Wests Tigers star Robbie Farah dropped from NRL to reserve grade

[Knuckles]

Must have been the members giving Taylor a spray with the Robbie Chant every time Robbie scored a try that got up his nose ….. Must have thought there's only one way to get even .........

 

[Tigermama]

I can cop this on 2 conditions

1\. The playing group doesn't get lost over this and they throw in the towel. It would be criminal, and if they do, heads need to roll at the end of the yr, that's non negotiable.

2\. ET doesn't dragged back into the hooking rotation. Halatau and either Cherrington/Liddle.

I think you will find that the hooker rotation will be Halatau/Edwards.

Edwards has been playing 40 minutes at hooker in NSW Cup and having watched him closely against the Dogs last game he was really good at dummy half. He then also provides you with a rotation option for the props or back rowers as well giving us great utility value but he was very impressive at dummy half with quick smooth passing and great defence was one of our best on ground

Edwards as hooker??? Gawd No. 😱pen_mouth:

 

[Eddie]

Farah was playing well from the bench. The team was performing well. Were a chance to make the Top 8\. Now here comes this predictable power play. Another mid season circus created by the coach. Our season is well and truly alive now we have to deal with this.

Anyway, results over the last 7 weeks will tell the story. If they are good and we make the finals well then Taylor will be in a position of real strength among the club. If it backfires and we fold, well he deserves plenty of blame and should be sent packing.

Like I said time will tell. I have an idea of where it might go, but lets see. I just want to pick the best team every week, maybe Taylor believes this is the best tea. Has something happened in the past day or two to change things?

Fans will be the losers again I feel out of all this.

 

[Tigermama]

Nah I for one hope we get beaten on Sunday…. Can't believe I typed that but this decision has stumped me and I hope it effects the team as a whole. Just when I thought the scarecrow was getting somewhere with the team he does this.
BURN THE SCARECROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll win Maxxy. We're playing the Dragons after all. :laughing:

 

[Eddie]

This is a long term decision imo…. A decision for 2017 and beyond

Maybe.

However will it end up sacrificing 2016?

Were in the finals race for the first time in 4/5 years? We need everyone focused and firing. We have been playing decent footy and looked a happy side. Yet now wre replacing Farah as back uphooker wil Joel Edwards Cant this wait until were at least out of the race?

If this goes pear shaped Taylor will rightly cop plenty of heat.

 

[TYGA]

This is a massive power play. Simple equation we make the finals well played.
We don't make the finals Pascoe and Taylor have to be men and resign from their positions or be terminated. Its ballsy however, I hope we are not dumb enough to go with Halatau, Taylor or Edwards.

 

[Eddie]

What are our other options?

Ballin in injured. Cherrington is out of favour. Liddle cant play due to second tier salary cap.

 

[Chevy]

A work colleague told me a number of years ago that the WT had reputation for treating players poorly,when issues like this arise within our club my ears start ringing again with that comment.
To release a BS statement about our best 17 is rediculous,how does Edwards come into that equation when he has played one game this season from the bench and then dropped the ball on his first carry ?
Grant mayer started this mess,the current board are lumped with the inherited mess and can put whatever spin they like on it but the truth is they are trying to unload Farah to save cap dollars and it appears they will try every avenue to achieve that goal,if achieved gaining the players trust will be their next objective,and that will be done easily by sacking JT and appointing another coach.

 

[Guest]

Wests Tigers CEO backs Jason Taylor’s decision to dump Robbie Farah to reserve grade
July 20, 20168:27pm

WESTS Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has backed Jason Taylor’s decision to dump Robbie Farah to reserve grade — but insists Farah’s time at the club is not over.

In a bombshell that has reignited the ugly feud that has now dragged on for more than 12 months since Taylor first threatened Farah with the axe, the Tigers’ 247 game veteran was sensationally punted from the squad to take on St George Illawarra in Sunday’s crucial game against St George Illawarra.

After being initially named on the Tigers’ bench for the match that also marks Benji Marshall’s 250th NRL game against his former club, Farah will be expected to instead run out in NSW Cup on Saturday when the Tigers take on Newtown.

The news comes just a week after Farah played in the Blues’ Origin III victory over Queensland.

Farah did not return calls on Wednesday night but sources told The Daily Telegraph he was gutted, after basically being told by Taylor after training that the team “functions better without you”.

