Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Lestronge]

Yeah , I reckon he was about to go to the next level. I was a fan.

He was already in origin conversations at the time . Played city v country and was widely considered to be not a matter of if but when .
His and Tuiakis injuries absolutely crueled us .
That and Mosese Fotuiaeika and his tragedy .
Those 3 events , and the checking out of Benji , and the alienating of Farah, and incorrectly handing the keys to Aaron Woods , really shows a timeline of how we got into this situation.
To be fair , the fact we didn’t crumble until really the last 3 years is probably a testament to how people will anything to save thier own skin.

 

[old_man_tiger]

There should be an annual Wests Tigers Forum award for the most over-hyped reserve grader of the off-season

2021 - Allan Fitzgibbon
2022 - Oliver Gildart/William Kei
2023 - Triston Reilly
2024 - Alex Lobb
2025 - Tim Johannssen (pending)

Any other nominations from years gone by?

Can we go back to the Russian bloke sheens signed? And we had some gems like Blake Lazarus who the forum knew would make it (including me I'm sure). My memory isn't good enough but someone could basically build a squad picking one player from each year.

On Timmy, I wanted to see him on an edge months ago but it's important we start to look like a real club. I.e. promote on performance and not from desperation and a lack of options.

 

[Rusty]

The poor man’s Damien Cook. Whose about to be replaced by Damien Cook.

Apparently, Flanagan playing Cook at 13 type role.

 

[batboy]

Call me old fashioned but I’m still a believer that the proper way to Firsts is to absolutely bash the door down in reserve grade. Melbourne is still going about it that way - star reserve grade players like Grant, Pezet, Faalongo who had to do a proper apprenticeship.

Can’t for the life of me see how anyone in our reserves earned a first grade opportunity in the last few years.

We’re obviously in a building phase, hopefully to a point where first grade jerseys are harder to earn.

Hasn't been like that since around 2010-2012 I reckon,
Remember blokes Like David Gower absolutely blitzing Ressies and
couldn't even get Full Time Training...
Been dishing them up to anyones ever since.

 

[Nonotmeagain]

#4 in ability and #1 in drug supply

All charges were dropped.

 

[Tiger_Yoshi]

There should be an annual Wests Tigers Forum award for the most over-hyped reserve grader of the off-season

2021 - Allan Fitzgibbon
2022 - Oliver Gildart/William Kei
2023 - Triston Reilly
2024 - Alex Lobb
2025 - Tim Johannssen (pending)

Any other nominations from years gone by?

That’s a good list…none came to fruition

 

[Buttface]

He was already in origin conversations at the time . Played city v country and was widely considered to be not a matter of if but when .
His and Tuiakis injuries absolutely crueled us .
That and Mosese Fotuiaeika and his tragedy .
Those 3 events , and the checking out of Benji , and the alienating of Farah, and incorrectly handing the keys to Aaron Woods , really shows a timeline of how we got into this situation.
To be fair , the fact we didn’t crumble until really the last 3 years is probably a testament to how people will anything to Dave thier own skin.

Please stop. The nightmares will come back.
There was a series of events that hurt us, the gambler didn’t help.
Hopefully in a few years after two consecutive premierships, we will all have a laugh. Not yet though.

 

[Buttface]

Call me old fashioned but I’m still a believer that the proper way to Firsts is to absolutely bash the door down in reserve grade. Melbourne is still going about it that way - star reserve grade players like Grant, Pezet, Faalongo who had to do a proper apprenticeship.

Can’t for the life of me see how anyone in our reserves earned a first grade opportunity in the last few years.

We’re obviously in a building phase, hopefully to a point where first grade jerseys are harder to earn.

Maybe Tim J? But I hear ya. 👍🏻

 

[Buttface]

Apparently, Flanagan playing Cook at 13 type role.

They might have to until they get a decent hooker, and yes that includes cook.
I hope they have a season from hell and Flanno has to replace his son with Bud.

