Where is our team at at the moment?

[weststigers]

Our biggest issue over the years has been losing to teams around the same part of the ladder. Titans will be interesting to see where our attack is.

We’ve had 0 points against South’s. 66 against Cowboys and 0 for the first 70 minutes against Canberra.

There’s not enough to suggest we have turned the corner there. We need to steamroll GC and carry that through into the next rounds.

Because Manly had the draw, we would need to win 12 matches total to have a chance at the 8. Our draw isn’t particularly difficult, but we need to win 9 from 12 remaining matches.

 

[Betterdays22]

It's a massive improvement but it sucks how few wins we've had this season. I don't think we can turn this season around but I'm hopeful the coaching staff are going to try to turn it around this season.

I found myself looking back on our results recently and it is so disappointing we haven't won more games. The Knights and Manly games in particular. That would have left us on 5 wins (still not great) but probably more reflective of the progress of the team over the first half of the season. Itwould have us looking up the table into the 8 rather than down at the spoon.

 

[TieDye]

IMHO, no-one is arguing that we are already good enough, and we do not need further improvement.
However, if we compare our club with that doom and gloom of the last three years, when many of this forum wanted us to sold everything to whichever bidder, we started to move towards a better future.
A lot of good signs are there already, from no FB, centres, wingers, halves, forwards ...
we now have: Bole, Stynes, Tupou, To'a, Talau/Neden, Twal, Korousau, Kremmer, I Papalii, Bateman, Pole
and Utoikamanu, Matamua, James, Kepoa on the bench.
From "we need many expensive players or we must fold", we narrow it down to manageable one to two solid halves, in just few months!
From no FB, there are now comments like "we are so good that we don't need Tedesco"??

I really rate Pole’s twin Bole ay.

 

[crazycat]

Well said. Any good recruiting we did in the off-season gone comes to nil if we don’t repeat it in 24 and 25.

Nah, the opposite.

We won't recruit like we did in 23 again. Seriously on paper recruitment:
Paps,
Bateman,
Klemmer (in form!),
Api Koroisau (nr 1 hooker),
Charlie Staines (a potential gun from Penrith).

This is like the 2005 recruitment of Hodgson, Prince and the stack of players we got then. Except all those players had massive ??? next to their names. Prince dropped from Brisvegas and Hodgson a reserve.

We won't recruit like this again. Which is exactly why 24-25 need to be development years. Recruiting a bunch of outsiders like we did in 23 reset our team. We should not need to do that again.

 

[Tucker]

Nah, the opposite.

We won't recruit like we did in 23 again. Seriously on paper recruitment:
Paps,
Bateman,
Klemmer (in form!),
Api Koroisau (nr 1 hooker),
Charlie Staines (a potential gun from Penrith).

This is like the 2005 recruitment of Hodgson, Prince and the stack of players we got then. Except all those players had massive ??? next to their names. Prince dropped from Brisvegas and Hodgson a reserve.

We won't recruit like this again. Which is exactly why 24-25 need to be development years. Recruiting a bunch of outsiders like we did in 23 reset our team. We should not need to do that again.

I don’t agree. Generation next aren’t ready.
We need one more round of recruitment to buy them time.

 

[Merlot]

Nah, the opposite.

We won't recruit like we did in 23 again. Seriously on paper recruitment:
Paps,
Bateman,
Klemmer (in form!),
Api Koroisau (nr 1 hooker),
Charlie Staines (a potential gun from Penrith).

This is like the 2005 recruitment of Hodgson, Prince and the stack of players we got then. Except all those players had massive ??? next to their names. Prince dropped from Brisvegas and Hodgson a reserve.

We won't recruit like this again. Which is exactly why 24-25 need to be development years. Recruiting a bunch of outsiders like we did in 23 reset our team. We should not need to do that again.

just a few tweaks if the price is right

 

[crazycat]

I found myself looking back on our results recently and it is so disappointing we haven't won more games. The Knights and Manly games in particular. That would have left us on 5 wins (still not great) but probably more reflective of the progress of the team over the first half of the season. Itwould have us looking up the table into the 8 rather than down at the spoon.

I think the Knights and Canberra sting a lot.
Looking though, wow the stats on us vs Manly game.

Wests Tigers v Sea Eagles

Wests Tigers versus Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles match centre includes live scores and updates. Includes official live player and team stats. Run metres, fantasy points scoring.

www.nrl.com

We dominated but could not score more.

