Thurston

[LaT]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

Correct.

100%

I don't see a huge benefit to rearranging an entire club to fit one player in for a few years. I also don't see why its being made into such a black and white issue, its not defeatist or a second best attitude to be against this.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

JT and GI are ''band aid'' solutions, are you for real? they are 2 of the best players of the modern era and if it came down to it, you would choose guys that are unproven and who could easily end up duds over two of the biggest superstars the game currently has? Sorry but i don't believe you

 

[foreveratiger]

As much as i would love to see JT here , i don't think he will be moving from the Cowboys to be honest….
Miller will be the next good thing , i have confidence in him.

 

[innsaneink]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

Correct.

You can have all the best juniors in the world, without experienced hard heads leading them and showing them the ropes, they wont get far.

My point is, it is once in a blue moon the best becomes available….to not even show interest when others clubs do sends a message....3 marquee players in 13 years also tells a tale....we make do, we never look to the best, its always 'the future' ...never the now

Gotta laugh at so many making excuses for a club not trying to be the best it can....as i said its an endemic attitude that goes back to Balmain & Wests

 

[Newtown]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

JT and GI are ''band aid'' solutions, are you for real? they are 2 of the best players of the modern era and if it came down to it, you would choose guys that are unproven and who could easily end up duds over two of the biggest superstars the game currently has? Sorry but i don't believe you

O.K. what would you now do with Lote? Do you play him in FG or do you classify him as a player who was a band aid solution?

 

[Newtown]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

JT and GI are ''band aid'' solutions, are you for real? they are 2 of the best players of the modern era and if it came down to it, you would choose guys that are unproven and who could easily end up duds over two of the biggest superstars the game currently has? Sorry but i don't believe you

 

[Newtown]

We can just continue to purchase other clubs rejects

I think if we dont look interested in the best, then why would the best be interested in us?

Not much good if we haven't the cash. Of course, we could sell off Benji, Farah, Woods, Tedesco and Lawrence and then buy an expensive matquee player.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

IMHO, WT shall keep and develop our NYC players, and forget expensive "band aids" like GI, JT, TW etc.
WT strategic direction shall be players like Tedessco, Sironen, Fotuaika, Brown, Paasi, Naiyaravoro, Santi, Lovett, Moses, Brooks, Cherrington etc.

Go Tigers

JT and GI are ''band aid'' solutions, are you for real? they are 2 of the best players of the modern era and if it came down to it, you would choose guys that are unproven and who could easily end up duds over two of the biggest superstars the game currently has? Sorry but i don't believe you

O.K. what would you now do with Lote? Do you play him in FG or do you classify him as a player who was a band aid solution?

Does he even have a contract? if he does he will be in fg, count on it

Besides as marquee as Lote was, JT and GI are a higher echelon

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

Anyone whos anyone that watched that game last night saw the brilliance of Jonathon Thurston. Like that pin point kick to Barba. Poetry in motion. Every man & his dog would be salivating at the prospect of JT in Black, White & Gold. He needs to move on & i know Des has promised him a premiership. What can we offer JT? Its not happening at the cowboys. They had their chance in 2005 after they drubbed the electric eels. Really, what can we offer him -
Very good thread. I wish you were Potter.

 

[851]

Thurston is a 6 now,we have them coming out our ears,he ain't coming.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

Panthers are really the only NSW based team making a legitimate play for him, and they can only do that because they just freed up well over a million in their cap by dumping Gordon/Lewis/Jennings.

My mail has Penrith making a play at the Pearce/Carney combination… Mr Gould rates them both!

The only Sydney club with a chance at signing Thurston is the Bulldogs...

Personally, we would be foolish to not make a play as Ink mentions, but I will be surprised if he leaves QLD?!

 

[LaT]

Should we really make a play? By that I mean start notifying players they are free to leave mid contract? Or tell players with a year to run that they should probably look elsewhere? Because its pointless to make an offer if we don't have the money or don't have a plan to come up with it.

For me it comes down to either we go all in and actually try to sign him, or let it go and focus efforts elsewhere.

I see no tangible benefit in making a half hearted play simply to be seen in the media as "hey we want him too".

 

[innsaneink]

If we were serious we wouldve been doing our homework and begun preps about a year ago, with back up plans in place. He is the type of player you build a team around, he would attract just about anyone

Everyone knows we are no chance….we are always no chance, we are at the bottom of the scale...who is the top marquee player weve signed in 13 years?
Ellis, and he only came due to former player Mark O'Neills good work and recommendation.
Then who? Blair...then Lote...then......? Pretty sad reading

Everyone knows deep down were buckleys and none, I think people subconsciously make excuses to cover the clubs deficiencies....I'm sick of making up the numbers...seems plenty are still happy with mediocrity

 

[Tiger_Watto]

Should we really make a play? By that I mean start notifying players they are free to leave mid contract? Or tell players with a year to run that they should probably look elsewhere? Because its pointless to make an offer if we don't have the money or don't have a plan to come up with it.

