It's all good Hoof. Anything to stir the memories file is a good thing brother.Just need to clarify I have zero info on him actually coming here, I just put 2 and 2 together and got 5 . I should get a job at the Telegraph or on 360!!
and marshall as a coach, fan favourite no quailifications no experience jobs for the boys good to see we agree on somethingThis teams kept fan favourites for too long Brooks, Liddle,Twal ..We’re not a charity
It will only be a disaster if he doesn’t achieve results, we will have to wait and see. We don’t have any other option.and marshall as a coach, fan favourite no quailifications no experience jobs for the boys good to see we agree on something
A lot of coaches come under scrutiny for losses then when they start winning they are deemed coach of the year stuff. Best example is Broncos Kevie Walters.It will only be a disaster if he doesn’t achieve results, we will have to wait and see. We don’t have any other option.
Touchéand marshall as a coach, fan favourite no quailifications no experience jobs for the boys good to see we agree on something
A lot of coaches come under scrutiny for losses then when they start winning they are deemed coach of the year stuff. Best example is Broncos Kevie Walters.
It really comes down with getting the best roster and all the players buying in.
Kevie bringing Walsh in from the Warriors to add further sting to an already potent backline saved Kevin's job imo.
Unfortunately for Benji there wasn't much to choose from. The three new halves are a gamble, if it works we will start winning games, if it doesn't then another wooden spoon is on the cards.
I'm sounding like a broken record when I keep saying that we are in desperate need for speed out wide and a marquee centre like Manu.
If we suddenly had those type of players then our new halves could star with options we never had before.
Feledy is another year away but Benji needs to develop this kid... he's got heaps of potential.
Staines would be a handy winger with speed.
JT is still developing.
The big problem for Benji is the majority of our side are only KOE std.
Good points Gordie.Obviously getting spoon shows that the team is a long way from being premiership material, but we're weren't that far off the pace when it comes to being competitive. If you look at the games where Brooks played, we had seven losses by a margin of six points or less. If we'd gone into those games with the halves combination established last season, instead of having a rotating roster of backup players partnering Brooks, those would have been wins. That would have added another fourteen points, bringing us back to being a mid tier team in around 8th or 9th position.
At that point, a marquee strike centre like Manu wouldn't be wasted, but we lost any chance of having more marquee players sign with us when the club sacked Madge and got two spoons in return. Now our new halves are going to have prove they deserve to play with marquee outside backs by forming combinations with the players already on our roster. For mine, To'a showed on a few occasions that if he gets the ball in space, he can do damage. He got the better of Holmes and Gagai the first time we played them this season. Reilly has done enough to show he deserves the other centre position.
I'm much optimistic about next year than I was about this year and I reckon if the halves gel, we could be looking at clawing our way back to a mid tier position and start looking at attracting strike players to our club. That being said, if the players don't buy in, you've got no hope. Souths are the perfect example. All the talent in the world and their season derailed because they stopped buying in and putting for each other.
Some good points, but just one thing though:Good points Gordie.
I've got reservations about Reilly. What was the outcome of his injury. Last I heard it was a suspected medial.
He did go all right in his first outings and scored a handy try. He still looks like a reserve grader to me. Compare him to Bula's first couple of games and it was evident straight away that Bula was a first grader with heaps of talent.
Don't get ne wrong, I like Triston's efforts and if he is in Marshall's centre plans then I hope he has a massive off season.
I agree with To'a, he's a perfect centre partner for a marquee centre.
The others....well I don't think they cut it. They are very inconsistent. The likes of Kepaoa and Naden don't really put the fear of god into the opposition.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that a team that has a bad roster is one that has too many weaknesses.
You sort of touched on it. Classy players need team mates that they can work with, players who chase kicks hard, wingers who don't drop balls under pressure and players who can read what's unfolding and react. Centres who cover well too and don't get burnt on the outside. You get what I mean hey?
Except, Madge isn’t a Manu MagnetObviously getting spoon shows that the team is a long way from being premiership material, but we're weren't that far off the pace when it comes to being competitive. If you look at the games where Brooks played, we had seven losses by a margin of six points or less. If we'd gone into those games with the halves combination established last season, instead of having a rotating roster of backup players partnering Brooks, those would have been wins. That would have added another fourteen points, bringing us back to being a mid tier team in around 8th or 9th position.
