Yep i went to one of those concerts at Lidcombe oval , was a great day but they were always going to push Wests out to Campbelltown
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
supercoach
Well-known member
Our model of building a junior pathways system to supply the majority of our playing needs is doomed to fail without having the financial investment other clubs are pumping into their pathways systems.
Kids are getting scouted younger and younger, with clubs like the Dogs snapping up every kid they can get their hands on, many of which will be discarded a few years on and the cream kept. It would appear there is no limitation to the money a club can invest in recruiting junior talent.
It is funny how we have a salary cap and one of it’s objectives is get all clubs closer in ability, yet it’s open slather with juniors. Anyway we probably have to treble the money we are putting into our football operations to ever be competitive for any length of time.
Kids are getting scouted younger and younger, with clubs like the Dogs snapping up every kid they can get their hands on, many of which will be discarded a few years on and the cream kept. It would appear there is no limitation to the money a club can invest in recruiting junior talent.
It is funny how we have a salary cap and one of it’s objectives is get all clubs closer in ability, yet it’s open slather with juniors. Anyway we probably have to treble the money we are putting into our football operations to ever be competitive for any length of time.
BalmainBoy67
Well-known member
Javon Andrews joins Wests Tigers on long-term deal
Javon Andrews, the 2025 State of Origin U19s Player of the Match, will join Wests Tigers on a three-year deal from the 2026 season.
www.weststigers.com.au
Interesting.Javon Andrews joins Wests Tigers on long-term deal
Javon Andrews, the 2025 State of Origin U19s Player of the Match, will join Wests Tigers on a three-year deal from the 2026 season.
Obviously Tigers have had their eye on him for a while, including him in some pathways camps a few years ago.
Seems a bit like Benjis timeline where he was at Keebra but the Tigers had their hooks in early.
I gotta feeling he's one to watch.
weststigers
Well-known member
Stewart is a fullback isn't he? Would you flick Bula? Mooney would definitely make the team. Agree with that.
Also not sure if Andrews is even on a top 30 contract. The club usually mentions that and they didn't.
On Madden, someone needs to have played a few NRL games and be willing to be the backup each week in state cup. Who would you sign that is prepared to play that role?
Ilias would also be available, but he's already upset he's not in firsts...you think he'd come here and sit in reserves?
I think you oversimplify the challenge of buying depth at times.
Putting my sceptical hat on, I wonder how it happens.
How do we sign one of the better Halves coming through in QLD?
Broncs have a couple about to fall off the perch, Titans are short, Cows need another as do the Dolphins..
Why does he come down here?
Interesting...
weststigers
Well-known member
I see your point, but without teams investing in juniors, the game dies and so does the end product that they sell for billions.
Junior investment is a good thing and some clubs don't or can't invest as much as they should. We are one of them and we control an enviable junior base.
Smarter people than me can work out how to lift the junior investment of all clubs to an acceptable level, but with more teams coming in, we need more quality kids to come in even out the comp.
Bus 2 Terrigal
Well-known member
I did say “almost” Coach of the Year.
Sticky will of course win the gong for his amazing job with Canberra.
I didn’t see anyone suggesting Parramatta were top eight material at the start of the year - who you talking about - Sterlo, Ray Price, Hindmarsh ? Who tipped them to make finals? 🤣
You're whole post is excellent and reflects our position accurately (IMO).
The correlation between investment/funding and success is clearly evident (the bold bits), thats not to say it guarantees being premiers or anything like that, but surely people can understand if you have 5 or 6 times the the amount of money being pumped into football operations it allows you to hire the best people, more people to recruit, and more chance of getting the best young talent coming through.
It's just this never ending cycle, limited funding = limited success. If HBG ( I did NOT say Wests Magpies) invested heavily for 4 or 5 years and the club experienced more success, than Wests Tigers would be more chance of being self sustaining with adequate funding as more sponsors and corporates would come on board and pay more to do it. Everyone loves a winner and wants to associated with success. You have to spend money to make it. To be honest it feels like our club is half in only and thats where the frustration comes from. Get fully committed or sell the licence to someone who is.
It doesn’t matter how good your local talent is, you still need to scout far and wide.
The Panthers success over the past 5 or so years is testament to that with the likes of Yeo, Edwards and Martin all scouted and recruited from country areas at a young age.
When I hear that we don’t have the same scouting and player recruitment resources that other clubs do due to our lack of finances, sure it’s a slight hindrance, but that just means we need to and should have connections that are looking out for us and giving recommendations far and wide rather than having our own people on the ground.
Anyway that’s the past, we have recently made some changes in that space, so let’s hope they are changes for the better.
The Panthers success over the past 5 or so years is testament to that with the likes of Yeo, Edwards and Martin all scouted and recruited from country areas at a young age.
When I hear that we don’t have the same scouting and player recruitment resources that other clubs do due to our lack of finances, sure it’s a slight hindrance, but that just means we need to and should have connections that are looking out for us and giving recommendations far and wide rather than having our own people on the ground.
Anyway that’s the past, we have recently made some changes in that space, so let’s hope they are changes for the better.
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Betterdays22
Well-known member
You won't like this but i'm sure Benji Marshall has something to do with it...
Betterdays22
Well-known member
Baffling to me that anyone would think differently to this
Who is Stewart that keeps getting talked about here?
Chevy Stewart @ raiders
Thanks. I kept seeing he and Mooney mentioned together thinking it was Hamish Stewart and the link being 2 middles.
Then I read he's a fullback and thought this can't be right.
Seen a bit, not a lot, of Chevy. There's a handy footballer in there somewhere but don't see him coming into our best 17. I wouldn't be upset with his signing but wouldn't be excited by it either.
88
Well-known member
Is there a world where they do that? Say chip in $400K to move Dodd on then $150K for Bud Sullivan from us. $550K all up for the sake of the argument which is less money and potentially a half they think offers more (as backup)?
weststigers
Well-known member
Chevy Stewart
Batmans Parents
Well-known member
100%. And I’ll say it: it’s Wests Magpies as they are pretty much the HBG. The HBG/Magpie stans are really trying to delude themselves into thinking there’s no link between the bare minimum funding provided by HBG and our lack of success. Not a brain cell among them.
Sadly, I don’t think we’ll see much investment while the Wests dinosaurs are around. Fingers crossed the next generation have a bit more between the ears or they sell the club to someone who actually gives a shit.
