Well here we are, just around the corner from another season of the NRL, and another opportunity for the Tigers to live up to their potential... But it's going to be different this year. Right?
With any luck the ghosts of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 can be laid to rest and we can get back on with partying like it's 2005. Yes, I know, Benji's now gone the way of Scott Prince, and the Sheens-word hasn't been publicly uttered for almost a year now... but Pat's back! And so is Dene, even though he's already broken his ankle. So this is gonna be HUGE!
Last year, for the first time in almost a decade, I stopped religiously watching and listening to games of rugby league. I think the departure of Sheens - something I and many other fans had been hoping for since about the end of 2006 - gave me an excuse to let the focus slip a little. Yes, my wife was very pleased. But it means I've got a bit of catching up to do. I'm pretty much flying blind into 2014. After a bit of a look over the fan forums, I get the feeling I'm not alone.
Interestingly, we're not doing too well in the betting markets. Well, let's be honest... we're favourites for the spoon. I'm not sure how the boys will feel about this but I reckon they'll take more out of it than they did that other tag back in 2012. If they're smart about it, they'll go into the opening rounds without a care in the world, because the only one's who can put any pressure on the Tigers at the moment are themselves. Well, them and whoever they happen to be playing against that week, I suppose.
But working against this will be complete upheaval in the halves. Benji's gone. BENJI'S GONE!!! And, of course, we haven't had a proper half-back since Scott Prince raised the trophy. (You can't count 2006 because he was almost always already on that plane back to Brisbane, and you can't count Matt Head because even though he could still pass well at the line, he had no functioning knees and always had to wait for the line to come to him...)
So who will it be? Brooks looks a likely prospect for the seven, but he's only played that one game... how will he go? Will he be thrown straight into it? Who will cover the position if he takes awhile to find his feet? Then there's that number six jersey, left vacant by the prodigal son. Anasta? New recruit Blake Austin? (Can we just hope it's well and truly settled by the time Moltzen's knee-cap is back in one piece...?)
It looks like the backline will be relatively settled. There will perhaps be some interesting competition for the wing now that Pat's back, with good starting options in Nofauluma and Koroibete as well. From all accounts Lawrence has shed some baggage and will be looking for a big year. Simona will start up lame but we can hope to see him in good form by about round 3. We might miss Ayshford for depth in the centres, but good luck to him. Apparently we've signed Keith Lulia... And Tedesco looks to be going from strength to strength at fullback.
Which leaves us with the forwards. Will they be soft or hard this year? Both Woods and Galloway are capable of playing on reputation, and Farah has always had a tough gig living up to his hype. Here's hoping they get some good time on the park together early on - injuries have always crueled us in the front row. We've got some good prospects coming through the back row as well as one or two old heads, but I think we'll miss Ellis again this year. Can't help but notice that Blair seems to be going under the radar a bit this off-season...
Anyway - it all comes back to Benji. Who's going to fill his shoes? The team will be much better off without him as they relied on him too much, and he delivered too little. Sure, he was blistering in 2005, but that was a long, long time ago... Perhaps, now that both Sheens and Benji have parted ways with the Tigers, they can get on with living in the now. I'll be watching Farah, to see how he goes.
But we're still learning what a post-Sheens Tigers outfit looks like. Now that he's shed a little more of what he inherited, how will Potter handle his team selections? Last year he benched Marshall for a game - which shows he is prepared to choose players on form. But that ended with Benji walking out on his contract, so does Potter take a more subtle approach next time? Or does he take that as a win for getting the team back under his control as the coach? And what of all the back-room shenanigans throughout all of this? Will the new board and governance structure leave the coach with more support, or less?
I guess we'll find out soon enough. Let's go TIGERS!
