Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TigerNeddyK]

I don't see the logic in paying him $300k to play somewhere else. Yeah he's surplus, but by all reports he's not a toxic influence like Bateman and covers the halves and hooker.

In round 1 we don't have Api so IMO the bench hooker is either Bud or an unfit Latu.

I'd keep him for next year unless a club is paying at least 2/3 of his salary. Create roster spots by moving easier to move players like Doeuihi and toxic guys like Bateman. Maybe someone goes down at another club during the season and they get desperate.

An UNFIT LATU?? JFC the supporters in this forum are so hard on the individual players .. it’s November , he was a couple of seconds off in a Week one pre season time trial .. I’m pretty damn confident that barring injury Latu will be fit as a fiddle and in the top 17 .. kids a gun , could be bloody anything

 

[Betterdays22]

Robbo has been a head coach for 14 years. His record is as follows:
2011 - ESL - Prelim Final
2012 - ESL - Prelim Final
2013 - NRL Premier
2014 - NRL - Prelim Final
2015 - NRL - Prelim Final
2016 - NRL - 2nd Last
2017 - NRL - Prelim Final
2018 - NRL Premier
2019 - NRL Premier
2020 - NRL - Semi Final
2021 - NRL - Semi Final
2022 - NRL - Qualifying Final
2023 - NRL - Semi Final
2024 - NRL - Prelim Final

• 3 x Premierships Seasons,
• 6 x Seasons where he fell 1 game short of the GF
• Played finals 13/14 seasons

Its so stupid for people to question his ability to coach.

There's an argument to be made that he has underachieved slightly by not winning a premiership the last 3/4 years with the roster he has had. Let's not forget though his strong squad has also coincided with a generational Penrith side. IMO Peak Penrith beat just about any side in the modern game

People who say he isn't a great coach are kidding themselves.

 

[BAGNF05]

An UNFIT LATU?? JFC the supporters in this forum are so hard on the individual players .. it’s November , he was a couple of seconds off in a Week one pre season time trial .. I’m pretty damn confident that barring injury Latu will be fit as a fiddle and in the top 17 .. kids a gun , could be bloody anything

We just paid the bloke half a million dollars to rehab his hammy. Club needs to hold players to account moving forward.

 

[tigermate]

Tucker I’m quite confident you would have got the same results with the playing rosters he’s had to work with.
Let’s see how he goes in 2025 with a well below average playing roster, if he makes the top 8 he’s a genius.

lol.

are people stupid?

The whole notion that the roster makes ALL the difference means that you have to argue the point that

ANY PERSON CAN COACH.

Because what's the difference?

And if there is no difference - that means you're arguing that you could take the janitor at the tigers and make him the coach at the roosters and it wouldn't matter.

And if you say "well that's a stupid example because he has never coached" - then you're arguing that people do make a difference and then we're arguing "well how much difference"

And i can tell you that the reason why the top teams win is because they have the best coaches.

Griffin gets sacked from Dragons -- they almost make the 8 with the same roster because Flanno moes Lomax to wing and make the team faster and fitter. I.e Coach makes the difference.

The fact that Robbo has that amazing record speaks volumes -- the players respect him -- sometimes its harder to coach top teams because of the ego's

look at Man United after Fergie left -- or the every team after Bennet leaves.

Either the coach makes a difference or he doesn't.

It's binary.

 

[BAGNF05]

lol.

are people stupid?

The whole notion that the roster makes ALL the difference means that you have to argue the point that

ANY PERSON CAN COACH.

Because what's the difference?

And if there is no difference - that means you're arguing that you could take the janitor at the tigers and make him the coach at the roosters and it wouldn't matter.

And if you say "well that's a stupid example because he has never coached" - then you're arguing that people do make a difference and then we're arguing "well how much difference"

And i can tell you that the reason why the top teams win is because they have the best coaches.

Griffin gets sacked from Dragons -- they almost make the 8 with the same roster because Flanno moes Lomax to wing and make the team faster and fitter. I.e Coach makes the difference.

The fact that Robbo has that amazing record speaks volumes -- the players respect him -- sometimes its harder to coach top teams because of the ego's

look at Man United after Fergie left -- or the every team after Bennet leaves.

Either the coach makes a difference or he doesn't.

It's binary.

You were going okay until you used the Dragons as your example. Coaching is important if you have a capable roster.

 

[tigermate]

You were going okay until you used the Dragons as your example. Coaching is important if you have a capable roster.

why? they were picked to win the wooden spoon and only missed the 8 because they choked the last game.... Flanno turned them from Griffin wooden spoon faves to almost finals. thats huge.

 

[BAGNF05]

why? they were picked to win the wooden spoon and only missed the 8 because they choked the last game.... Flanno turned them from Griffin wooden spoon faves to almost finals. thats huge.

If you look at their history over the last 10 years they normally start strong (May premiers) then fade. Poor roster catches up with them.

 

[WestsEffTheRest]

If you look at their history over the last 10 years they normally start strong (May premiers) then fade

They were in finals contention up until the last 2 rounds.

