Wests Tigers provide update on 2019 NRL squad

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The announcement is at a strange time as is the 3 players elevated to the top 30\. Still 3 weeks to go until start of preseason and no decision on the coach either way. Something’s brewing.
 
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Dally M 1/2 of the year
Kiwi centre
Better FB, hooker & backrow than last season.
No improvement in other areas however it could be a lot worse.

Hopefully we’re focusing on a top line prop & centre for the last 2 remaining spots.

I think we will only add 1 more player by kickoff to bring us up to the mandatory 29 - carry 1 spot for possible mid season signing.
 
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The announcement is at a strange time as is the 3 players elevated to the top 30\. Still 3 weeks to go until start of preseason and no decision on the coach either way. Something’s brewing.

It sure is and I'm about to let a ripper of a fart go…
 
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Thin on for outside backs…

The pack proved they could match it with the rest in the majority of games ...the addition of Matterson will improve the balance of the pigs

The top 17 is a good squad id back them against most sides in the NRL..however we know injuries will strike at stages...it's where we need the likes of Aloiai Chee Kam to step up again and show more consistency...

I am glad someone is actually looking at the squad. Though not sure I agree.

We could use a good Prop and a good second rower. Prop's well they just wear thin and get busted. We lacked an impact prop and could have really used Taupau or similar.
Second rowers, we are in big trouble here as McQueen appears damaged goods. **<big>Lawrence has stepped up nicely but we need another.</big>**

**<big>His name is Ryan Matterson</big>**

We need a solid utility for the backs as it's pretty much Thompson, Marsters, Fonua and Nofo that would be our current lineup. (maybe a Junior could step up). But no where near as worried about the backs as the forwards.

His name is Ryan Matterson
 
Like all NRL sides injuries will dictate what sort of season we will have.Interesting we have two spots to fill if Bennett comes do Pangai Jr and Oates follow.Oates could get his wish of playing in the forwards that would add some grunt
 
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The bookies will set the market for 2019 based on fact and not fiction. We will be penciled in for 15th based on our squad. We may over achieve and get as high up as 12 th, but it is a bog average squad that need a urgent injection of class.

Sorry I am being brutal, but it is fact, Matherson, Moses M, have both been great signings but we need need three more of that quality to even give the eight a shot.

I have the feeling that HQ are starting to worry where we are headed in 2019

Yep. They had us at 15th and Cowboys 1st this year. They just make their best guess like anyone else.

Weight of money by the punters drives the bookies markets more than anything else and punters get it wrong far more often than they get it right
 
Terrible squad. We overachieved this year. We won half a dozen games by 1-2 points that could go either way. Not to mention the back run of the year when we played Raiders, Knights, Manly, Dragons were all games that if there was another few minutes we looked shot. We never ever finished over the top of any team as we had no quality.

The last round was indicative of where we are at. Was an NRL side vs a reserve grade side. The worst thing is we barely had anyone out to make excuses. If those top teams turn up to play we are done. We may have lost a bit of deadwood as people say, but the emergence of Sue in the backhalf of the year was a major reason we started winning again (the only forward who could go over the advantage line).

The pack is not good enough and the backs can't create anything to compensate for it. One good signing of Matterson will not solve anything.
 
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Terrible squad. We overachieved this year. We won half a dozen games by 1-2 points that could go either way. Not to mention the back run of the year when we played Raiders, Knights, Manly, Dragons were all games that if there was another few minutes we looked shot. We never ever finished over the top of any team as we had no quality.

The last round was indicative of where we are at. Was an NRL side vs a reserve grade side. The worst thing is we barely had anyone out to make excuses. If those top teams turn up to play we are done. We may have lost a bit of deadwood as people say, but the emergence of Sue in the backhalf of the year was a major reason we started winning again (the only forward who could go over the advantage line).

The pack is not good enough and the backs can't create anything to compensate for it. One good signing of Matterson will not solve anything.

Your argument is illogical.

Firstly, winning "half a dozen" games by 1-2 points is actually quite good, in a season of 24 matches, so long as you don't lose another 12 games by 1-2 points. Most teams win about half of the close ones and in fact Tigers were 5-4 in games decided by 2 points or less, so better than average. You can't decry the wins "that could have gone either way", because they didn't go the other way. A close win is not a loss.

In terms of "finishing over the top", not quite sure what you mean. We did not dominate many games apart from the Manly and Souths ones, but we certainly finished over the top of several sides - esp. Melbourne twice and Roosters. It's very hard for you to be making a point about not finishing over the top of anyone, when factually we did exactly that against both Grand Finalists in both games.

The team achieved what they achieved. They can clearly do better, they can also obviously do worse. Unless you are proposing that Tigers played a perfect season in 2018, and could not possibly do any better, then it is always possible that Tigers can improve rather than regress.
 
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The announcement is at a strange time as is the 3 players elevated to the top 30\. Still 3 weeks to go until start of preseason and no decision on the coach either way. Something’s brewing.

We must be close to announcing a real coach, albeit one that won’t be bringing too much cattle across immediately if we’re promoting. Either that or it’s business as usual with the smiling assassin still at the helm momentarily, providing a vice-like grip to recruitment.
We must have plenty of dosh to spend on the last 2 placements.
I was shown an old email yesterday, sent from a panthers trainer who used to play for the tigers which proved the Ivan defection was a done deal 6 weeks ago. Shane Elford went alright as a tiger..
 
