Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Tucker]

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

Surely <10% is a little bit exaggerated? He works in the NRL department of Fox Sports and is on camera a lot, consults with the Roosters and the Storm and is a director of the QRL.
I wouldnt confuse the coaching staff doing extras with the players doing them.

 

[upthetigers]

I'm always hopeful, but this time I'm optimistic for the first time in many years.

Awesome mate we need the optimistic people to balance out the negative nancies on the forum

 

[upthetigers]

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.

Why are you writing off Turuva already? Let him have a crack.

 

[Tucker]

Awesome mate we need the optimistic people to balance out the negative nancies on the forum

Its pretty simplistic stuff to label people negative nancies when the team they support has played finals 3 times in 25 years, hasnt managed so in 13 years and has just completed 3 years in a row of running dead last.
A critical eye is not a bad thing. Blind optimism is for the children.

 

[upthetigers]

Its pretty simplistic stuff to label people negative nancies when the team they support has played finals 3 times in 25 years, hasnt managed so in 13 years and has just completed 3 years in a row of running dead last.
A critical eye is not a bad thing. Blind optimism is for the children.

Not having a shot at you btw. I'm as over it as the next guy but there are reasons for the optimism the club under Richo is going in a positive direction surely you see that.

We finally have the cattle so Benji will be judged fairly in 2025. If he can't deliver he needs to go back and get a proper apprenticeship.

 

[tigermate]

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 don’t disagree with you

I reckon lots of players would love hearing family over football

But when the other team is hungrier and you get pumped when in week out - you get despondent and then you’re not happy at home and football

Benji doesn’t need to say it publicly that’s my point

He’s setting himself up to have an easy target on his back if he starts losing

Think about soldiers at war

They do things because they are drilled to believe it’s country over anything else

If the commander said your family is more important than the mission - then when shit gets real - the soldiers probably think about walking away … if the soldiers believe that the mission is more important than family (bc the mission helps the family) than the soldier goes to die for the mission

Footy is no different

Winning football games puts food on the table and increases the earning capacity for winning players and makes them happier humans bc footy players get their highs from winning - it’s all linked to being happier at home

But benji preaching this stuff - is bad. I’m telling you. When the shit gets real - I reckon Craig Bellamy’s style of shouting in the coaching box even when he’s winning by 50 with 1 minute to go - creates more success on the field - then benji “turn your phone off when you get home bc when you retire family is going to be there for you”

That’s just my opinion

Let’s see

 

[SeanT]

Why are you writing off Turuva already? Let him have a crack.

Why isn't he playing wing?

Who will be the winger if not him.

 

[88]

Why isn't he playing wing?

Who will be the winger if not him.

Pre season and trials will work some positions out I guess.

 

[jrtiger]

Why isn't he playing wing?

Who will be the winger if not him.

will be Laulili’i.

 

[Dennisspicer1]

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.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Dogs were named the family club due to Mortimer's, Hughes all at the club at the time and Chris Anderson and Steve folks marrying Peter bullfrog moore's daughters

 

[Tucker]

Not having a shot at you btw. I'm as over it as the next guy but there are reasons for the optimism the club under Richo is going in a positive direction surely you see that.

We finally have the cattle so Benji will be judged fairly in 2025. If he can't deliver he needs to go back and get a proper apprenticeship.

We have recruited well. We did ok recruiting the past couple of years as well. I actually need to see results before praising leadership.
Benji has been judged fairly so far.
He asked the club to be coach, not the other way round.
I’m looking forward to the new season. I think we’ll have a decent to good year.

 

[upthetigers]

/

We have recruited well. We did ok recruiting the past couple of years as well. I actually need to see results before praising leadership.
Benji has been judged fairly so far.
He asked the club to be coach, not the other way round.
I’m looking forward to the new season. I think we’ll have a decent to good year.

I will be happy with 10th-12th still being in contention for the finals a long way into the season.

If Bula and Galvin go to the next level this season watch out we're every chance of making the 8.

There are so many unknowns, so I understand your cautiousness. I just think Luai has already proved himself, it's inevitable he will have a massive impact on this club. He will actually help Benji greatly with coaching, formulating gameplans etc he is like another assistant coach with a wealth of knowledge from the best system of all time.

Go the Mighty Tigers!!!

