I’ve said it before.
If mansour is blocking your path to first grade then you’re not ready for first grade.
Madge has shown he doesn’t care about reputations.

@happy_tiger said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

@nrlsurvivor said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

@maryst said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

Buzz reporting that bill Walters is gone

Buzz also hammering our recruitment is laughable:

“Recruitment has not been a strong point at the Wests Tigers. Judging by Benji Marshall’s lively performance and leadership in the All Stars, they have made another mistake in sacking the veteran five-eighth. He will be a handy pick up for the Rabbitohs.”

Sacked him …we should have put him in a sack …hey Buzz …you need a contract to get sacked numbnuts

He must not have watched the game. Benj was his usual, side to side running, not engaging the defensive line when passing.
He threw 1 good pass, setting up a try and had ample chances to close the game with a win but didn’t. Typical benji.
Tigers legend but had to go.

@GNR4LIFE said in I stand with Erin.....'Aloai':

She’s a moron. Sorry.

Yeah she is but that doesn’t justify the behaviour aimed toward her. Well done Josh.

Off topic but benji made the tigers. We were nothing before him. The biggest reason why we have so many fans. Greatest West Tiger ever.

With all this conjecture in the air in regards to Bellamy’s future, we would be amiss to not offer some serious coin for him to take over as Director. We know the broncos and the Sharks as well as Melbourne are in the hunt.
I think his Signing is a must.
Madge and Co are on the right track, but this is Bellamy.
Offer him the world, we need him and I believe would make us a powerhouse in Sydney.

@tigervinnie said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

Gavin Badger’s new role at Wests Tigers

https://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2021/02/05/gavin-badgers-new-role-at-wests-tigers/

Wests Tigers have picked up a new addition to the team – someone with over 400 games of NRL experience.

It’s not a veteran player at the end of their career, nor is it an experienced coach or trainer — it’s former referee and fan favourite, Gavin Badger!

With 18 years of NRL experience under his belt — 354 games as a referee and 57 as a touch judge — Badger is no longer on the other side of the whistle as he’s joined forces with the club for season 2021.

But what exactly would a former referee do as part of an NRL coaching team?

“I’m generally here for field sessions when the boys have their opposed sessions — I jump in and officiate those and it gives the boys more of a game experience,” Badger said.

“This way the boys don’t yell at the coaching staff — they yell at me and they can keep their relationship there.

“It also gives me the opportunity to chat to the guys after that and tell them what could make an impact in the game.

“I also help out with a little bit of education with the mindset of officials in certain situations and in certain games, and how we can better our relationships there.”

#ShowYourStripes by showing your scarf#ShowYourStripes by showing your scarf
#ShowYourStripes by showing your scarf

When Badger was told he wasn’t going to officiate NRL games in 2021 after 18 seasons in the top grade, he didn’t know what was next — but after bumping into coach Michael Maguire before a game, things became clearer.

“It was not long after it was announced that I wouldn’t be refereeing in 2021 and it just happened to be that I was at Brookvale Oval about to run the touchlines for Tigers-Manly game. I was just having a chat with ‘Madge’ [Maguire] in the tunnel and he was asking me what I was going to do next season and I wasn’t too sure,” he said.

“He threw up the possibility of doing something here [at Wests Tigers] — maybe a small role or however we could fit it in. I kind of forgot about it until I was contacted by Madge and [General Manager - Football] Adam Hartigan at the end of the season.

“I had a meeting with the guys and they agreed with what I thought I could do and what role I could play here and it went from there.

“I’m a rugby league tragic and I love the game but this is the last place I thought I’d end up.”

As a proud Indigenous man, Badger has also joined the club to make a difference off the field.

“The club has been big on building anIndigenous academy and making the club a really safe place for Indigenous players to come. Madge is really keen on that, so hopefully I can have a bit of an impact there,” he said.

Having refereed the players on countless occasions over the years, Badger didn’t know how he’d be taken in by the players when he first joined the club.

No longer an outside, the former referee was blown away with the response of everyone at the club.

“It’s been really great seeing things from the other side. I’ve been used to being on the other side – a bit of an enemy to these guys,” Badger laughed.

“I didn’t have a personal relationship with these guys – I had a professional relationship on the field – so I wasn’t sure how they were going to take me.

“I stood in front of the boys to do a little presentation and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be accepted – I’m an outsider coming in.

"But at the end of it, they had some really good questions, and from that moment I felt I have a role here and I have an impact on this club being successful.”

Not only is Badger going to help Wests Tigers this season, he’s also here to learn off the best to further his professional career.

“It’s a self-improvement role for me too. I’m here to learn off Madge – one of the best coaches in the league – to help my personal development as a coach” he said

“I also coach young referees, I am still involved in that space … it’s going to make me a better coach and give me a better understanding of rugby league.”

His time at the club has all been smooth sailing so far, except for when he was thrown an oversized training kit.

“I turned up for my first training sessions and they threw me some gear, and the first gear they gave me was large and I thought ‘I don’t think they realise the size difference between players and referees, who are a lot smaller’,” he laughed.

“When I put on my new gear at home when I was getting ready to come to my second session, and my wife Casey had a second take and said ‘it suits you’.”

“It’s a thrill to be part of this club and wear this gear. This club has so much history and the fans have so much passion – I’ve seen that from the other side of the fence … to be part of over 100 years of history is quite humbling.”

Wow. Well done management.
What a massive improvement it has been in the last few off-season.
Amazing, this is what a professional club looks like

Tuki and Laurie are a class above.

Souths were in the same boat as us before inglis. Not saying Mitchell is inglis, but he is a game breaker and if anyone can make him work, it’s Madge. I’d be throwing big money at him. 2yr deal. Could we be any worse off?
What’s another 2years coming 9th? Worth the risk. We’re bound to eventually get one right.

If my brother got cheap shotted, I’d do the same.
He’s showing passion and we have been hungry for that for so long, even if he over stepped.
Very frustrating game with some of the calls

@aj1 said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

@tiger5150 said in Signing Suggestions & Rumours:

At the risk of sending this thread further off track (please feel free to move mods), I cant believe people cant see through what is behind this “push” for names on jerseys.

Everyone is thinking “oh that might be nice, kids can get their favourite players name etc etc.”

It was raised (most recently) in the media (supposedly) by Kailin Ponga, no doubt with a push from his agent or the RLPA.

At present, all the intellectual property in a jersey is owned jointly by the NRL & the Clubs. As a result they get all the sales royalties. As soon as you put Ponga, Suaaili, or Utoikamanu across the back of the jersey, then that is the players IP and they would be entitled to a cut.

Could they fit Utoikamanu’s name on the back of a jersey? At least you get your money’s worth

@jc99 said in **live game feed** vs the Cowboys:

End of the day we have one major issue and it’s this. Can’t worry about anything else until we fix our defence

Pathetic

@hobbo1 said in **live game feed** vs the Cowboys:

@pj said in **live game feed** vs the Cowboys:

See you later madge.

It’s obviously he’s sucked what talent they had out of them …
Even off the cuff play looked crap

No will power. All grabbing the tigers emblem in the team promo and all the fluff articles and they serve up this shit

We haven’t been defensively strong since forever. Arm grabbing tackles, no starch in the tackles. My Nana can tackle harder and she’s been dead for 20 years

See you later madge.

Burn the place to the ground and throw holy water over the ashes.

So that’s why we always take a tackle on 5th?

Granville next immortal

Least they can get their haircut at the new COE

Make up for it you clowns

Women’s team is going great.
Give them a crack