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Squad for 2021

Messages
385
@Disillusioned Tiger and I say “ hi” to the AMONE knockers...

As for Jackson, we will get back to on that one it wasn’t my rumour but- I’ll buy into it to settle the account lol.

I’ve been giving it to our Panther buddies about Laurie. It’s been fun.

AMONEs signing means Reynolds is off the market.

Good signing at base level, will need some work but he fits the profile. Powerful beef at full speed. No off switch.

Our bench is loaded up with impact terror! Scary.
Not sure why I was mentioned but why not. Not sure we need another Prop, but hey the more the merrier! Welcome aboard, Madge seems to know what he’s talking about. In Madge we trust!
 
Messages
17,188
Seeing Hartigan relaying messages from most likely Madge to the players on the bench was good to see , didn’t know he was much of a coaching man but he got stuck into it

Good post.

Some of them dabble in coaching, but I prefer my recruiters chugging beers, smoking durries and signing talent. He’d have to be good at maths.

I hope he was applauded as much as the players.

His welfare check on James Roberts was a good
idea.

He’s had a lot of good ideas actually. 78% player turnaround in two seasons is a big job. Lots of lunches with scam player agents trying to sell duds.

Pascoe recruited him I think. A rare moment of vision!
 
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Tigerm

Coach
Messages
11,040
Tom Amone 2021
Shawn Blore 2021 2022 2023
Luke Brooks 2021 2022 2023
Michael Chee Kam 2021
Zac Cini 2021
Adam Doueihi 2021 2022 2023
Luke Garner 2021 2022
Asu Kepaoa 2021 2022 2023
Daine Laurie 2021 2022 2023
Joey Leilua 2021 2022 (CO)
Luciano Leilua 2021 2022
Jacob Liddle 2021
Jock Madden 2021 2022
Moses Mbye 2021 2022
Thomas Mikaele 2021
Zane Musgrove 2021 2022 2023 2024
David Nofoaluma 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Joe Ofahengaue 2021 2022 2023
Russell Packer 2021
James Roberts 2021 2022 (CO)
Alex Seyfarth 2021
Jake Simpkin 2021 2022
Tukimihia Simpkins 2021 2022 2023
Tommy Talau 2021 2022
James Tamou 2021 2022
Alex Twal 2021 2022
Stefano Utoikamanu 2021 2022 2023
Billy Walters 2021
 

Tiger Ted

Bench
Messages
3,281
We have some great young talent signed for a couple of years into the future. I hope Musgrove decides he wants to be a top player because he has all the talent but none of the brains to go along with that.
We’ve certainly turned the corner re recruitment/retention.Now if only we can discard the 800k albatross.
 

Tiger05

First Grade
Messages
9,764
We’ve certainly turned the corner re recruitment/retention.Now if only we can discard the 800k albatross.

He is becoming a great back up player isn't he. I reckon he has some talent but I couldn't play him over Laurie at 1 based on the trials. I suppose they both play round 1. It'll be interesting who is picked at 1 and at 6.
 

BrotherJim05

Bench
Messages
3,453
Will be interesting to see what we do next year with all the spare cash. It's almost like we gave all our money to our pokies addicted mate to manage back in 2017, who blew it all on god knows what. Now we have decided to give it to our tight-arse mate who works in banking to manage...I think we are going to be in much better shape
 

Tiger05

First Grade
Messages
9,764
Will be interesting to see what we do next year with all the spare cash. It's almost like we gave all our money to our pokies addicted mate to manage back in 2017, who blew it all on god knows what. Now we have decided to give it to our tight-arse mate who works in banking to manage...I think we are going to be in much better shape

The difference between the Cleary era and the Madge era are like chalk and cheese.
 

Tigerm

Coach
Messages
11,040
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...ium=email&utm_campaign=crm&utm_content=static

New Wests Tigers signing Joe Ofahengaue relieved for change of scenery after Broncos hell
WESTS TIGERS
George Clarke
March 3, 2021 3:49pm
GEORGE CLARKE
Source: FOX SPORTS

Joe Ofahengaue has a lot to get off his chest.
In a new city and with new club, he’s feeling fresh after moving from the Broncos to the Wests Tigers.