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Thin on for outside backs…

The pack proved they could match it with the rest in the majority of games ...the addition of Matterson will improve the balance of the pigs

The top 17 is a good squad id back them against most sides in the NRL..however we know injuries will strike at stages...it's where we need the likes of Aloiai Chee Kam to step up again and show more consistency...

Are you being real Geo

So you feel that Aloiai and MCK have remotely near another gear to find

Puhlease :brick: :brick: :brick:

u gotta lay of that weed, its sending u silly.
 
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Terrible squad. We overachieved this year. We won half a dozen games by 1-2 points that could go either way. Not to mention the back run of the year when we played Raiders, Knights, Manly, Dragons were all games that if there was another few minutes we looked shot. We never ever finished over the top of any team as we had no quality.

The last round was indicative of where we are at. Was an NRL side vs a reserve grade side. The worst thing is we barely had anyone out to make excuses. If those top teams turn up to play we are done. We may have lost a bit of deadwood as people say, but the emergence of Sue in the backhalf of the year was a major reason we started winning again (the only forward who could go over the advantage line).

The pack is not good enough and the backs can't create anything to compensate for it. One good signing of Matterson will not solve anything.

Your argument is illogical.

Firstly, winning "half a dozen" games by 1-2 points is actually quite good, in a season of 24 matches, so long as you don't lose another 12 games by 1-2 points. Most teams win about half of the close ones and in fact Tigers were 5-4 in games decided by 2 points or less, so better than average. You can't decry the wins "that could have gone either way", because they didn't go the other way. A close win is not a loss.

In terms of "finishing over the top", not quite sure what you mean. We did not dominate many games apart from the Manly and Souths ones, but we certainly finished over the top of several sides - esp. Melbourne twice and Roosters. It's very hard for you to be making a point about not finishing over the top of anyone, when factually we did exactly that against both Grand Finalists in both games.

The team achieved what they achieved. They can clearly do better, they can also obviously do worse. Unless you are proposing that Tigers played a perfect season in 2018, and could not possibly do any better, then it is always possible that Tigers can improve rather than regress.

Its not illogical. Yes they are good wins but on another year they can go either way and I would fear that next year. Sure you can use the inverse but I felt there were far more games that we won that we were holding on, than games that we lost where you could of said "5 more mins and we had them". The Roosters is the only loss where I felt we were coming home. Even The Eels 2 point loss, we didn't look likely to score that winner at all in the last 10….just zero attack. As I said, that run of Canberra, Saints, Manly and Knights, it felt like another few minutes in all those games and we were done in all of them. Great that we held on, but it shows a bit where we are at and that another year (next year) it could be a lot worse, hence why i fear that.

If you number our side player for player vs any team in the comp and merged them, we would be lucky to have 6 in any starting team in the comp, in some examples we would have zero of our players make another side. Literally zero. Its an ordinary roster.
 
Fact is we've lost a lot of plodders, have signed a few quality players and promoted some top quality kids. Similar squad to last year who were 9th. Still 2-3 million to spend. Let's just make sure we spend it!

Mbye > Lolohea
Farah > Godinet
Smith > MWZ (Much faster and more skilful)
Momo = Kev (Reliable and tough, over erratic)
Mikaele (almost equal to Sue. Unproven, but potential to be much much better and more consistent. People easily forget Sue's crap defence and needless penalties…)
Matterson > Grant

SO when you look at things objectively we're not worse off than last year, and have strengthened many positions. Kev and SUe were highly inconsistent players who were great on their day and awful when not. Mikaele could be an Origin player and is rated much higher than the likes of Felise, Tatola, Liolevave. Momirovski is also unproven but given the Roosters had no hesitation throwing him into a prelim final you'd say that's a fair shout as to his quality and mental strength. Likely to be more reliable as Kev, even if less spectacular in attack.
 
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Fact is we've lost a lot of plodders, have signed a few quality players and promoted some top quality kids. Similar squad to last year who were 9th. Still 2-3 million to spend. Let's just make sure we spend it!

Mbye Lolohea
Farah Godinet
Smith MWZ (Much faster and more skilful)
Momo = Kev (Reliable and tough, over erratic)
Mikaele (almost equal to Sue. Unproven, but potential to be much much better and more consistent. People easily forget Sue's crap defence and needless penalties…)
Matterson Grant

SO when you look at things objectively we're not worse off than last year, and have strengthened many positions. Kev and SUe were highly inconsistent players who were great on their day and awful when not. Mikaele could be an Origin player and is rated much higher than the likes of Felise, Tatola, Liolevave. Momirovski is also unproven but given the Roosters had no hesitation throwing him into a prelim final you'd say that's a fair shout as to his quality and mental strength. Likely to be more reliable as Kev, even if less spectacular in attack.

And to add to what you've said.. Hopefully a fit Josh Reynolds too.
 
Yeah, Suaso had me cheering with ball in hand, but concerned when at marker or getting back into the defensive line.
 
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Thin on for outside backs…

The pack proved they could match it with the rest in the majority of games ...the addition of Matterson will improve the balance of the pigs

The top 17 is a good squad id back them against most sides in the NRL..however we know injuries will strike at stages...it's where we need the likes of Aloiai Chee Kam to step up again and show more consistency...

The reason season 2018 was so disappointing was due to the fact that we had so few injuries throughout the season and still finished outside the 8.
Of course we always expect a tough period for injuries, but what we need are players that are committed to the cause - and a coach with similar commitment wouldn't go astray either.
 

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