsewhere, argues BRENT READ.
https://twitter.com/brentread_7
"Why are we doing this" Elias on Tigers

NRL: Ben Elias shares his thoughts on the Wests Tigers fiasco after it was released that they had re-signed Lee Hagipantelis despite consistently being at the bottom of the ladder.

NRL​

I spent nearly an hour on the phone to the Wests Tigers independent reviewers earlier this week. Won’t reveal everything that was said but it wasn’t as bad as you think.
I certainly didn’t sense it was a witch-hunt designed to lop off the heads of chair Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe, as some have suggested.
Yes, there are problems at the Tigers. They have been in free fall for a decade. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.
For starters, at least from my end, there were lashings of sympathy for Hagipantelis, who just wants to see the club succeed and has poured millions of his own money into making it happen.
Yes, Lee is in the media a lot but someone has to stand up and explain the club’s direction to the fans. Someone has to take charge and front the fourth estate as the club lurches from one crisis to the next.
If not Lee, who? Now his own board has turned on him after a request for him to stand aside as chair. It got me thinking about the Tigers and the faceless few who make up their boardroom. Maybe that is where change needs to start.

Wests Tigers board chairman Lee Hagipantelis. Picture: Getty Images
They’ve turned over coaches and players. Perhaps it is time to look at the people who preside over them. Toss them out and start again.
Bring in some who are more qualified and attuned to the modern game. Real estate agents and former players don’t really cut it any more.
You need to have a boardroom with a specific set of skills and being a member of Wests Ashfield shouldn’t be the overriding factor.

So if we’re going to make changes at the Tigers, let’s start at the top. Lee, as an independent director and significant backer, shouldn’t necessarily be cast aside but others certainly should.
There needs to be change within the club as well. The sense is that Pascoe is on borrowed time, but even if he stays, the Tigers need to hurry up and appoint a head of football to give Benji Marshall the support he needs.
They are being left behind, a point Marshall no doubt made in his interview with the reviewers. Marshall was among the club officials who fronted the independent review. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Benji Marshall is the winner Wests Tigers need. Picture: Getty Images
He apparently wowed them with his take on the club and his plans for the future. He looks set to emerge with more power than ever, and so he should. Marshall is a winner and if anyone can save the Tigers, it is him.
When all is said and done, this will be Benji’s club. Marshall needs to be backed to the hilt and there is a private belief among many that as much as this is about shaking up the club’s leadership, it will also end up confirming Marshall as the man with his hand at the tiller.
The ripple effect will be interesting. Recruitment guru Scott Fulton was brought to the club in the main by the board, and more particularly Hagipantelis and Pascoe. If they go, the obvious question is where does it leave him?
All will be revealed soon enough. The results of the review are expected to be handed to the Holman Barnes Group at the end of the month and could be made public as early as mid-November.
Should make for interesting reading. Big changes are coming and while some have criticised the review, my only sense is that it has arrived too late. Maybe it should have been done years ago as the club wallowed in mediocrity.
The hope is that the review can create some blue sky for a club that has been shrouded in dark clouds for too long. If the Tigers can get it right, they will explode. For all their incompetence in recent years, they are a huge club.
They need to nail it and the review will hopefully set them on the right path. Not sure whether my thoughts will make the final cut, but I was happy to help.

 

[tony soprano]

Keppie's a penalty machine who occasionally bends the line and puts a decent shot on. is a good prospect but keeping Twal on $400k is good business and ensures we aren't relying on the kids too early in their careers.

Have to take into account what is available on the market now for next year plus question why is it OK for souths.