At that point, a marquee strike centre like Manu wouldn't be wasted, but we lost any chance of having more marquee players sign with us when the club sacked Madge and got two spoons in return. Now our new halves are going to have prove they deserve to play with marquee outside backs by forming combinations with the players already on our roster. For mine, To'a showed on a few occasions that if he gets the ball in space, he can do damage. He got the better of Holmes and Gagai the first time we played them this season. Reilly has done enough to show he deserves the other centre position.
I'm much optimistic about next year than I was about this year and I reckon if the halves gel, we could be looking at clawing our way back to a mid tier position and start looking at attracting strike players to our club. That being said, if the players don't buy in, you've got no hope. Souths are the perfect example. All the talent in the world and their season derailed because they stopped buying in and putting for each other.
I concur TM.Some good points, but just one thing though:
It's hard to compare Bulla to anyone we have, he is a once in a generation player.
I think if Reilly wants it bad enough, he will succeed, he seems to have the talent for it?
We did mate but he wanted more success and according to DT he knocked us back.When Adam Reynolds was forced out of the Bunnies were we ever chasing him....we should have!!!
Outstanding news.Wests Tigers offer Jahream Bula mega contract extension
By Adam Pengilly
September 8, 2023 — 8.00pm
The Wests Tigers have offered Jahream Bula a mega deal to make him the longest contracted player at the struggling club and the centrepiece of Benji Marshall’s rebuild.
Bula, a contender to be the NRL’s rookie of the year, is considering a multi-million dollar contract extension which will keep him at the Tigers until the end of 2027.
The 21-year-old still has another two years to run on his existing deal, but was so impressive in his debut season the Tigers have made his re-signing a priority after finishing with a second straight wooden spoon.
NRL rivals can’t lodge a formal offer to Bula until November 1 next year in a bid to sign him for 2026, but the Tigers have shown their hand by escalating contract talks in the past few weeks.
The NRL is blessed with a host of superstar fullbacks such as James Tedesco, Reece Walsh, Latrell Mitchell, Kalyn Ponga, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Tom Trbojevic, and the Tigers view their No.1 as the man they can build their club around under Marshall.
They have already signed captain Api Koroisau to an extended deal until the end of 2026 well before he hit the open market, and want Bula to join 2024 recruits Jayden Sullivan and the Fainu brothers, Latu and Samuela, under lock and key until the end of 2027.
Jahream Bula has been a revelation for the Wests Tigers
Bula’s rise from former basketball prodigy to NRL stardom was one of the season’s unlikeliest stories, debuting in a close loss to the Sea Eagles in round eight before helping the Tigers win three of their next four matches.
He didn’t miss an NRL match after his debut and quickly became a fan favourite.
Remarkably, Bula won the Kelly-Barnes Medal as the Tigers’ player of the year on Tuesday night, edging captain Koroisau with three votes in the final match of the season, despite missing the first seven rounds.
He’s expected to tussle with Canterbury’s Jacob Preston and the Titans’ Alofiana Khan-Pereira to be named the NRL’s best rookie at the Dally M awards later this month.
In an interview with this masthead last month, Bula said: “This whole year has been surreal. I never expected to play one NRL game, especially this year. I want to win a comp at the Tigers. I want to play for Fiji and Samoa. I want to play for NSW. We’re on the up here. We’ll all be hungrier again next year.”
Bula’s first NRL try came in the mesmerising 66-18 win over the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval and he had already been anointed the Tigers’ best trainer during the pre-season by coach Tim Sheens, who will hand the reins to Marshall next year.
Bula rediscovered his love of rugby league when he played in the same team as Greg Inglis in a rugby sevens tournament on the Central Coast. He was eventually picked up by the Tigers and muscled his way past Daine Laurie and Charlie Staines to be the Tigers’ first-choice fullback.
Wests Tigers offer Jahream Bula mega contract extension
Bula has been a shining light in a miserable season for the wooden spooners and will be a leading NRL rookie-of-the-year contender. Now Benji Marshall has shown how much he thinks of him.www.smh.com.au
No. Reynolds was desperate to stay in Sydney and if we had offered him the big coin he would have joined west tigers .. Pascoe and co wouldn’t do it so he went to Brisbane. There were some concerns about his age and being prone to further injuryWe did mate but he wanted more success and according to DT he knocked us back.
I will definitely feel more positive about the future if we do manage to sign him long term.Outstanding news.
"I want to win a comp at the Tigers. I want to play for Fiji and Samoa. I want to play for NSW. We’re on the up here."
He's talking the talk, I want to hear.