Pascoe admitted Taylor had informed both him and Tigers’ general manager of football Mark O’Neill of the decision on Wednesday morning before telling Farah.

“We had a discussion about the decision and why he thought it was in the best interests of the team for this weekend’s game,” Pascoe said.

Asked if Taylor told Farah that the team “functions better without you”, Pascoe admitted Taylor’s view was that the Tigers play best with young guns Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco are running the show.

“He believes, not dissimilar to what you are saying, that it is in the best interests of the club moving forward this week, that it is challenging to have more than three playmakers in one side under a game plan that has worked over the last five or six weeks,” Pascoe explained.

Pascoe added: “The ball needs to be, under the current coach’s game plan, it needs to be in their hands as quick as possible.”

While Farah’s supporters claim the timing of the announcement was the ultimate kick in the guts given Marshall’s milestone, Pascoe explained any NRL coach deserved to have ultimate power when selecting a team.

“The reality is it is the coach’s decision,” Pascoe said. “He is employed to make the decision that he believes is in the best interests of wining the game on the weekend.

“And he is judged on wins and losses from that. That is just the reality of it.”

Asked if Farah could still fight his way back into the NRL team, Pascoe said: “He is going to be given every opportunity.

“I know he is bitterly disappointed from today’s decision but he has committed and fought hard for 247 games.

“There is no reason why is not going to go and do that on Saturday and show what he can do and fight his way back into the NRL line-up.”

Pascoe added that while Brooks, Moses and Tedesco were the club’s future, “that is not saying that Robbie doesn’t have a future.

“It is just saying that Robbie’s game needs to evolve and I’m sure it will. This is not a blight on Robbie’s ability to play the game.

“He has been a fantastic player for 247 games for this club and with State of Origin representation every year.

“He can play the game. It is just as the game plan as it sits now is more focused on three playmakers.

“It is hard to have four in there. Different opposition may require a different game plan.”

 

[tigerman80]

@tigerman80

This is the same coach that kept Lovett in the centers instead of Lawrence and lost us the game.
You forgot that fact out

Also the same coach that has the squad on 7 wins this year, has the team performing better than Rabbits, Roosters and Sea Eagles despite a vastly inferior squad and training facilities etc. They have won 3 less games than the Broncs for crying out loud!

I am no JT Fan but the hysteria on here about this decision and his supposed lack of coaching skill is absurd. Think some people have forgotten or were not old enough to remember the Terry Lamb days…

The coach that has the same squad that is running behind the titans and the dragons. I would say they are over achieving and we are under achieving. Give it up already. The sooner he is gone the better. From now on he will only be referred to as THE IMPOSTER, i reckon everyone on here should only call him by that from now on. You can be THE IMPOSTERS PUPPET.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

That's all well and good, but we still need quality service out of dummy half. Something i don't have much confidence in Edwards to provide.

 

[TYGA]

[quote="TYGA"I hope we are not dumb enough to go with Halatau, Taylor or Edwards.

What are our other options?

Ballin in injured. Cherrington is out of favour. Liddle cant play due to second tier salary cap.

Ed I am sick of not selecting the best available players based on who is polishing the coach after training.
This extends past Farah which, is clearly a bullying tactic to move him on before he plays 250 games.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

You can never be a good leader if things become personal and its all about your ego and wanting to win the battle in your own mind. This is whats best for jason taylor in his personal battle with Farah not whats best for the tigers. Lets get this imposter out of here, get Cleary before the dragons do, and im sure Cleary will ensure ET stays.

So you're saying we need Cleary to ensure ET stays. Even though Taylor is the one who signed him from reserve grade, giving him a second chance, and by all reports has a good relationship with Pascoe?

No i didnt say that. But i reckon we would probably have as good chance if not better if someone like Cleary was in charge. ElijahTaylor under cleary played for new zealand and had an excellent relationship with him. Actually we would probably have a better chance of re signing brooks, tedesco and moses with THE IMPOSTER gone. He has just turned this place Into a shambles. Its funny how you want to give it to Farah for not being bigger than the club, but its okay for THE IMPOSTER to act like he is bigger than the club.

You're showing about as much maturity as some on Facebook which isn't something to be proud of.

You don't like the decision, neither do i. But at least give it a chance before you start the childish name calling. Does calling him an imposter really make you feel better. Does it get out all that pent up aggression?