 

[BAGNF05]

Apparently, Flanagan playing Cook at 13 type role.

Reckon he’ll be hooker by rd 3-4 if he starts in the back row.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

I'd let go of Starford for a cardboard cut out of Taylan May

simple lose AD in 2026 replace with Taylan May

 

[Tucker]

No the point is reserve graders who were overhyped in the off season and never really cracked first grade. Liddle made and stayed in first grade.

You look at all the players listed and all of them have either never played first grade or proven themselves as anything more than a fringe first grader.

Fair enough.
Personally, I still add him, if for slightly different reasoning. He was talked up and protected on here for many years. I had tonnes of fights on here about him - almost as many as about Brooks.
For mine, he was hearlded as the next coming of Jesus and never came close to matching the hype train.

 

[Tiger_Yoshi]

From this list of off contracted players I'd only be keeping Seyfarth....A good worker which every club needs.


Adam Doueihi, Josh Feledy, Justin Matamua, Brent Naden, Alex Seyfarth, Charlie Staines, Brandon Tumeth


And if we can add Bud Sullivan, Klemmer and Bateman to that list, we are in a great position for 2026.

 

[Garrry]

There should be an annual Wests Tigers Forum award for the most over-hyped reserve grader of the off-season

2021 - Allan Fitzgibbon
2022 - Oliver Gildart/William Kei
2023 - Triston Reilly
2024 - Alex Lobb
2025 - Tim Johannssen (pending)

Any other nominations from years gone by?

What about another next big thing wests tigers signed from QLD, via wests tigers now at brookvale with all the other ex tigers players, hooker Jake Simpson

 

[balmain boy]

Serious question. Is there a rule that says that development contracts must eventually result in a top 30 deal? Seems that’s the way WT have been structuring them anyway.

To me that’s not very logical, we think this guy requires work to get to FG level but we’re going to promise him a FG deal anyway. Providing a disincentive to get better.

No.

Pascoe seemed to think there was though as yes nearly all Dev contracts he signed off on had NRL extensions built in. In the past year or two we're finally doing it the right way whereby only the very best juniors get an NRL extension added (makasini etc) and the rest are just exclusively on development contracts.

 

[crazycat]

When he was one he was overhyped to the shithouse…and beyond.
Isn’t that your point?

ROFL, right on Tucker.

I remember when Liddle was going to be the saviour of the WT...

Dinnit do anything much here. Did nothing at the Dragqueens.

Yet putting Cook + Liddle together is interesting. Flanno is missing a halfback and knocked back Sullivan, Recruiting Gutho, who could play 5/8 maybe and not much else at that space.

He is either forcing Kyle F into the 7, which may just derail the entire team OR keeping 7 open till the right player is available.

It will be interesting to see Cook play more at Lock and if the Dragons pack can continue with their intensity then that could work.

I also don't get the V Holmes recruitment and Jack Bird punting. Jack clearly was a part of the Cronulla group and V Holmes was a PITA in running off to NFL, etc. Thinking about it:

Maybe Jack Bird and Val Holmes hate each other. Holmes said "No Jack" and jack is gone. If so then it's really good for us.

Otherwise Flanno sees something in Jack Bird that he does not want in his team. This makes no sense to me.

 

[jirskyr]

All charges were dropped.

Sorry, I meant allegedly

 

[The Chad]

I would imagine the release of Bird is partially a finances thing, possibly to do with him also fitting roles assigned to other players?

Adding Holmes, Gutherson & Cook- they needed to free up a little money.

But, to be honest...I don't really understand the release of Bird. Unless Flanno was actually doing him a solid- couldn't guarantee him playing time & gave him the option to look after himself.

 

[Camel2281]

Hunt and Reynolds are like 35 each. Not really building a future.

Ezra Mam is a POS.

Funniest part is is that they got rid of Dearden

 

[Ecto-1]

Article mentions there’s a backrower they want to sign if Bateman leaves. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/th...-rebuild-of-wests-tigers-20241129-p5kukd.html