Rumours (signings, sackings & other NRL stuff)

[Wizardman]

We are all in it seems, everyone at the club saying he’s forgiven and all that. Make him feel special. Tell him he was right to go, apologise, Grovel and bend.

In other words, lie and bullshit to him -I don’t care.

He arrives, he plays to his good standard most weeks…we are back in business.

We won’t recognise ourselves.

If he wants to be at the Tigers, I'd absolutely take him. He is an elite halfback.

The problem is.....I doubt he wants to be here. If the Dogs gave him the same offer, we would not be having this conversation. He would have signed with them. There is obvious hesitation (at best) about playing with us.

 

[stryker]

We have to stop chasing unicorns.
The squad we have got currently have to get the job done somehow. That includes Brooks.
Less than 5 weeks to go.

 

[WA Tiger]

We have to stop chasing unicorns.
The squad we have got currently have to get the job done somehow. That includes Brooks.
Less than 5 weeks to go.

OMG, And Ted. Now I have seen it all!

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

We have to stop chasing unicorns.
The squad we have got currently have to get the job done somehow. That includes Brooks.
Less than 5 weeks to go.

Thee Brooks devil has captured you and a number of others.

It’s distressing.

We have become the forum of the damned.

 

[Das Hassler]

All I've seen...and I've looked pretty hard is a coach and a couple of players replying to leading questions put to them by journos looking for a bite and quite a few fans being sucked in to total negativity by a whole load of nothing that the journos whip up...which BTW is how they get paid. Fact is there's no way that Sheens and Brooks can answer any question about anything in any way ...let alone have a right to a viewpoint that won't raise the usual howling from the tiki torch crowd.
*Any resemblance to fans living or dead inside is purely tough luck..that's the way it goes

Edit / to add...also can't see any circus around the play for Moses....they've acknowledged the club has made an offer for ***NEXT YEAR *** and to directly quote Sheens short sharp closing comment on the matter..." what Mitch does is totally up to him now"....hard to disagree...no?

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

$1m per season wipeout.

A Brooksy never changes his spots.

We desperately need Moses or like half to take us to the next level.

Anyway:

Keary being on the outer at the Roosters was doing the rounds today. Cheap and cheerful I imagine.

He’s excess to requirements there I think amongst their vying grand final squad. The need some teasing, but they scrub up well on paper.

Manu is looking f**king ominous, he’s some kind of player.

 

[macnaz]

I dont get how people are upset we are over paying our current halfback who is unable to ice a game to much money yet want to pay another failed halfback that has proven it beyond doubt on every big stage even more money .
$1.4 money is paid for superstars , and Moses certainly isn't one.

 

[WA Tiger]

I dont get how people are upset we are over paying our current halfback who is unable to ice a game to much money yet want to pay another failed halfback that has proven it beyond doubt on every big stage even more money .
$1.4 money is paid for superstars , and Moses certainly isn't one.

Haha your prob right, Mitchell isn’t a superstar. But 1/ he’s not far off and 2/ that doesn’t mean he can’t be our superstar and he’s maybe the only one that would consider the move for now. I remember Lockyer having a shit first test against NZ. On top of a very average game he lost the game with a wayward pass

We have to find someone who knows what they are doing at 6/7, Otherwise despite my optimism this year, we are prob not going anywhere of note, fast. Be a shame to waste all that forward talent

Hey it’s Thursday didn’t that poster say it would be announced today..

 

[WA Tiger]

Brooks -Madge
Mitch -Sheens

That’s the difference. Despite a couple here living in the past
Its a new day
Not referring to u Mac

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Brooks -Madge
Mitch -Sheens

That’s the difference. Despite a couple here living in the past
Its a new day
Not referring to u Mac

Api -Madge
Paps-Madge
Retaining knuckle head -Tim

Madge would have kept Hastings, swapped him for Klem as he dragged him over from the Uk as he didn’t trust Brooksy.

I disgress:

Hastings is a better half than Brooks. His retention at all costs is stubbornness and extreme arrogance.

That said, this recent faith in Brooks on here is disturbing. It’s a spiritual possession of some kind.

Brooks: Out of sight, out of mind over the off season.

He’s got a top 6 pack, and my bet is he will piss it up against the wall.

 

[BrotherJim05]

That nobody took into account his visa requirements beggars belief.