“Besides getting swiped off the road, Sydney’s good,” he says with a smile.

“No indicators, no nothing, they push in, everyone’s in a rush. There are some crazy drivers. I’m settling in well, though, and the club has a really good family culture.”

Ofahengaue admits he needed a new start.

A guy who turned out for Queensland as a starting front-rower and played a role in Tonga’s stunning win over Australia was reduced to a shadow of his former self as Brisbane slumped to the wooden spoon in 2020.

It didn’t help that under Anthony Seibold, Ofahengaue changed position every week, give or take. Prop one week, lock the next, followed by a spell in the back-row.

And he’s hopeful that playing in the middle under Michael Maguire on a weekly basis can help him recapture his form after Brisbane’s year from hell.

“Yeah it got really bad… I’m not going to sugar-coat it,” he tells foxsports.com.au.

“Things got really bad and I went away from a lot of things I knew I was good at. I just wasn’t buying into my footy and wasn’t playing to my potential.

“I was starting in Origin the year before that. I think I just let the losses really affect me.

“And that’s not really me. But if you ask any of my teammates, I’m usually the happiest guy in the club.

“I’m the one who is trying to get the boys around me going and get the energy up.

“Yeah, last year was just a really, really bad one for me and the club.”

One of the critiques of Brisbane was their fitness.

Last year it seemed as if they were gassed after 50 minutes where opposition sides would turn the screw and rack up a big scoreline.

“We were fit, bro,” he counters.

“We just weren’t winning, you know?

“And when you’re when you’re losing your players lose belief in your coach, it’s hard to get the team to click because everyone’s minds are in different places.

“You know, some boys maybe believed in the coach. Some boys didn’t, that’s what the Broncos were last year.

Did Ofahengaue believe in Seibold?

“At stages, and I’m not going to badmouth Seibs. I think he was a great guy,” he says.

“I think his coaching strategies were nowhere near what we needed last year.

“Us players as well, we were at fault as well, because we weren’t honest [with Seibold] sometimes. He’d say we need to do this? And as players we just agreed.

“So we played a big part in that as well. It wasn’t just a coach like, I’m not going to fault Seibs. It was on all of us as a club.

“You know, we lost belief in our processes, belief in each other our beliefs, and our teammates and belief in our coach.

“All in one, bro, no one really believed us. And that’s what it showed, you know, that’s not the Broncos spirit.

Another criticism was how Seibold had a gamelan for every 10m section of the field like an NFL-style playbook.

It’s something the Broncos players found frustrating and when things turned sour, they went away from everything they had trained for.

“Sometimes we were just too structured and sometimes some players would get the s**ts and say we don’t want to run that play, or they just didn’t get a match style of footy,” he says. “But that’s all in the past.

“I wish Seibs all the best. And I was pretty sad when he was telling us he got fired, it’s a man losing his job.”

The good news for the Tigers is that Ofahengaue will be staying in the middle.

He’s trained on the edge during the off-season, but that’s purely as a back-up option.

He’s likely to start with James Tamou in the front row when the Tigers face the Raiders in Round 1 and also has eyes on returning to the representative football.

“Tonga is my main goal. I want to play in that World Cup,” he adds.

“If Queensland comes then it’s a bonus. On the rep side of things, Tonga is my main aim and I want to lead with those boys like Jason Taumalolo.

“Hopefully we can go all the way. My main season goal, though, is to play consistent footy for this club. That’s what this club needs and that’s what I hope to deliver.”
 
Messages
17,188
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...ium=email&utm_campaign=crm&utm_content=static

New Wests Tigers signing Joe Ofahengaue relieved for change of scenery after Broncos hell
WESTS TIGERS
George Clarke
March 3, 2021 3:49pm
GEORGE CLARKE
Source: FOX SPORTS

Joe Ofahengaue has a lot to get off his chest.
In a new city and with new club, he’s feeling fresh after moving from the Broncos to the Wests Tigers.

