Tigers won't rush whiz-kid Tedesco

[tigersrule4life]

James Tedesco is the full-back of the future at Wests Tigers, but even skipper Robbie Farah does not know if that future is a matter of weeks, months or years away.

Tedesco continued pushing his case for a round one start with another promising trial display against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night, including a blistering try after barely a minute of play.

Selection against Cronulla in just under a fortnight would cap a stunning rise through the ranks for the 19-year-old, given he was playing in the SG Ball competition for under 18s this time last year.

"Everything that has been thrown at him so far he's handled and I guess that's a good sign," Farah said of the number one in waiting.

"The club has got high expectations of him, obviously they've signed him up long-term - he's the future full-back of this club, whether that's round one or not, I'm not sure.

"But definitely there's quality signs from him there and we're all excited about what potentially he can do.

"Sometimes you throw a kid in to the trials and you know straight away that they can't handle it, they need a bit more time, but I think he's shown that he's ready and now it's just up to the coach whether he thinks he's ready."

Coach Tim Sheens has already stated that he is not going to rush the youngster just because he has a vacancy at the back, which has been created by Tim Moltzen's shift to half-back.

Farah said it was important for the senior players to ensure they keep the youngster's feet on the ground.

"He's kind of come from nowhere really - SG Ball to first grade in less than 12 months is pretty decent," he said.

"We don't want to put too much pressure on the kid."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-19/tigers-won27t-rush-whiz-kid-tedesco/3838738/?site=sydney

 

[tiga4eva]

There is no denying it. He's ready. Let him start from Rd 1\. Well be playing Semis this year I'd rather he's played 20 odd games than 9 or 10.
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[Guest]

There is no denying it. He's ready. Let him start from Rd 1\. Well be playing Semis this year I'd rather he's played 20 odd games than 9 or 10.
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Agree. He's handled himself fine in both trials, he has killed it at training…I can't think of a better option at the Tigers to play fullback ahead of him at this point in time.

 

[innsaneink]

Will he be up for the rigours of week in week out NRL first grade football?
A couple of trials is one thing.
He'll be tested, targetted…what happens when he stuffs up...hows his confidence?

A benchy will cover for him imo. Reddy? Brown?
Reddy on, Teddy off, Beau to fullback?

 

[steven_tiger]

Can't wait to see the kid play.

 

[Sabre]

The fact that in both the trials he started at fullback and got so much time says to me he is Sheens preference
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[DB2000]

The kids got talent and has ripped it in the trials he deserves a shot at game one against Cronulla
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[softlaw]

When Sheens was interviewed after the first trial I'm pretty sure he said he wasn;t sure if Tedesco was up to starting. I reckon he might name Brown at 1, Tedesco at 14 and then either get Tedesco on with 15 odd to go in the first half and see what happens or do a late switch just before the game and start Tedesco with Brown on the bench (i'm guessing the latter).
With Ellis, Blair, Heigho and Fulton we really don;t need to use a lot of interchanges to keep them fresh as they can all play big minutes: so use the interchanges to ease the young fella in.

 

[tigersrule4life]

He will be there round 1 for sure go u tigers.

 

[mtd]

sheens has played this out perfectly. tedesco will start round 1 and go back and forth between u/20's or nsw cup if he has any troubles.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

He has trained all off season at fullback and played the full 80 there last night. Can't see him not being there.
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[Danos]

Sheens is a good judge of young talent and when he likes a player they're pretty much golden. Sounds a bit presumptuous, but I believe Sheens made up his mind before the trials even started, his last two performances just reaffirmed it.. whether he sees out the full season, or hops back and forth between FG, NSW Cup and U/20s - we'll just have to wait and see. But come round 1, I believe he'll be starting in the #1 jumper. Joel Reddy will probably start from the bench just so Sheens has a backup option if the kid gets a little overwhelmed.

 

[alexaki]

Will he be up for the rigours of week in week out NRL first grade football?
A couple of trials is one thing.
He'll be tested, targetted…what happens when he stuffs up...hows his confidence?

A benchy will cover for him imo. Reddy? Brown?
Reddy on, Teddy off, Beau to fullback?

Im not a fan of a bench player coming on forcing a number of positional switches….If Tedesco ain't ready for FG put Brown there he's shown he can handle it....

 

[whoneedstherapy]

The kid has tons of talent and looks to deserve his shot. I'd love to see him there round 1 and as we've all mentioned we've got some depth there in terms of Brown / Reddy / Beau etc

 

[Luke]

He has to be given the first opportunity to play fullback in first grade. From what I have heard he has played fantastic in both trials given his experience and age.

The way I see it is if Sheens wasn't sure who would play fullback he would experiment a few players in both trials instead of letting Tedesco play the majority of the time at fullback. However, he never did that, so I can't see why he wouldn't give the kid the opportunity. I won't be happy if he makes a Reddy or Brown play fullback round one because he should have at least given them a decent run at fullback in one of the trials instead of just throwing them in at fullback round one with no chance to gel with the rest of the team in a proper game. Time will tell.

 

[Guest]

Tedesco states his case but Sheens undecided on No.1
Michael Chammas
February 20, 2012
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TIM SHEENS has a reputation for turning teenagers into NRL sensations but the Tigers coach remains undecided whether to give rookie fullback James Tedesco the Benji Marshall-Chris Lawrence treatment for round one.