 

[Telltails]

Well now it's just becoming embarrassing.
Feel sorry for the rest of the team.
When all year it's been about our defensive structures that is losing us games which hasn't improved - the team now is not functioning properly because of the service from Farah - not Halatau he has got a hall pass cause he is a top bloke I guess.
What a load of croc.
And what better time to drop Farah against a team that is struggling to score points.
What's a bet Benji has a blinder.

 

[tigerman80]

You can never be a good leader if things become personal and its all about your ego and wanting to win the battle in your own mind. This is whats best for jason taylor in his personal battle with Farah not whats best for the tigers. Lets get this imposter out of here, get Cleary before the dragons do, and im sure Cleary will ensure ET stays.

So you're saying we need Cleary to ensure ET stays. Even though Taylor is the one who signed him from reserve grade, giving him a second chance, and by all reports has a good relationship with Pascoe?

No i didnt say that. But i reckon we would probably have as good chance if not better if someone like Cleary was in charge. ElijahTaylor under cleary played for new zealand and had an excellent relationship with him. Actually we would probably have a better chance of re signing brooks, tedesco and moses with THE IMPOSTER gone. He has just turned this place Into a shambles. Its funny how you want to give it to Farah for not being bigger than the club, but its okay for THE IMPOSTER to act like he is bigger than the club.

You're showing about as much maturity as some on Facebook which isn't something to be proud of.

You don't like the decision, neither do i. But at least give it a chance before you start the childish name calling. Does calling him an imposter really make you feel better, does get out all that pent up aggression?

Its not name calling its the truth. Lets have a look at some of THE IMPOSTERS highlights:

- Cherrington 2/2 to begin the year then dissapears
- Lovett to the centres in 2 different games which we lose, he gets targeted, lawrence is there snd he leaves him there
- Its all about defence. He is a defensive coach. 2nd worst defence in the league.
- right hand side defence, leaks tries every game all year, no accountability.
- Elijah taylor playing dummy half in 2 games , we lose. our best forward just passing the ball.
- farah off the bench , plays 60 minutes, we win 2/2.
Farah gets dropped as he doesnt suit our style.

As big of an IMPOSTER as i have ever seen.

 

[tiger_pom]

Correct me if im wrong but i think Edwards who was expected to do great things,has played just once in his favoured position,was ordinary at best,yet is going to improve our side by replacing the best hooker in our club.Logic of the highest order!

 

[Tigermama]

This whole debacle is an absolute shocker. I like to see both sides of the story and evaluate a decision from there so I haven't commented too much on the entire situation because there are so man pros and cons to the whole drama.

Farah is on an suspected $950k next year. To be fair to Robbie, you'd probably think that $600k max is about a fair market price for his services when you evaluate the cap rise next year. After all he still is arguably the best hooker in NSW. Now the important thing that I think so many people tend to forget is the huge pay cuts this guy took to 1\. Help the club remain compliant with the salary cap, 2\. Remain a one club player for the club he loves and 3\. Help the club keep a core group of players intact. From a financial point of view and the interest on the $300-$400k that he sacrificed that's pretty substantial (although I'm sure it helped his taxable income).

He was then told that he would receive that money in good-will at a later date. That time has come. He's now in his early 30's, his form isn't what it used to be and he's received a tap on the shoulder. The club has advised they will honour his deal regardless. He has the option to leave (still gets paid what is owed) or remain as he is contractually obligated to do so. Now put yourself in his shoes. You want to remain and finish your career with a company you love. A company you lost money for in order to help out and now when the time comes to be returned the money, you are told look for another job! Personally, I don't blame Robbie for digging his heels in.

Now Robbie has become public enemy number 1 and appears like a selfish individual holding back the team. He's causing salary cap problems due to not leaving through no fault of his own. Fans are blaming him for the inability to resign other players. People are saying he's overpaid for what he brings to the team, yet they don't seem to remember that the club were the one who put him in that situation in the first place.

Robbie has proven to be a tough guy to deal with at times and is definitely guilty of being overly passionate and at times overstepped authority and put some noses out of joint. He's an intense competitor. I could think of worse things to be guilty of though. However, I do believe that Robbie held too much power within the club.

From all reports Robbie was going to stick to his guns and play out his contract. At the end of the day he's the best number 9 we have and he sure as hell plays better there compared to our other fill in options.