For me it comes down to either we go all in and actually try to sign him, or let it go and focus efforts elsewhere.

I see no tangible benefit in making a half hearted play simply to be seen in the media as "hey we want him too".

Reebok signed the second best Marketing guy 20 years ago to save some dollars and place hope in the junior talent coming through…

But a play at Thurston might not be about him... It may offer us a future bid at 'other' superstar players in the NRL...

 

[tigersrule4life]

Since when did a contract mean anything at the tigers we so what happend the last 2 years but im pretty hopfull we should have cash this year and will buy big recruits during the season.

 

[LaT]

Should we really make a play? By that I mean start notifying players they are free to leave mid contract? Or tell players with a year to run that they should probably look elsewhere? Because its pointless to make an offer if we don't have the money or don't have a plan to come up with it.

For me it comes down to either we go all in and actually try to sign him, or let it go and focus efforts elsewhere.

I see no tangible benefit in making a half hearted play simply to be seen in the media as "hey we want him too".

Reebok signed the second best Marketing guy 20 years ago to save some dollars and place hope in the junior talent coming through…

**But a play at Thurston might not be about him... It may offer us a future bid at 'other' superstar players in the NRL...**

I just can't remember this sort of thing happening? Is there an example or instance I can be referred to that shows it happening in the NRL?

 

[bigsiro]

I have been saying on these forums for years that Thurston is the best thing since sliced bread and that we should clear the decks for him; throw a blank cheque at him.

He makes average players look brilliant, so I'd be happy to have average players outside of him if it meant he was our HB.

And all this talk about juniors…...I just don't get how anyone can suggest that juniors are the only players that should play for us etc.
Juniors are no certainty for stardom and and a bird in the hand like Thurston is certainly worth the risk (if you could call it that). Submitting that a junior (or a bunch of juniors) is preferred over Thurston is ridiculous. "Strategic direction" my foot. Where has it gotten us so far? Any marquee player we ever bring in is going to take the place of someone. That's life.

I know the reality is that he may not want to come here. This whole thread may be moot. Miller is here and he could be anything...blah blah blah. But I would take 1 year of Thurston over 5 years of an unknown junior. He took the Cowboys to the GF in his first year there!

 

[Newtown]

I have been saying on these forums for years that Thurston is the best thing since sliced bread and that we should clear the decks for him; throw a blank cheque at him.

He makes average players look brilliant, so I'd be happy to have average players outside of him if it meant he was our HB.

And all this talk about juniors…...I just don't get how anyone can suggest that juniors are the only players that should play for us etc.
Juniors are no certainty for stardom and and a bird in the hand like Thurston is certainly worth the risk (if you could call it that). Submitting that a junior (or a bunch of juniors) is preferred over Thurston is ridiculous. "Strategic direction" my foot. Where has it gotten us so far? Any marquee player we ever bring in is going to take the place of someone. That's life.

I know the reality is that he may not want to come here. This whole thread may be moot. Miller is here and he could be anything...blah blah blah. But I would take 1 year of Thurston over 5 years of an unknown junior. He took the Cowboys to the GF in his first year there!

How many marquee players did Wests Tigers have when they won the premiership in 2005? None. The only marquee they had was coach who was a superstar compared to coaches like Lamb and Langmack which they had earlier.

 

[diedpretty]

Should we really make a play? By that I mean start notifying players they are free to leave mid contract? Or tell players with a year to run that they should probably look elsewhere? Because its pointless to make an offer if we don't have the money or don't have a plan to come up with it.

For me it comes down to either we go all in and actually try to sign him, or let it go and focus efforts elsewhere.

I see no tangible benefit in making a half hearted play simply to be seen in the media as "hey we want him too".

Reebok signed the second best Marketing guy 20 years ago to save some dollars and place hope in the junior talent coming through…

**But a play at Thurston might not be about him... It may offer us a future bid at 'other' superstar players in the NRL...**

Thats true - if its a genuine bid and at leastmatches what other clubs are offering it shows other marquee players that we are willing to be in the game - plus a huge bid isn't going to hurt us because Thurston would never come to the Tiges - its obvious that teams like the rorters and the tiger sharks are managing their rosters far more efficiently than we are.

 

[bigsiro]

How many marquee players did Wests Tigers have when they won the premiership in 2005? None. The only marquee they had was coach who was a superstar compared to coaches like Lamb and Langmack which they had earlier.

What's your point?