@matchball play it out like the raiders did last night

@TheDaBoss I can’t watch

Wests Tigers left in the dark over Tim Mannah’s Concord arrival
Fatima Kdouh, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago

Wests Tigers players are still in the dark about Tim Mannah’s impending arrival at the club but have welcomed the veteran’s addition to the roster.

Mannah, who has played 233 games for Parramatta after making his debut in 2009, is expected to leave the Eels as early as this week to join the Tigers.

Tigers forward Ben Matulino said Mannah will bring invaluable experience into the side.

“I’ve known Timmy since 2008 when I played against him in the 20s and I’ve always gotten along with him,” he said

“I’m looking forward to it. He’s a pretty nice guy and I guess it can only boost our team. He has a lot of experience and we could use him in our team at the moment.”

Tigers backrower Ryan Matterson revealed the news about Mannah’s signing had come as a surprise to the playing group on Tuesday morning.

“I think Tim will bring experience to any side that he plays in. We’ve got a lot of experience in this side and having another one would be good. I don’t really know what’s going on. I just read it in articles on the way to training, I haven’t been filled in,” he said.

Ben Matulino has welcomed the club’s newest signing. Picture: Brendon Thorne
A number of players, including Russell Packer and Matulino, are reportedly on the outer at Concord but Matterson insisted the headlines have not impacted the players.

“I don’t really read the articles that come. Some say, does the external head noise impact on the side? I say it doesn’t because we are just so close knit we don’t care what the external people are saying. The morale and the energy of the boys, you wouldn’t think we have come off three losses. It’s positive in that sense that Madge [Michael Maguire] is trying to keep us together,” he said.

Matulino also revealed he has some making up to do with his new teammate.

When Matulino first arrived in Sydney from the Warriors in 2017, Mannah reached out to the newcomer. But a wrong phone number proved to be a hurdle in a budding friendship.

“I met him properly when I came here at the hotel [I was staying in] and the first thing he did was ask me how I’m settling in and gave me his number and said if you need anything let me know. And this was from someone you only know through playing against,” he said.

“When I gave him my number it was my New Zealand number so he’s probably thinking I brushed him. But I’ll take care of him when he comes.”

Really … no communication to the players.
How unprofessional is that ?

Hardly surprising news - below article written by “The Lurker”;

“Contract talk causing drama at Concord
You probably don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work this out, but the Wests Tigers are far from a happy camp at the halfway mark of the competition.

There is a wedge between coach Michael Maguire and the playing staff and the on-field performances reflect this.

The Tigers have lost their last three games, with last weekend’s 28-0 home defeat to a depleted Canberra side as bad as they have played all year.

Players aren’t happy that Maguire is planning a cleanout for 2020, while rumours persist that skipper Moses Mbye is also headed for the exit door.

Despite just five wins from their 12 games, the Tigers are still in the hunt for a finals berth - but are unlikely to get to September football unless Maguire sorts out the discontent in the ranks.”

@hsvjones you heard right. Suspected pec tear

@Tiger_Fan18 is Russell Packer injured?

Tigers secure future with government grant
By Sam Phillips
April 16, 2019 — 6.04pm
The future of the Tigers in Sydney is looking rosier following a $5 million grant from a potentialLabor government.

The Tigers have now raised the $18 million required to build a new Centre of Excellence at Concord Oval, replacing facilities which chairman Barry O’Farrell immediately moved to improve upon being appointed.

Field of dreams: Tigers president Barry O’Farrell with federal Labor candidate Sam Crosby at Concord Oval.
Field of dreams: Tigers president Barry O’Farrell with federal Labor candidate Sam Crosby at Concord Oval.
Photo: AAP
“The facilities are substandard and it’s a credit to the boys and the coaching staff that they are performing so well,” O’Farrell said.

"As I’ve said before, for a whole variety of reasons, from my perspective, we deserve to give Wests Tigers players the best possible opportunities to deliver on the field, for the fans.

“This commitment by (Labor candidate for Reid) Sam Crosby, for which we are grateful, will be another sign that the Wests Tigers football club is here to stay.”

The $5 million pledge by Crosby and a potential Bill Shorten Labor government puts O’Farrell in a precarious position, given he was once NSW Premier as leader of the Liberal party.

The funding promise won’t change his vote but it will bring the Tigers onto a level playing field with the rest of the NRL.

“There is no news in who I’m voting for. There is great news in today’s announcement,” he said.

“It’s good news for the local community and it’s great news for the men and women who play for the Wests Tigers and for the supporters of the Wests Tigers.”

The $18 million project, which is set to begin early next year, will see both grandstands at Concord Oval demolished and rebuilt.

A new Wests Tigers Centre of Excellence will also be built with state-of-the-art training facilities, including a facelift for the change rooms for both men and women will be given a facelift.

There will also be classrooms, a lecture facility, five indoor multi-purpose sports courts and a cafe for community use.

“This has been a priority of the board for some time,” O’Farrell said.

"We are delighted with state government support and we are delighted with the additional support from the council, who will manage the project.

RELATED ARTICLE
In a state: Daly Cherry-Evans could be Queensland captain this year, in a season where Queensland look as unsettled as they have in some time.
STATE OF ORIGIN
DCE emerges as Maroons captaincy option at inopportune time
“But this $5 million will assist in ensuring this becomes a reality - delivering this community a much needed facility and more importantly, delivering male and female players the facilities they deserve.”

The facilities will also be used by West Harbour Rugby Club, Inter Lions Soccer Club and several local junior outfits.