 

[The-moP]

I wouldn't be too worried about Benji's ability to coach .. it'll come to him just as it did when he played .. the first games he was very nervous and gun shy really .. but once he got more comfortable .. well we all know what happened .. 2005 .. !! Remember he an assistant coach in John Morris who was the head coach for the Gummies for 3 seasons. Benji at this stage is the motivator .. but what i like with Benji .. he has a hands on approach by getting out there on the paddock and showing the team how its done himself .. very much a .. "like this do that" .. approach .. !! You can see it in Galvin's play throughout last season. I'm excited to see how much Galvin can learn and how his play evolves over the coming season with Benji's help. Galvin will have a lot more room / space on the field now that we have Laui on the other side being marked by the defence. Bring on 2025 .. 20 years on from 2005 .. waahooo .. 🙂

 

[The-moP]

Just for everyone's info .. we have 2 Pre-season Challenge games:

Sunday 16 Feb 2025: Tigers vs Dogs - Jubilee Stadium 5:30pm

Friday 21 Feb 2025: Tigers vs Slimy Eels - Leichhardt Oval 8:00pm

 

[BAGNF05]

They were in finals contention up until the last 2 rounds.

Crumbled in the big games when it got important. Same as usual. Yeah, they improved, the form of Sloan, Suli and Su’a was probably more important than coaching.

 

[madgey76]

Enough talk about cocks ffs. This is the TIGERS forum

💯 I thought I was in the chooks forum ffs

 

[Jolls]

Wasn’t Sheens thinking similar by wanting to use Hastings at lock ?

He may well have been - who knows where he was heading. However outdated he was he had the mind to be thinking outside the square. Whoever the next Jack Gibson is I doubt they come from a conventional coaching background. Perhaps someone like the Walker brothers or, touch wood, our own Benji!

 

[Jolls]

We have proven recently that substandard coaches make a massive difference.

It could also be argued that a shit roster has cruelled a good coach - Ivan, Madge and Sheens all have runs on the board and the club was on the slide the entire time. You can also argue that Ivan did OK, Madge was hampered by Ivan's contracts and Sheens was past it. The other "influence" being the clown show running the joint.

I think that is fair to say that a good coach improves a team - regardless of the roster. The corollorary being that a good team will also be dragged down by a poor coach.

It is too early to jump to conclusions on our current coaching staff. I am giving them some leeway this year and give them a bare pass based on a poor roster and them trying to baseline the club.

There were some good signs despite the runs on the board being poor; and a couple of poor indicators as well. They have had their opportunity and have an improved roster and players that are keen to get into the crocodile roll. We are still a couple of key positions short but certainly improved on paper.

I'm looking forward to revisiting this at about round 10.

 

[Tucker]

No, if he were West Tigers coach for last 4 years,
he would have been sacked after his 3rd spoon,

And if Benji was Rorters coach for the last 12 years, he would have his name touted as one of the greatest coaches ever.

If you really believe that, I question your knowledge of this game.

 

[Tucker]

Enough talk about cocks ffs. This is the TIGERS forum

Yes you are right, lets talk about our three spoons in a row.
Whos got the vaso?

 

[Vicious]

Yes you are right, lets talk about our three spoons in a row.
Whos got the vaso?

C’min Tucker stop sitting on the fence, you’re getting splinters.
What is your realistic expectation for Wests Tigers in 2025 ?
I still see plenty of holes in our roster, but even so I don’t think there is any risk that we improve dramatically as a team and can quite easily make the top 8 if a bit of luck goes our way in regards to injuries etc
Roosters will not make the top 8, Rabbitohs will not make the top 8, Eels will not make the top 8 and unlikely the Bulldogs will make the top 8.
Near certain we finish well ahead of the Roosters.

 

[Tucker]

C’min Tucker stop sitting on the fence, you’re getting splinters.
What is your realistic expectation for Wests Tigers in 2025 ?
I still see plenty of holes in our roster, but even so I don’t think there is any risk that we improve dramatically as a team and can quite easily make the top 8 if a bit of luck goes our way in regards to injuries etc
Roosters will not make the top 8, Rabbitohs will not make the top 8, Eels will not make the top 8 and unlikely the Bulldogs will make the top 8.
Near certain we finish well ahead of the Roosters.

Its a roster that should play finals, but likely wont because the coaching staff are shit.

 

[upthetigers]

C’min Tucker stop sitting on the fence, you’re getting splinters.
What is your realistic expectation for Wests Tigers in 2025 ?
I still see plenty of holes in our roster, but even so I don’t think there is any risk that we improve dramatically as a team and can quite easily make the top 8 if a bit of luck goes our way in regards to injuries etc
Roosters will not make the top 8, Rabbitohs will not make the top 8, Eels will not make the top 8 and unlikely the Bulldogs will make the top 8.
Near certain we finish well ahead of the Roosters.

Benji needs to step down if we don't

 

[batboy]

We just paid the bloke half a million dollars to rehab his hammy. Club needs to hold players to account moving forward.

Said the same thing when asked about the reports the other week....
- Journos 'conveniently' forgot he played about half a dozen games in 18 months because of Injury!!

If anyone should be looking after themselves - It should be him.