“Besides getting swiped off the road, Sydney’s good,” he says with a smile.

“No indicators, no nothing, they push in, everyone’s in a rush. There are some crazy drivers. I’m settling in well, though, and the club has a really good family culture.”

Ofahengaue admits he needed a new start.

A guy who turned out for Queensland as a starting front-rower and played a role in Tonga’s stunning win over Australia was reduced to a shadow of his former self as Brisbane slumped to the wooden spoon in 2020.

It didn’t help that under Anthony Seibold, Ofahengaue changed position every week, give or take. Prop one week, lock the next, followed by a spell in the back-row.

And he’s hopeful that playing in the middle under Michael Maguire on a weekly basis can help him recapture his form after Brisbane’s year from hell.

“Yeah it got really bad… I’m not going to sugar-coat it,” he tells foxsports.com.au.

“Things got really bad and I went away from a lot of things I knew I was good at. I just wasn’t buying into my footy and wasn’t playing to my potential.

“I was starting in Origin the year before that. I think I just let the losses really affect me.

“And that’s not really me. But if you ask any of my teammates, I’m usually the happiest guy in the club.

“I’m the one who is trying to get the boys around me going and get the energy up.

“Yeah, last year was just a really, really bad one for me and the club.”

One of the critiques of Brisbane was their fitness.

Last year it seemed as if they were gassed after 50 minutes where opposition sides would turn the screw and rack up a big scoreline.

“We were fit, bro,” he counters.

“We just weren’t winning, you know?

“And when you’re when you’re losing your players lose belief in your coach, it’s hard to get the team to click because everyone’s minds are in different places.

“You know, some boys maybe believed in the coach. Some boys didn’t, that’s what the Broncos were last year.

Did Ofahengaue believe in Seibold?

“At stages, and I’m not going to badmouth Seibs. I think he was a great guy,” he says.

“I think his coaching strategies were nowhere near what we needed last year.

“Us players as well, we were at fault as well, because we weren’t honest [with Seibold] sometimes. He’d say we need to do this? And as players we just agreed.

“So we played a big part in that as well. It wasn’t just a coach like, I’m not going to fault Seibs. It was on all of us as a club.

“You know, we lost belief in our processes, belief in each other our beliefs, and our teammates and belief in our coach.

“All in one, bro, no one really believed us. And that’s what it showed, you know, that’s not the Broncos spirit.

Another criticism was how Seibold had a gamelan for every 10m section of the field like an NFL-style playbook.

It’s something the Broncos players found frustrating and when things turned sour, they went away from everything they had trained for.

“Sometimes we were just too structured and sometimes some players would get the s**ts and say we don’t want to run that play, or they just didn’t get a match style of footy,” he says. “But that’s all in the past.

“I wish Seibs all the best. And I was pretty sad when he was telling us he got fired, it’s a man losing his job.”

The good news for the Tigers is that Ofahengaue will be staying in the middle.

He’s trained on the edge during the off-season, but that’s purely as a back-up option.

He’s likely to start with James Tamou in the front row when the Tigers face the Raiders in Round 1 and also has eyes on returning to the representative football.

“Tonga is my main goal. I want to play in that World Cup,” he adds.

“If Queensland comes then it’s a bonus. On the rep side of things, Tonga is my main aim and I want to lead with those boys like Jason Taumalolo.

“Hopefully we can go all the way. My main season goal, though, is to play consistent footy for this club. That’s what this club needs and that’s what I hope to deliver.”

It pretty much confirms my suspicions that seibs wasn’t the main problem at the Broncs.

I’m glad Joe is happy. Gun player on his day.
 

Tigerm

Coach
Messages
11,040
It pretty much confirms my suspicions that seibs wasn’t the main problem at the Broncs.

I’m glad Joe is happy. Gun player on his day.

