Team Talk: Wests Tigers 2023

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Three stats to fix: Wests Tigers​

Corey Rosser NRL Reporter
Sun 19 Feb 2023, 04:39 PM

It is little surprise given their last-placed finish in 2022 that the Wests Tigers sat at the wrong end of many of the NRL's most important statistical categories last season.

The metrics show that improvement in a couple of key areas last year could have drastically changed the way their season panned out, and they are points which won't have been lost on the new coaching setup led by Tim Sheens.

NRL.com takes a look at a few of the ways the Wests Tigers can improve in 2023 as they seek to climb the ladder with their new-look roster.

Catching kicks and bringing them back
Defusing kicks, and the manner in which you return them, can make or break a set of six in the NRL, and last year the Wests Tigers got it wrong far too often.

First-choice fullback Daine Laurie struggled with catching bombs, allowing 19 to bounce (an average of one per game he played), while in total he failed to defuse 31 kicks.

Despite having one of the NRL's bigger wingers in Ken Maumalo, their yield from kick returns was the worst in the competition, averaging just 119.2 kick return metres per game.

For context the NRL's best team in that area, the Panthers, averaged 206.2 kick return metres per match last year.

Don't blow it​

They won four games last year and allowed several more to slip from their grasp.

A close look at the Wests Tigers' games in 2022 shows just how many blown chances there were, with the club establishing a lead of more than 10 points on eight occasions, of which five still ended in defeat.

Developing his side's ability to manage a game from in front, and fostering their confidence to do so, will need to be a big focus for Sheens if the club are to be any chance of challenging for the top eight this season.

Scoring tries​

Unless your defence is incredible, you aren't going to win very often in the NRL if you average just 2.5 tries scored per game across a season.

That was the Wests Tigers' competition-worst stat from last year, and by the end of the regular season the Storm, Rabbitohs, Eels and Panthers at the other end of that category had scored almost double the club's total haul of 63 tries.

Those scoring struggles can be traced back to a number of issues, and with the exception of the Broncos no team had fewer good ball sets than the Wests Tigers' 288 last year, meaning they often weren't in any position to build pressure and score tries.


www.nrl.com

Three stats to fix: Wests Tigers

Unsurprisingly given their struggles which culminated in a last-placed finish in 2022, the Wests Tigers sat at the wrong end of many of the NRL's most important statistical categories last season.
www.nrl.com www.nrl.com
 
The effectiveness of our backs is huge and creates a massive amount of extra work for the forwards. I just want them once they get the ball to run straight and hard at the line. None of this trotting around the fullback get the ball and jink for 5mtrs and get slammed stuff.
 

Team Talk: Wests Tigers 2023 overview, best 17, squad update​

Corey Rosser NRL Reporter
Mon 20 Feb 2023, 06:42 PM

​

A new coach and a host of big-name recruits signal the start of a new era for the Wests Tigers in 2023, coming after a horror past season which ended in them collecting the wooden spoon.
Believing the answer to the future sits with figures from the past, the Wests Tigers have brought back their premiership-winning coach from 2005, Tim Sheens, with club legends Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah as his assistants.

The signing of six new players, five of whom have played in NRL Grand Finals previously, is a good start as they seek to bounce back from last year's 20-loss disaster.

Predicted Round 1 team​

  1. Daine Laurie
  2. David Nofoaluma
  3. Tommy Talau
  4. Brent Naden
  5. Charlie Staines
  6. Adam Doueihi
  7. Luke Brooks
  8. Stefano Utoikamanu
  9. Api Koroisau
  10. David Klemmer
  11. Isaiah Papali’i
  12. John Bateman
  13. Joe Ofahengaue
  14. Jake Simpkin
  15. Alex Twal
  16. Fonua Pole
  17. Shawn Blore
Other: Ken Maumalo (injured), Brandon Wakeham, Alex Seyfarth, Apisalome Saukuru, Asu Kepaoa, Brandon Tumeth, Junior Tupou, Rua Ngatikaura, Sione Fainu, Star To'a, Triston Reilly, Tukimihia Simpkins, Will Smith, Christian Ma’anaima (development), Justin Matamua (development), Josh Feledy (development), Kitione Kautoga (development).

Squad watch
Squad spots filled: 30/30

Wests Tigers filled their squad to full capacity in January with the signing of Brandon Wakeham on a one-year contract.

The club is loaded with talent in the forwards for 2023, with Stefano Utoikamanu - tipped by many as a future representative player - the only member of their likely starting pack who hasn't played either Origin or Test football for a tier one nation.