“If you walk through the facilities here, I don’t think it’s wrong to say that for a team of the stature and the history and the prominence of the Tigers - the training facilities just aren’t up to scratch,” Crosby said.

"We need to bring them into the 21st century as a community.

"As soon as I was pre-selected the Tigers were on the phone, having meetings, grabbing me at every possible opportunity to say we need some extra funding to make this thing go, to make this thing live.

“I don’t mind saying that I called in every favour and pulled every string I possibly could to get this funding today.”

Quick update on amount we received following Ivan’s departure as per Danny Weidlers column this morning;

“Ivan Cleary paid $250,000 to buy his freedom from Tigers
By Danny Weidler
March 30, 2019 — 9.31pm
There has been so much written about Ivan Cleary’s move to Penrith – some fact, some fiction – but Cleary has certainly paid for his freedom.

The Tigers and Panthers meet on Friday night at Penrith Stadium and the build-up will be big, even if the clubs don’t want it to be.

Done deal: Ivan Cleary has paid for the privilege of choosing his destiny.
Done deal: Ivan Cleary has paid for the privilege of choosing his destiny.
Photo: ninevms
There was a story doing the rounds in recent times that said the Panthers were paying $400,000 towards Michael Maguire’s deal at the Tigers by way of compensation because Cleary was still under contract at Leichhardt. I’ve been told that’s not close to the mark.

In fact, it is Cleary who paid for his own freedom. He coughed up $250,000 so he could coach the team he wanted to coach. And be in charge of the destiny of his superstar son Nathan.

It’s not likely that Ivan wrote a cheque to the Tigers as an escape fee. He is said to have had the amount absorbed in his Penrith contract to compensate the Tigers for his early departure. It cost him a lot to make the switch to chase his dream of coaching his son.

RELATED ARTICLE
Half-back Brodie Croft is a more comfortable member of the Storm line-up this season.
STORM
Croft keen to test wits against Cleary in Panthers clash
The move west has taken a considerable toll on Ivan and his family. Nathan is the most unflappable of young men, but he was affected. He got off social media at the time and he has decided against renewing a deal with Fox Sports that tied him to making comments for the network.

When I spoke with Nathan at the start of the season he said there was one particular line of criticism that had particularly irked him.

‘‘It was pretty tough watching what was being said … it would be hard for anyone,’’ Nathan said.

‘‘Itwas probably hardest on my little siblings and my mum because they were not used to that scrutiny. Me and Dad are used to it. It’s the game that we play and we have to take it on the chin.

‘‘There was one article which said that he was un-Australian for what he was doing. Obviously, I don’t agree with that, but you just have to move forward.’’

Nathan is delighted his dad is onboard. ‘‘The trust between player and the coach is hard to find, but we have that,’’ he said. ‘‘In saying that, it’s almost made it harder for me because everything I do I want to impress Dad. There is probably more pressure on me now, but … I am learning about that as I go and I have to just keep working hard on my game.’’

Pleasure P Man

Wests Tigers on top of NRL ladder for first time in club history

March 25, 2019 9:06pm

Paul CrawleyThe Daily Telegraph

Wests Tigers are top of the league for the first time in the joint-venture club’s history, and it’s partly funded by western Sydney rivals Penrith.

It is understood as part of the agreement to release Ivan Cleary to return to the foot of the mountains, Penrith also handed over a settlement payment, believed to be around $400,000, which has gone straight towards Michael Maguire’s salary in 2019.

Fox Sports Lab says that since Wests Tigers kicked off in 2000 they have gone 494 rounds of football without being in first place.

In that time, 223 players have pulled on a Tigers jersey, and there have been eight coaches, including Wayne Pearce, Terry Lamb, Tim Sheens, Mick Potter, Jason Taylor, Andrew Webster, Cleary and now Maguire.

Told of the milestone, foundation coach Pearce couldn’t believe it.

“That is great. It is great to see them start so well,” he said.

Benji Marshall and Wests Tigers are flying high.

But while acknowledging the wonderful work of the players, led by Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall, who are turning back the clock, Pearce said much of the praise needed to go to Maguire for the personal values he brought with him.

In many ways, Pearce said, what we are seeing is a throwback to the old days of Balmain and Western Suburbs.

“You go back to Wests and you go back to Balmain, they were both very much blue-collar-type clubs,” he said.

“They were always built around spirit. And having a little bit of an understanding about how Madge works, he is very much anchored in tradition and spirit and pride in the jersey.

“So that accounts for a lot when you are talking about rugby league. Nowadays, the NRL is super professional and a super slick sport.

“But you can’t put a value on what spirit and camaraderie will do for a team.”

Which is exactly what Maguire has done. The biggest knock on Maguire when he came to the club was that he worked his players too hard and that he was relentless in his pursuit of winning.

Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire is off to a flying start at his new club. Picture: Getty Images

But it helped him win an English Super League title with Wigan and a premiership with South Sydney.

On paper, the Tigers hardly have the flashiest squad but what they have shown is that they don’t lack self-belief.

Marshall has made no secret of the fact this pre-season was the hardest he had trained in his career.

Farah just seems to be loving his football and the chance to finish his career back at the club where it all started.

This Sunday the Tigers have a great chance to maintain their position on the ladder when they head to Campbelltown to take on the winless Bulldogs.

It’s also worth remembering it was this week two years ago that former Canterbury Leagues Club chairman George Peponis took a pot shot at his rivals.

When there was talk in 2017 that Des Hasler’s future could destabilise the Bulldogs, Peponis said: “We’re not the Wests Tigers.”

The comment was in reference to the Tigers’ coaching merry-go-round.