UK visas are apparently a shit show at the best of times. I don't see how this is WT admin's fault.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Api -Madge
Paps-Madge
Retaining knuckle head -Tim

Madge would have kept Hastings, swapped him for Klem as he dragged him over from the Uk as he didn’t trust Brooksy.

I disgress:

Hastings is a better half than Brooks. His retention at all costs is stubbornness and extreme arrogance.

That said, this recent faith in Brooks on here is disturbing. It’s a spiritual possession of some kind.

Brooks: Out of sight, out of mind over the off season.

He’s got a top 6 pack, and my bet is he will piss it up against the wall.

This is why I wanted to see Madge get one more year. Our two best signings were his doing, and by all reports Angus Chrichton was about to put pen to paper to play for Madge. Chrichton is just as good, if not better, than Bateman. Klemmer would have been traded for Brooks and Hastings would have been extended. Then our young guns in the squad - Laurie, Stefano and Blore...all Madge signings. If he could get Blore, Laurie and Api from Panthers then he probably would have gotten Staines.

My point is - I think we would have had just a good squad for 2023 under Madge than we do with Sheens. I'm not saying I don't support Sheens/Benji as coaches, but I would have like to see Madge finally get the opportunity to coach WT with a squad capable of getting into top 8....which he would have had this year.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

UK visas are apparently a shit show at the best of times. I don't see how this is WT admin's fault.

At the very least, we should have detected his interest in us earlier and started the process then.

I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but i like him and I think a special expenditure to get Tim over there to seal the deal earlier last year would have saved a lot of angst.

This is why I wanted to see Madge get one more year. Our two best signings were his doing, and by all reports Angus Chrichton was about to put pen to paper to play for Madge. Chrichton is just as good, if not better, than Bateman. Klemmer would have been traded for Brooks and Hastings would have been extended. Then our young guns in the squad - Laurie, Stefano and Blore...all Madge signings. If he could get Blore, Laurie and Api from Panthers then he probably would have gotten Staines.

My point is - I think we would have had just a good squad for 2023 under Madge than we do with Sheens. I'm not saying I don't support Sheens/Benji as coaches, but I would have like to see Madge finally get the opportunity to coach WT with a squad capable of getting into top 8....which he would have had this year.

I agree with this submission except I don’t support the Tim/Benji deployment because it’s based on nepotism, abandonment of process, panic and stealth. I don’t support the values behind it.

18 other candidates applied and I bet all of them had more experience than Benji.

The ciraldo approach was an unmitigated disaster.

I think we should have stuck to process. Just perhaps we could have secured recognised talent such as;

Hook
Des Hasler
Potter
Morris
Et al

Coaches who know their stuff.

Plus we knew Brooksy was on the outer with Madge who was authorised to spend significant time and resources to procure Hastings.

I agree this pack as it presents is a proper Madge style pack and the vast majority of our side, they like and respect him.

Tim is a wait and see proposition and Benji is just seems like he’s going to be an angry young man every week and he lacks people skills.

Plus I think Benji is a bit of a simpleton. I’d prefer him to have other roles at the club.

I liked your Crichton post, really good points. He is an outstanding, top 10 nrl player atm.

I’m glad Brooksy-mania is calming down. Hopefully people are regaining their memories.

 

[WA Tiger]

This is why I wanted to see Madge get one more year. Our two best signings were his doing, and by all reports Angus Chrichton was about to put pen to paper to play for Madge. Chrichton is just as good, if not better, than Bateman. Klemmer would have been traded for Brooks and Hastings would have been extended. Then our young guns in the squad - Laurie, Stefano and Blore...all Madge signings. If he could get Blore, Laurie and Api from Panthers then he probably would have gotten Staines.

My point is - I think we would have had just a good squad for 2023 under Madge than we do with Sheens. I'm not saying I don't support Sheens/Benji as coaches, but I would have like to see Madge finally get the opportunity to coach WT with a squad capable of getting into top 8....which he would have had this year.