Aside from the new faces they have signed, the club will regain the services of forward Shawn Blore and versatile back Tommy Talau, who both failed to play a single minute of football last season due to serious injuries.

They have good depth in the backline, with Charlie Staines - who was a scorer in last year's Grand Final win for Penrith - pushing for the fullback spot.

Despite losing a glut of talent to rival NRL clubs, including seven players who were regulars in their side last year, it's hard to argue that the Wests Tigers haven't improved their squad significantly for 2023.

Health watch​

Ken Maumalo (knee) is in doubt for the early rounds after re-injuring his leg against the Raiders in the Pre-season Challenge.

Api Koroisau (calf), Luke Brooks (calf) and Joe Ofahengaue (rested) all missed the Pre-season Challenge matches but are expected to be available for Round 1.

John Bateman will have less than a fortnight in Australia after delays due to visa issues and is in doubt for the season opener. Although Bateman has been training in the UK, he could come off the bench in the early stages of the season.

Most contentious position​

There wasn't a standout option at centre last year for the Wests Tigers, and again for 2023 it's hard to know who will emerge at the first-choice pairing.

Versatile back Star To'a started 14 games at centre last year in a season which saw him play a career-high 21 games, while Brent Naden impressed at the back end as a winger, and has plenty of centre experience under his belt.

The departure of Oliver Gildart (Dolphins) is offset by Talau's return from a season-long injury layoff, and if he can stay fit Sheens has indicated he's likely to be part of the 17 somewhere.

The battle for the fullback spot is also on with Daine Laurie facing stiff competition alongside premiership-winner Charlie Staines, who arrives from Penrith.

Biggest strength​

This forward pack will cause issues for plenty of sides in 2023.

The addition of Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali'i and John Bateman, plus former Blues enforcer David Klemmer, to a group already featuring some quality veterans and promising forwards, means the engine room should hum.

In Koroisau they have a proven winner, with three-straight Grand Final appearances to his name, while Papali'i was one of the competition's best back-rowers last year, playing every game for the Eels and scoring 10 tries, with 140 average run metres per game.

Bateman too has shown he belongs in the competition's elite in his position, having been judged to be the NRL's best second-rower back in 2019 with the Raiders.

That talent on the edge should improve the Wests Tigers on both sides of the footy, while there will be no lack of punch through the middle, with the aggressive David Klemmer, who averaged 155 metres per game last year, joining Joe Ofahengaue, Alex Twal and Stefano Utoikamanu.

Biggest question mark​

How long will it take this new-look coaching setup to find their feet, and will their relative lack of experience as modern-day NRL coaches matter?

Sheens is a premiership-winning coach and a club legend. But it's also been 11 years since he did it at NRL level, and in that time the game has changed drastically.

In Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah he has two assistants with recent playing experience, but next to no experience as top-flight coaches.

How they manage this roster and make the adjustments needed throughout a grueling NRL campaign will be crucial to deciding where the Wests Tigers land this coming season.

www.nrl.com

Team Talk: Wests Tigers 2023 overview, best 17, squad update

A new coach and a host of big-name recruits signal the start of a new era for the Wests Tigers in 2023, coming after a horror past season which ended in them collecting the wooden spoon.
www.nrl.com www.nrl.com
 
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An interesting read on how a few rookies stack up

thesportingbase.com

NRL Rookie Watch: Which Wests Tigers are worth keeping an eye on in 2023? - The Sporting Base

NRL Rookie Watch: Which Wests Tigers are worth keeping an eye on in 2023? Matamua made his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers in Round 17 last season off the
thesportingbase.com thesportingbase.com

NRL Rookie Watch: Which Wests Tigers are worth keeping an eye on in 2023?​

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

BY JOEL BEATTON
NRL Rookie Watch: Which Wests Tigers are worth keeping an eye on in 2023?

With the 2023 NRL season nearing, we list the crop of rookies from each club worth keeping tabs on as they aim to join the elite list of budding stars with a Rookie of the Year award to their name.​

As per the NRL, “players are eligible for the Rookie of the Year in their debut season and the subsequent two NRL seasons … Once a player plays five (5) NRL Premiership matches (or English Super League matches), he becomes ineligible for the Rookie of the Year in any subsequent seasons”.​

Justin Matamua​

Matamua made his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers in Round 17 last season off the bench against Parramatta – where he lasted just several minutes before being sent to the bin for a shoulder charge – before earning another opportunity the following week against Penrith. He also made the leap from Jersey Flegg to NSW Cup midway through the year making three starts in the second-row for Western Suburbs before returning back for the Wests Tigers’ run towards the Jersey Flegg finals. Matamua started in the front-row for the NSW under-19s side midyear where he ran for 109 metres and made 28 tackles without a miss in a comprehensive victory. A versatile forward, Matamua will look to cement himself as a week-to-week first-grader in 2023 as a part of the Wests Tigers’ new-look pack after impressing in trials.



