gurstar
Juniors
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Posted by Gobbso on another forum:
As we know, the mission Statement of this Football club changed some years ago when the club chose to pro-long and secure its future in the NRL by forming a Joint-Venture with Balmain. Since that time, the Football club's structre and vision changed seeing it's potential as a feeder support system to it's NRL entity, establishing itself as a direct pathway for its talent juniors to NRL First Grade.
Since that time, the club has seen the graduation of players in;
-Anthony Laffranchi
-Daniel Fitzhenry
-Luke Covell
-Bryce Gibbs
-Liam Fulton
-Shannon McDonnell
-Dean Collis
-Michael Crocket
-Issac DeGois
-Rocky Trimarchi
-Stuart Flanagan
-Shannon Gallant
-Beau Ryan
-Chris Lawrence
-Peni Tagive
-Daine Laurie
16 NRL Players (minus the exceptions of local juniors inherited or signed after initial debuts for the Western Suburbs Magpies in Ciriaco Mescia, McGuinness Bros. Ken and Kevin, John Skandalis, Brett Hodgson)
Now, 3 years on after winning the Premiership, Wests Tigers find themselves in a spot on bother. A Continual dip in form with the team losing it's way leading into the finals when they have been in a position to consolidate a Finals position yet have come up short time and time again. At any other club, this would not have been tolerated and the broom would have already been through the joint.
It's been stated that a review at Seasons end will come regarding the recruitment, football operations department, Coaching structure and player cleanout with Coach Sheens stating that players will be tapped on the shoulder at that some of the juniors that the club chose to invest in have not fulfilled their expectations, have failed to "grow and mature" in the NRL.
Combine that with a lack of a well established, creative organing Halfback, and there is your reason why failure has occured. It's there in 'Black and White', (pardon the pun). Coach Sheens has been persistent and loyal to many players, most of who have been juniors from this club and the Balmain club. However, whilst he has been persistent, stubbon and loyal, he has failed to recognise other talent worthy of an opportunity, overlooking other talent champing at the bit to prove their worth.
With the off-season not far away, it now gives Coach Sheens the opportunity to rid the deadwood, dismiss the juniors who have not lived up to expectations and re-build yet again for the future. He did it in 2005 and it worked wonders. The handful of experienced old heads with an array of enthusiastic youngsters that just wanted to play football was the perfect ingredient to a elusive Premiership in 2005.
The talent in the NSW Cup and U/20's Squads for Western Suburbs and Wests Tigers respectively are flourishing with Western Suburbs juniors that are waiting for the opportunity and a chance to prove their worth, just like the Laffranchi's, Fulton's, Gibbs' once had to chance to do and never looked back. It's time Coach Sheens and Recruitment Manager McDonnell unearthed some new blood into the Wests Tigers NRL Squad.
Those that are worthy and deserve an opportunity to be apart of the Full-time Squad and to feature in to the top 17 would surely have to include;
-Shannon Gallant
-Nathan Waters
-Wade Dunley
-Nu Akeripa
-Corey Vlaciky
-Robert Lui
-Will Mataka
-Michael Stolk
-Holo Tonga
Gallant is leaps and bounds the best option to fill the vacated Fullback role left by Magpie and Wests Tigers club legend, Brett Hodgson. He has proved he can handle the task and provides Wests Tigers with reliability, great positional play, speed to burn backed up with tremendous support play, ala Hodgo.
Waters, Dunley and Lui. All halves and all better options than John Morris wearing the No.7 Jersey. All 3 players deserve a chance and shot to make the No.7 their own. With no established Halfback in the ranks nor look like attracting one to the club in the near or long-term future, the only option i can see is to give these 3 men a shot. We've seen what Chris Sandow has done to Souths, his enthusiasm has been infectious and really turned around the Bunnies seasons and fortunes. What has Coach Sheens got to lose?
Nu Akeripa is solid consistent and at the moment along with utility Dene Halatau wopuld provide alot more in both attack and defence the Dean Collis. Collis is one of those players and juniors who Sheens has referred to as not living up to expectation nor grown and matured after a few seasons in the NRL. Akeripa should be given a chance.
Vlaciky, Mataka, Stolk and Tonga have been impressive. All big units who bring about size and strength to what has been criticised and labelled as a weak and small pack. With Bronson Harrison being shopped around to UK and NRL clubs, Ben Te'o off to Brisbane, O'Hara off to Celtic in Super League, Metuisela and Danny Galea rumoured to be released, it gives this young crop of forwards the chance to rip and tear and be apart of a re-structuring of a forward pack to support the likes of Gibbs, Galloway, Payten, Laurie, Heighington.
Wests Tigers have stuck by the youth policy for sometime now, believing that the kids coming through from the local junior nursery espeically in the Western Suburbs district will bear success for the future. Well let's see it before it's too late and it wastes away and fades or moves on to green pasturers and has us all seeing red ask the question "why?".
Bring on the next installment of juniors who are ready to put Wests Tigers back into the contenders category and out of the pretenders circle. Bring on the kids that want to play football who have the ability and can bring back that much needed enthusiasm. Something that hasn't been seen since 2005.