Sheens has one week to decide whether to throw the 19-year-old his NRL debut against the Sharks at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday week, or go with a bit more experience with either Mitch Brown, Joel Reddy, Tom Humble or Beau Ryan at the back.

Tedesco was one of the Tigers' best in the 28-24 loss to the Roosters at Campbelltown on Saturday, scoring a try, making several half breaks and showing off his defence with a copy-book tackle to shut down a Roosters' raid in the second half. It wouldn't be the first time Sheens has thrown a teenager into the deep end - he gave Marshall his maiden NRL appearance at the age of 18, while Lawrence was a year younger.

The diminutive Camden junior has done everything asked of him in the off-season and in the trials, putting forward a strong case to Sheens for selection in round one. But Sheens is giving little indication as to who will wear the No. 1 in the opening round.

The club recently extended Tedesco's contract until the end of 2014 with a long-term vision for him to become their permanent fullback, offloading promising No. 1 Jake Mullaney to the Eels just to keep him at the club.

Tedesco's trial form makes him almost impossible to overlook, and while captain Robbie Farah agrees that he's the future of the club, he refused to put added pressure on his inexperienced shoulders by confirming his place in the season opener.

"Everything that's been thrown at him so far he's handled, which I guess is a good sign," Farah said. "The club's got high expectations of him … they've signed him up long term and he's the future fullback of this club.

"Whether that's round one or not, I'm not too sure, but there's some quality signs from him and we're all excited about what potentially he can do for us."

Assistant coach Steve Georgallis likened Tedesco to the Panthers' Lachlan Coote, which was evident in the way he leapt above Roosters fullback Alofa Alofa to grab the opening try of the Foundation Cup on Saturday.

He showed no signs of stage fright and didn't look out of place in the top grade, and Farah believes he is up to the task of making his NRL debut if Sheens were to pick him.

"Sometimes you throw a kid in the trials and you just know straight away they can't handle it and need a bit more time," Farah said, "But I think he's shown that he's ready and now it's just up to the coach and whether he thinks he's ready."

While Tedesco played 80 minutes on Saturday night, Sheens has several fullback options at his disposal. Brown made his return from injury at the weekend, while Humble and Reddy have also played at the back for Parramatta in the past and are in Sheens's calculations.

Ryan, who scored a hat-trick on the right wing on Saturday, has also spent some time at the back under Sheens, and with Matt Utai and Lote Tuqiri considered specialist wingers, he may also come under consideration as the Tigers' No. 1.

While there is no doubting Tedesco's natural talent, which had him go from the SG Ball to the Tigers' Toyota Cup player of the year in the space of six months, Farah insists there is more to being a fullback than the ability to attack. Reading play is also crucial.

"As a young kid playing at fullback, he's obviously got to be a big talker," he said.

"He's got to boss guys around, and as a young kid coming through it's a bit tough to do. But I think if he gains a bit of confidence there and can up his voice a bit, that's when I think we'll start to see the best of him. "

 

[Guest]

THE WAITING GAME BEGINS FOR FULL-BACK ROLE
By Wayne Cousins
20/02/2012 10:01:08 AM

It will be the most anticipated Wests Tigers team announcement yet for an opening round game as talk escalates as to who will wear the number 1 jersey.

Exciting youngster James Tedesco is the main contender in many people’s eyes. Twelve months ago, Tedesco was a winger for Western Suburbs Magpies in the SG Ball before being promoted midway through the season to the Wests Tigers NYC team.

The challengers to Tedesco include Joel Reddy, Mitch Brown and Tom Humble, all talented and experienced enough to play full-back against Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday, March 4\. Head Coach Tim Sheens will name his team tomorrow week.

Wests Tigers NRL Assistant Coach Steve Georgallis admits he was hard not to be impressed by Tedesco's form at full-back in the trials against Parramatta and Sydney Roosters.

“It is a big ask to put an 18-year-old kid in there but Tim (Sheens) has done that before. He will keep it close to his chest,’’ Georgallis said.

“At the moment James is getting better and better. I don’t think he has done any harm to his prospects of starting.

“From what I have seen so far, he has handled it. They are a good team the Roosters and they tested him out a few times on Saturday night and that kick he took to score his try reminded me a little bit of Lachlan Coote at Penrith.”

Wests Tigers Captain Robbie Farah is confident Tedesco can handle the step up from the U20s to the Telstra premiership.

“Everything that has been thrown at him, he has handled. I guess that is a good sign. The Club has got high expectations of James and have signed him up long term. He is the future full-back of this Club, whether that is round 1 or not, I’m not quite too sure,’’ Farah said.

“James has got to be a big talker and be able to boss guys around. As a young kid coming in, that’s a bit tough to do. I think if he gains a bit of confidence there and can up his voice a bit, that’s when we will start to see the best of him.

“There are some quality signs from him there and we are all excited about what potentially he can do for us. I think he has shown that he is ready and now it is up to the coach to see if he thinks he is ready.”

 

[everett]

If you good enough your old enough.

Welcome to the NRL James Tedesco. Please take your position at full back.

What a talent and could be a try scoring wiz.

Can't beleive we actually scored off a bomb.

Let's put more bombs up at let Tedesco chase.

 

[DB1]

Got to admitt the excitement is killing me! I can't wait!

He'll be there rd1.

Just wondering though, how fast is he?

 

[851]

Having Reddy at 17 for game 1 is more than enough cover if the unexpected happens and Teddy struggles,let the kid flourish,all the better for the team IMHO.