Junior Tupou​

Tupou also made the jump to the NRL last season debuting for the Wests Tigers in Round 10 where he scored a try in a loss to North Queensland. He played a total of four on the wing across the season averaging 94 run metres and scoring a pair of tries. An under-16s NSW representative, Tupou came through the Raiders system before linking up with the Wests Tigers’ Jersey Flegg squad last year. He played just three Jersey Flegg games across the season, however, spending a majority of the year on the wing or at fullback for Western Suburbs in NSW Cup, scoring eight tries. At 6-foot-3 and 95-kilograms, Tupou is an athletic and skilled outside back who will like his chances of climbing up the depth charts at the Wests Tigers and adding more NRL games to his résumé. Tupou broke nine tackles and scored three tries in his two preseason outings this season and, with Ken Maumalo expected to be sidelined for the start of the season, may push for a starting spot come Round 1.

Brandon Tumeth​

Tumeth started alongside Matamua for the Blues’ under-19s squad last season and has turned heads at the club over the past few years. He has split his time between Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup over the past two seasons and will be eyeing an NRL debut in 2023. An athletic edge forward, Tumeth has appeared in five NSW Cup games over the past two seasons, bagging two tries last year. Having graduated through the Balmain system, the Wests Tigers decision-makers will be eager to ensure the 19-year-old develops into a consistent first-grader and 2023 might be the year that we get out first look at him on the big stage. The arrivals of Isaiah Papali’i and John Bateman have bolstered the club’s edge forward stocks with Tumeth, Matamua, Alex Seyfarth and Shawn Blore also among those fighting for minutes.

Sione Fainu​

A highly-touted middle forward from an ultra-talented family, Fainu was brought over from Manly prior to last season and looks set to make the leap to NRL level this year. Still just 21, Fainu has four seasons of Jersey Flegg football under his belt and has spent time in NSW Cup across the past two seasons as well. Named the NSW Under-18s State Player of the Year in 2019, Fainu has been on the radar for some time and is unlucky to have not debuted yet. The Wests Tigers’ middle forward stocks look stronger than they did 12 months ago thanks to the addition of David Klemmer and the rise of Matamua and Fonua Pole, however, the departures of veterans James Tamou, Zane Musgrove, and Tyrone Peachey should open up some starting and interchange minutes.
 
batboy said:
Kautoga has more upside than both Tumeth and Matamua atm for mine....
He may well be linked up with the Dogs and down the pecking order here.
Click to expand...

Was thinking that too bro, could be
a possibility he's going to the dogs, if
that's the case, I like it, good call ...
No point developing him, he can
linger in state cup. Thanks to Noddy
embarrassing him and his family for
debuting him for 1 minute last year
 
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Snidest 0 said:
Better than anything you've come up with Hap.

Get over yourself - you literally asked if metrics and genetics was the same???
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And it was a joke ...which Tiger_1 took as a joke

But your typical style ...play the man ...and then poke fun at his job ...class mate ...all class
 
happy_tiger said:
And it was a joke ...which Tiger_1 took as a joke

But your typical style ...play the man ...and then poke fun at his job ...class mate ...all class
Click to expand...
So sorry Karen!!

Fair dinkum - how thin is your skin?

You blokes all bagged the perceived 2005 players boys club..... but then turned a PUBLIC FORUM into your own exclusive boys club at the behest of a Federal Copper who banned anyone who dissented with your group think!

Now "Lt. Dan" is gone you have no security blanket & seem so lost

1677245286439.png
 
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Snidest 0 said:
So sorry Karen!!

Fair dinkum - how thin is your skin?

You blokes all bagged the perceived 2005 players boys club..... but then turned a PUBLIC FORUM into your own exclusive boys club at the behest of a Federal Copper who banned anyone who dissented with your group think!

Now "Lt. Dan" is gone you have no security blanket & seem so lost

View attachment 4537
Click to expand...
Sorry I don't need a security blanket and have never requested anyone to be banned by Willow or any other MOD past present or future or hidden behind the MODs as you suggest

Must be fun to just make absolute crap up Red
 
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