Sorry, I thought it showed he was a major part of the problem and probably out of his depth? But it's all in tha past now, though I can't see them lifting to high if at all?

“You know, we lost belief in our processes, belief in each other our beliefs, and our teammates and belief in our coach.

“All in one, bro, no one really believed us. And that’s what it showed, you know, that’s not the Broncos spirit.

Another criticism was how Seibold had a gamelan for every 10m section of the field like an NFL-style playbook.

It’s something the Broncos players found frustrating and when things turned sour, they went away from everything they had trained for.

“Sometimes we were just too structured and sometimes some players would get the s**ts and say we don’t want to run that play, or they just didn’t get a match style of footy,” he says. “But that’s all in the past.
 
Messages
17,188
Plus we have Hartigan.

We had the Ivan and Kelly Egan show before that. We had some bad luck with injury and then duds.

They seemed to think it was a case of like-for-like replacement Marquee but that didn’t work out.

Some fair decisions at times, they meant well but it was a train crash.

Madge is more focused on leadership and the youth vote, but basically he’s kept the best of them.

Kelly used to work for Des, but Harto for Robbo. So an interesting contrast there.
 
Messages
17,188
Sorry, I thought it showed he was a major part of the problem and probably out of his depth?

“You know, we lost belief in our processes, belief in each other our beliefs, and our teammates and belief in our coach.

“All in one, bro, no one really believed us. And that’s what it showed, you know, that’s not the Broncos spirit.

Another criticism was how Seibold had a gamelan for every 10m section of the field like an NFL-style playbook.

It’s something the Broncos players found frustrating and when things turned sour, they went away from everything they had trained for.

“Sometimes we were just too structured and sometimes some players would get the s**ts and say we don’t want to run that play, or they just didn’t get a match style of footy,” he says. “But that’s all in the past.

I read it the other way around, they simply didn’t do what they were asked to!
 
Messages
17,188
One thing we know is that the writing was on the wall for Kelly once Madge arrived.

He was gone within 3 months into the next season.

Looking at the p.r, from the day, he said he left voluntarily at the time. I don’t know. He was gracious and I will give him that.

Harto is appointed the following month and a bit from the shadowy but elite inner sanctum of roosters officialdom and the great cull commenced soon after that.

There was not much time to stop and think.

I don’t think any of us thought that within a a year and a bit, 78% of our players would be elsewhere.

That’s a staggering turnover.

We find out from Harto that he virtually has final say in r&r now. From what I understand, some clubs are the same, others are not.

But he’s quite a powerful figure in the club.

My guess is that players unsigned for 2022 will be laid off after this season. I think they know it too.
They need a massive season to be re-considered.
It would be stressful seeing their mates signed up and they are off the list.

About 8 on the cliffs edge.
 
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Mario chalmers

Juniors
Messages
581
Amen.

The interview with Madge afterwards, you can sense he was a bit bewildered himself with that massive turn up. He tried to keep cool, but his heart was pumping strong.

I think he truly believes we can final, his grand master plan is finally starting to taking shape.

Much ado about the warm reception from the crowd as the players filed off. Well done.

I’ve watched Lucy again, he tore them to shreds and he is right into the team spirit.

Roberts almost suffocated in adoration after his skilful try. Players hugging try assisters was cool.

We’ve gotta get them belting each other harder at training!

Pound for pound, this is an excellent pre season spell for us. That’s all we can ask for.

Long way to go, but at least we seem to have hit the season running.


I watched the second half closely again tonight and I must say Thomas Mikaele was more involved than any other forward in the second half. Often made 2 carries in a set.

The prop selection for round 1 will be interesting with Tamou, Joffa and Stefano seemingly locked in. I really do think Mikaele deserves the spot.

As for his competition, I think Seyfarth needs more time in reserve grade and looked a long way short of NRL when called up last year.

It is sad to see our highest paid forward in the reggies but I can't justify a place for Russell Packer. Looked unfit and off the pace.
 

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