 

[Tigerdazz2]

It's amazing and a good sign in the near term that WT have managed to land so many decent signings yet we still have a lot of coin going to dead wood that the club will sooner rather than later manage to offload giving the club a decent war chest to get three or more gun signings under their belt during 2025-26.

 

[Tigerdazz2]

Captain: Api or Romey? Or maybe dual captaincy?
Thought's ?

 

[Tucker]

Captain: Api or Romey? Or maybe dual captaincy?
Thought's ?

Thread 'Oh Captain, My Captain - 2025'

Nov 25, 2024

Who are we thinking gets the gig? For a long time I was adamant that Api had done nothing wrong to have the role taken off him. I thought it was a good option to have he and Luai share the role. But I do wonder if there is a correlation between Api’s captaincy and all of the bone headed plays he’s good for. Does he try too hard knowing he’s the leader? He was the obvious choice the last two years, but we had no one else. And I really don’t know if he’s suited to the role, even if he’s sharing it. I’d be really tempted to take it off him. Not as punishment, but just a responsibility he no...

• GNR4LIFE
• Replies: 36
• Forum: General Wests Tigers Discussion

• 

 

[user118245]

Captain: Api or Romey? Or maybe dual captaincy?
Thought's ?

Api been in the dumps for us two years, he deserves it, just depends if they decide dual with luai

 

[SeanT]

It's amazing and a good sign in the near term that WT have managed to land so many decent signings yet we still have a lot of coin going to dead wood that the club will sooner rather than later manage to offload giving the club a decent war chest to get three or more gun signings under their belt during 2025-26.

Have to do it before the new team comes in 2027/2028

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Wests Tigers allow fast-food lover Galvin to feast out​

By Jasper Bruce, AAP
Updated November 30 2024 - 1:11pm

Lachlan Galvin admits he knows the drive-thru attendants at McDonalds better than Wests Tigers' star recruit Jarome Luai.
But it's all good with the NRL club, who has given the five-eighth their blessings to eat anything he likes this pre-season.

The NRL's breakout star of 2024, 19-year-old Galvin is busy hatching a plan to avoid second-year syndrome as he awaits the arrival of his halves partner to pre-season training in the new year.

So far, that plan has not involved consulting with four-time premiership-winner Luai, whose highly anticipated arrival at the Tigers was delayed by Samoa's tour of England.

"I haven't spoken to him at all yet," Galvin said of Luai, who is tipped to help reverse the Tigers' fortunes after three consecutive wooden spoons.

"I think he's going to come back a little bit before Christmas and in the new year he'll start training again.

"We know how good of a player he is, he'll take so much pressure off me. He'll run the team, do what he needs to do and I'll just play off the back of that. Whatever he wants, I'll do."

In the meantime, Galvin has set himself a goal to improve his fitness and has already shaved three seconds off his 1.2km time trial, which he now runs in four minutes 12 seconds.

“I'm pretty impressed with that," he said.

"I think if you work hard, good things happen on the back of that.

"(Second-year syndrome) is why I've come back fitter this year ... I don't want to worry about that second-year syndrome."

Packing on size is also a top priority for the naturally rangy Galvin, who is no longer an unknown quantity for opposition defences and will be targeted if he remains lightweight.

Galvin has shot up two centimetres since the winter, now standing at 193cm, but putting on size in the other direction has been more difficult.

The five-eighth has only been able to put on one kilogram so far, but is hopeful the Tigers' new diet plan will change things.

"I don't eat enough. Every morning I'm in here, they tell me, 'Eat breakfast, eat lunch', they watch me eat and that. I've got to put the kilos on. I struggle with that but I'm trying my best," he said.

“The dietician Clare (Flower), she says, 'Eat what you want, Lachlan', so it's pretty good."

Galvin isn't worrying about hitting calorie targets, instead putting his faith in Ronald McDonald to guide him.

"I get a dinner box from Maccas on the way home,' he said. "That's why I love playing."

"Clare spoke something about that (calorie target) but I don't even know what that means. I didn't really listen at school that much.

"I'll just try eat as much as I can. If I come in the morning and I weigh more than I did yesterday, I'm happy."

 

[magpies forever]

Captain: Api or Romey? Or maybe dual captaincy?
Thought's ?

It was suggested somewhere else here Api- club captain and Luai as team captain and in some ways them being dual captains. I liked that. If we are really looking at lessening Api's time on the field to give him more of a break the captaincy role has to be sorted and cant be a fill in role for 20 minutes or so a game.