It shows what a dominant pack can bring.

 

[supercoach]

I said at the start of the year that bedding in all the new signings and introducing new defensive and attacking systems would take time and my expectations were very low.

In saying that I expected to do better than 0 from 7. After the last month or so I really think we have the nuts and bolts of a good side. Finding Bulla was a massive bonus and the form of all our major signings has been great, and if the season was starting now I think we would be specials for the eight.

The million dollar question is, will we be able to recruit the quality needed to get us around the top four over the next few years, because without a upgrade in the halves we are boarder line eight at best

 

[Tiger Woods]

Where are we atm ?
16th

 

[Merlot]

where were Tim told us we would be,the team is so far in front of being educated players then Madge ball.still a chance we jag the 8 (fingers crossed)

 

[ancient_magpie]

We are probably two elite players away from being right up there with the top sides, this is a known fact yet all the clubs attempts to fix it fail. I fear that defeatist attitude is probably now being matched at Concord and the guys we got this year will soon realise it and move on.

Bagn please don't become Mr negative.I think we're on the rise just need some luck with injuries

 

[twentyforty]

I think it was in back in late April that I wrote of WT conceding an average of just under 23 points that far into the season, being a huge improvement on the Maguire period, and not considering the blood letting period upon removing him.

Since then the side has sliced a further point off that average to now make it exactly 22, from 264 points in 12 matches. So apart from defending errors and when teams first get into the attacking zone, both the coaches and squad have taken huge strides in getting our defensive act together.

Needless to say, our attack needs more work, with the side bereft of a real strike player.

Throw in “a real strike player” and we’ll get what we got previously when we thought that was the simple fix.
All the signs are there that what is needed is leadership, coupled with an obsession to get the job done with teamwork.
It’s almost like the club has had this agenda to destroy leadership ambition where they see it.
We have sacked almost every “player of the year award” recipient for the last 12 years. Gosh, we arrived to a point where nobody wanted to be captain so we made half the team captains. 😂
We’re still undermining coaches and sending the message that the only leadership is in the positional power of the board.
Who knows why McDonnell was sacked?
Perhaps he told Pascoe to be more accountable and show some leadership?

 

[Stevec]

IMO we have a good harmonious team that are good defensively as they all work together and are finally starting to back themselves in attack which will get better over the rest of the season if we keep the same team together However we could do with another top class center . I think Toa is already one . Talau has been good last 2 games but is not part of long term side . After losing Joffa we need to strengthen our bench .We are getting there but please Pascoe stay out of it ! Just do the books ! I'm sick of a decade of failure and our reputation as a political hotbed . The purpose of the club is to win games and bring joy to the real stakeholders -THE FANS !

 

[Tucker]

We have the 7th best “defence” in the league.
I’ve mentioned before, I believe this is due to completion rates, decent discipline, good kicking and field position rather than strictly improved tackle techniques.
That said, the techniques - especially in the backline - are improving. Calm down in attack and do the little things right, and we’ll win comfortably tonight.

 

[bptiger 0]

Nah, the opposite.

We won't recruit like we did in 23 again. Seriously on paper recruitment:
Paps,
Bateman,
Klemmer (in form!),
Api Koroisau (nr 1 hooker),
Charlie Staines (a potential gun from Penrith).

This is like the 2005 recruitment of Hodgson, Prince and the stack of players we got then. Except all those players had massive ??? next to their names. Prince dropped from Brisvegas and Hodgson a reserve.

We won't recruit like this again. Which is exactly why 24-25 need to be development years. Recruiting a bunch of outsiders like we did in 23 reset our team. We should not need to do that again.

Rubbish if we don’t sign at least 3 class players then there will be climbing the ladder , and I don’t see any juniors coming throw other than what we have in 1st grade now , maybe in 2-3 years there might be some but in nsw cup now there is nothing special

 

[Jolls]

Developing

From the low base of the spoon we are simply developing. Throw out whatever win loss ratio you want to justify whatever point you want to make but it isn't about us as supporters. The playing and coaching group have it right; they are developing a quality side one training session at a time.

Sheens and Benji made a mistake with their faith in AD and Brooks - there is no doubt about that. They also tried to play an expansive game too early in the development of the team. They identified it, reeled it in, and we have progressed.