As we know, the mission Statement of this Football club changed some years ago when the club chose to pro-long and secure its future in the NRL by forming a Joint-Venture with Balmain. Since that time, the Football club's structre and vision changed seeing it's potential as a feeder support system to it's NRL entity, establishing itself as a direct pathway for its talent juniors to NRL First Grade.
Since that time, the club has seen the graduation of players in;
-Anthony Laffranchi
-Daniel Fitzhenry
-Luke Covell
-Bryce Gibbs
-Liam Fulton
-Shannon McDonnell
-Dean Collis
-Michael Crocket
-Issac DeGois
-Rocky Trimarchi
-Stuart Flanagan
-Shannon Gallant
-Beau Ryan
-Chris Lawrence
-Peni Tagive
-Daine Laurie
16 NRL Players (minus the exceptions of local juniors inherited or signed after initial debuts for the Western Suburbs Magpies in Ciriaco Mescia, McGuinness Bros. Ken and Kevin, John Skandalis, Brett Hodgson)
Now, 3 years on after winning the Premiership, Wests Tigers find themselves in a spot on bother. A Continual dip in form with the team losing it's way leading into the finals when they have been in a position to consolidate a Finals position yet have come up short time and time again. At any other club, this would not have been tolerated and the broom would have already been through the joint.
It's been stated that a review at Seasons end will come regarding the recruitment, football operations department, Coaching structure and player cleanout with Coach Sheens stating that players will be tapped on the shoulder at that some of the juniors that the club chose to invest in have not fulfilled their expectations, have failed to "grow and mature" in the NRL.
Combine that with a lack of a well established, creative organing Halfback, and there is your reason why failure has occured. It's there in 'Black and White', (pardon the pun). Coach Sheens has been persistent and loyal to many players, most of who have been juniors from this club and the Balmain club. However, whilst he has been persistent, stubbon and loyal, he has failed to recognise other talent worthy of an opportunity, overlooking other talent champing at the bit to prove their worth.
With the off-season not far away, it now gives Coach Sheens the opportunity to rid the deadwood, dismiss the juniors who have not lived up to expectations and re-build yet again for the future. He did it in 2005 and it worked wonders. The handful of experienced old heads with an array of enthusiastic youngsters that just wanted to play football was the perfect ingredient to a elusive Premiership in 2005.
The talent in the NSW Cup and U/20's Squads for Western Suburbs and Wests Tigers respectively are flourishing with Western Suburbs juniors that are waiting for the opportunity and a chance to prove their worth, just like the Laffranchi's, Fulton's, Gibbs' once had to chance to do and never looked back. It's time Coach Sheens and Recruitment Manager McDonnell unearthed some new blood into the Wests Tigers NRL Squad.
Those that are worthy and deserve an opportunity to be apart of the Full-time Squad and to feature in to the top 17 would surely have to include;
-Shannon Gallant
-Nathan Waters
-Wade Dunley
-Nu Akeripa
-Corey Vlaciky
-Robert Lui
-Will Mataka
-Michael Stolk
-Holo Tonga
Gallant is leaps and bounds the best option to fill the vacated Fullback role left by Magpie and Wests Tigers club legend, Brett Hodgson. He has proved he can handle the task and provides Wests Tigers with reliability, great positional play, speed to burn backed up with tremendous support play, ala Hodgo.
Waters, Dunley and Lui. All halves and all better options than John Morris wearing the No.7 Jersey. All 3 players deserve a chance and shot to make the No.7 their own. With no established Halfback in the ranks nor look like attracting one to the club in the near or long-term future, the only option i can see is to give these 3 men a shot. We've seen what Chris Sandow has done to Souths, his enthusiasm has been infectious and really turned around the Bunnies seasons and fortunes. What has Coach Sheens got to lose?
Nu Akeripa is solid consistent and at the moment along with utility Dene Halatau wopuld provide alot more in both attack and defence the Dean Collis. Collis is one of those players and juniors who Sheens has referred to as not living up to expectation nor grown and matured after a few seasons in the NRL. Akeripa should be given a chance.
Vlaciky, Mataka, Stolk and Tonga have been impressive. All big units who bring about size and strength to what has been criticised and labelled as a weak and small pack. With Bronson Harrison being shopped around to UK and NRL clubs, Ben Te'o off to Brisbane, O'Hara off to Celtic in Super League, Metuisela and Danny Galea rumoured to be released, it gives this young crop of forwards the chance to rip and tear and be apart of a re-structuring of a forward pack to support the likes of Gibbs, Galloway, Payten, Laurie, Heighington.
Wests Tigers have stuck by the youth policy for sometime now, believing that the kids coming through from the local junior nursery espeically in the Western Suburbs district will bear success for the future. Well let's see it before it's too late and it wastes away and fades or moves on to green pasturers and has us all seeing red ask the question "why?".
Bring on the next installment of juniors who are ready to put Wests Tigers back into the contenders category and out of the pretenders circle. Bring on the kids that want to play football who have the ability and can bring back that much needed enthusiasm. Something that hasn't been seen since 2005.
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