I’d say: Madge would have had even less clue that Brooks was the problem and as Madge originally signed Brooks, Madge would have have felt pressure to keep him and the Newcastle conversation would have been nipped in the bud before it started. Klemmer wouldn’t have even considered playing under Madge. There’s no past links between the two. Klemmer would have seen 1/ the potential change of mind of paps and then 2/ the possible change of mind of Paps anyway and all the related drama.(I’m thinking the pathetic state of the club and the spoon more than Madges exit scared Paps off) We may have got Staines with Madge but consider that all the Penrith signings occurred way before we got the spoon, when there was a sliver of hope of some success. Being wooden spooners with a lunatic at the wheel, I’d say WT would have been a last option for Staines and he would have landed at a different club. And Crichton. Do u really think he would have come across. Or was he trying to beef up his pay deal at Easts?

So who are we left with: Api, Hastings who's slow as a wet week maybe Paps, ..Another spoon. And the beginning of a dynasty.

But no, Sheens and Benji are here,with a resulting influx of star players. And in future; better talent ID’n and for the first time promotion on merit from the lower grades, and the demotion of players that deserve it after being given a reasonable time frame to prove themselves (Think of all the players that Madge kept in a position or in the team way past their use by date) with the very real possibility of snaring Moses. Without Moses we should be looking at a far more respectable position on the ladder. And with him the sky’s the limit.

Let it go

 

[Ned Kelly]

UK visas are apparently a shit show at the best of times. I don't see how this is WT admin's fault.

No one at Wests Tigers are to blame for the delay.

 

[Fordy20]

This is why I wanted to see Madge get one more year. Our two best signings were his doing, and by all reports Angus Chrichton was about to put pen to paper to play for Madge. Chrichton is just as good, if not better, than Bateman. Klemmer would have been traded for Brooks and Hastings would have been extended. Then our young guns in the squad - Laurie, Stefano and Blore...all Madge signings. If he could get Blore, Laurie and Api from Panthers then he probably would have gotten Staines.

My point is - I think we would have had just a good squad for 2023 under Madge than we do with Sheens. I'm not saying I don't support Sheens/Benji as coaches, but I would have like to see Madge finally get the opportunity to coach WT with a squad capable of getting into top 8....which he would have had this year.

Not only was Crichton close, but the club have gotten both Klemmer and Frizell for Brooks. It would have been great to see how far into the eight Madge would have taken us with the team he assembled.

Even without Critchon or Frizell, it’s still the strongest the pack has been in ages and with Api on board and all the media build up, anything less than the finals would be considered an abject failure

 

[gordsy]

If we have a mill plus why did we get rid of Hastings and what do we do with the money if we don't get Mitch, can we front load contracts ?

 

[Phil Gould]

If we have a mill plus why did we get rid of Hastings and what do we do with the money if we don't get Mitch, can we front load contracts ?

There must have been some serious personality clashes with Hastings, that’s the only reasonable reason I can think of for why they ditched him. Clashes with the wrong people or with too many people, or maybe he’s carrying injuries? They’ve seriously crippled their half depth, I think the decision to ditch him will land the Tigers a 9th spot finish, again, rather than a top 8 this year. Madge wouldn’t have ditched him.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

There must have been some serious personality clashes with Hastings, that’s the only reasonable reason I can think of for why they ditched him. Clashes with the wrong people or with too many people, or maybe he’s carrying injuries? They’ve seriously crippled their half depth, I think the decision to ditch him will land the Tigers a 9th spot finish, again, rather than a top 8 this year. Madge wouldn’t have ditched him.

The lack of depth in the halves is something Douhie openly conceded in his interview today.

And this apparent injury to Brooksy, well he’s supposed to be back to full training by now, but I understand it’s another 3 weeks.

Benji filling in as a player at training for significant periods. That’s something we all hoped would be avoided, but he can’t help himself.

Training is not designed for coaches to fill in for players. It’s for players to train with other players.

Tim is not going to throw flick passes at Will Smith or Nado.

It’s less than ideal when a few weeks out, the guy you are pinning your hopes on, can’t train properly.

Where he can’t train, he can’t improve on the garbage he proffered last season, when he actually played.

And reading Doogie, I don’t think he’s a Moses man.

 

[The Silverdale Phantom]

Looking at some positives, if Tim can fire up everyone and they play to their potential we could really surprise ourselves.

I think it will take 4 games to settle the side per game conditions. They are virtual strangers. But unlike other years, the forwards seem more capable of learning and building.

With Madge, I remember the odd great game followed by extended collapse. I’d be surprised if the new side had the same fluctuations. Their skill level and experience is far greater.