You only have to look at the significant improvement in Twal, Toa and Tupou. The development of Staines and now Bula and the confidence that our middle plays with shows significant change from where we were as cellar dwellers last year.

I know that the results aren't too dissimilar to last year at the moment; however, the game stats, team morale and most other areas have improved significantly. Off the park the club still has issues: the CEO and Board have continued to get us headlines for the wrong reasons and there appears to be some tension (from media reports) between the coaching staff and head office. So be it - that is part of organisational culture. Can it be improved - sure it can, but it is an annoyance in the background.

If you are one who believes that it isn't good enough because it is a results based business and the results aren't there perhaps you need to refocus. The results are there, the stat sheets show a clear improvement, the morale and belief of the team definitely improved and you only have to look at the new energy and skill levels that our plodders have (eg Twal and Wakeham) and some of our "average players have shown (Toa and Nofa) to understand that there has been significant player growth.

We are half way through the season, not far off the bottom of the table sure, but not too far off the bottom of the eight either. We have been close enough in all of our games since the Brisbane loss, less Souths, to have been a chance of winning. So we are competing closely with sides in and around the 8 - that wasn't happening last year.

These are positive signs of a developing team. Am I happy about the ladder position? No.
Am I happy about the front office? Hell no.
Am I happy about where we are heading - definitely; but there is more work to be done.

No need to panic - time to celebrate the small wins and continue to build the foundation of a solid football team.

Piggies - solid
Outside backs - showing promise but could use a strike centre
Halves - improving but not top 8 material - but they are working hard to find the answer both on and off the paddock
Depth - limited short term but developing.

 

[Jolls]

Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s a results based business and you can put our improvement down to recruiting some star players. Api is here for next year, Klem and Bateman a little longer. Ice I would say could leave at any time. You might be patient but in sport you need to be all about the next game.

That is exactly what I said. The results are staring at you; however, you are looking at it at the macro level. I hurt just as much seeing our win loss ratio. It isn't good reading and losing games never feels good. But after that settles down and you look at it in the micro you can see significant improvement.

We haven't seen that often over the last four or five seasons. The problem we have had, despite the bullshit that we are in a rebuilding phase, is that we haven't invested in development. We have tried to buy in has beens from outside to create a short term fix.

Love or hate Sheens - he has bought the right approach to this rebuild. He may make some weird coaching decisions but the investments that have been made in leadership and building a foundation are there to see. They are the results that matter today - building for the game against the Titans tonight and Melbourne next week.

It's not all fairy floss and party clowns - it will take hard work to get us out of this rut but there is evidence that it is turning around.

If you can't see the difference in results between now and this time last year you are looking at the wrong stats.

 

[Jolls]

On the field and in the coaching I can see improvement no doubt. Sheens has been able to bring in some good forwards which makes a huge difference. The decision to bring back Sheens may have actually saved us from oblivion.

Off the field, where winning actually starts, I still see a sinking ship.

How we have gotten to a position where we are now desperate to sign Luke brooks is an absolute farce. If we had somebody with some clout they would move heaven and earth to get Ben Hunt.

I agree with you in relation to decisions off the paddock. I'm not saying that there has been a turn around there but the Fulton/McDonald decision was probably a good one and the leaks stopping shows signs of improvement.

If we could just shut Lee up and get things done without the song and dance I would be happier. A few more changes to the board and a new CEO would probably be a real indicator that the ship has finally turned.

 

[Jolls]

Your second paragraph is spot on.

As for the first, wait and see I guess. The numpties who know nothing about footy going over Sheens is what concerns me.

You are on the money there. It would be great to be on the inside but I think you can read this two ways.

1. The board going over Sheens' head. That is a concern and something that has troubled me.
2. The board having the courage to make a decision in the best interests of the club. I have to assume that the board were not happy with the way Moses was handled and made a decision based on that. There may be other personality issues involved but I just don't know.

Time will tell no doubt and at some point someone will spill the the beans on what happened. The fact that nothing had come out about it so far has shown some good leadership on both sides of the fence there.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Remember back in 2004 (one season before we won the premiership), we beat the Warriors 50-4 & then had back-to-back losses of 50-0, then about a month later we flogged Souths 56-6.

We are going to be on a rollercoaster for a while until the combinations set, our young ones gain experience & our we don't lose key players to injury.