Then you have the other factor - Jason Taylor

His first major move at the club is giving Robbie the "you're going to play reserve grade if you don't leave" talk. Tick for disrespect. Ballin is also signed. However, I do applaud the fact that Taylor hasn't allowed Robbie to play any power games like he has in the past. JT also appears to have been given more say then Potter ever did, who I have always felt sorry for. Robbie relinquishes the captaincy.

Robbie says he's staying and by all reports the hatchet was buried and they were both enjoying a working relationship and it was somewhat tenable.

Robbie is then moved to the bench. Strategic team move or another tactic to annoy Robbie. Rumours begin that the coach believes that Robbie stifles the attack of Brooks, Moses and Tedesco and is effecting their games. Farah plays reasonably well off the bench, the team improve, we win a few, good times. Things would appear to be all good in Tiger land.

Who knows, Robbie may have ended up deciding to part ways on good terms and get the farewell he deserves?

By all means the coaching plan should be in the best interests of the team, but anyone who believes that a retiring veteran who's best position is in the back row is a better hooker "for the team" interchanged with an 80 min lock forward who has barely ever played at hooker is better than the current NSW hooker who can go 80 mins if required has rocks in their head. If anyone deserves to be dropped it's Halatau. He's solid and provides valuable experience, but that's about it.

I think there is some potential in there with JT as a coach. I've questioned some selections and a few other things and continue to do so at times, but I have seen some improvements on game day. Good modern day coaches are more man-managers than tactical experts. In regards to Robbie, I don't think he has handled this well. Others may feel differently about JT. John Asiata from the Cowboys was a friend of my old housemate. JT was his coach when he was in the 20's and told me the year he was coming to us that he was great with the young guys, so I guess it comes down to individual perspective.

If we were looking to the future than Cherrington and Liddle in the team is the way to go.

I just can't help but feel for Robbie in this situation. Yes it would suck and I'd be annoyed as hell if we lost Elijah Taylor or another valuable team member because of the cap, but the club put themselves in this position not Robbie. Selfishly I want Robbie to leave, so we can secure our future, but I also respect his decision all the same.

The latest news that Robbie has been dropped to reserves is another disrespectful ploy to push Robbie out in my opinion and is just the complete wrong way to handle an already tense situation. There really isn't any other reason to do it and the club statement with their reasoning is laughable and embarrassing to say the least. Unless there is some issue behind the scenes and Robbie has done something very wrong, then to me, it shows a complete lack of professionalism, management and respect. It's also a decision that has the potential to cause us to miss the top 8.

To be fair, Robbie so far has gone about his business and taken the punches in his stride.

The biggest issue I see in all of this is what other players will see through the treatment of Farah. It's a business but we're human after all.

If I'm Tedesco, I'd be saying to myself if I sign a long term deal, I cop a few injuries, or my form drops, this is how they're going to treat me? I'd be signing with whatever club is paying me the most and a club that shows respect.

Sorry for the essay, I'm just fed up with it all. In the end it appears like the club is backing JT on this to the death. Be prepared for another media frenzy. You deserve better Farah, but I honestly think it would be in his best interests to sort something else out, finish the year in class and move on to bigger and better things. Maybe one day you can return and be the coach you always wanted to be.

Love your post Tigertye.

 

[larrycorowa]

So sick of this

 

[Tigermama]

So sick of this

Me too :neutral_face: I'm going to bed. Night. :frowning:

 

[stevied]

Once again a Taylor/ Farah spat becomes a monster thread….Sorry guys but I didn't have the stamina to wade through all the earlier comments so I'll make a few brief statements from my perspective;
1\. Farah should not have been dropped because he is the most experienced and talented hooker we have at a time when the best team is required in our quest for the finals.
2\. This latest desision is a result of a personal feud between Taylor and Farah that has the effect of railroading our pursuit of a place in the Top 8.
3\. Management should have stepped in and ensured a harmonious solution where Farah kept his position, played to team structures and completed his 250th game at Leichhardt, thereby promoting a positive image for the club and pleasing the fans.
4\. The current situation is ridiculous, destructive and, in the end, a very sad result for all concerned and this includes the club, the first grade team, the fans, Farah and Taylor.
I should add that I'm not a particular fan of Farah or Taylor but that I am a huge fan of the Wests Tigers. This is why I describe the situation as sad because it is, indeed , sad, sad, sad.