Word - Thirty-nine
The 39th minute of the game. We always find a way to concede a try in that minute before halftime. In close games they really hurt.
One word - WASTED.
Not a wasted opportunity in the game — but a wasted allocation of time, money, and strategy.
We chased a player in Lachlan Galvin who, deep down, never wanted to stay. And in doing so, we neglected the one who did want to be here — the perfect foil to Luai: Latu Fainu.
Yesterday’s performance made it crystal clear. The Luai–Fainu combination works. Throw Mason in at 14 and you’ve got spine depth most clubs would envy. We had the pieces. We always did.
But instead of building around that, we got sucked into the Galvin hype — like he was the franchise saviour. Newsflash: our Galvin is Jarome Luai. And we let 18 months slip away chasing shadows instead of backing the vision already in front of us.
Wasted.
One word - WASTED.
Not a wasted opportunity in the game — but a wasted allocation of time, money, and strategy.
We chased a player in Lachlan Galvin who, deep down, never wanted to stay. And in doing so, we neglected the one who did want to be here — the perfect foil to Luai: Latu Fainu.
Yesterday’s performance made it crystal clear. The Luai–Fainu combination works. Throw Mason in at 14 and you’ve got spine depth most clubs would envy. We had the pieces. We always did.
But instead of building around that, we got sucked into the Galvin hype — like he was the franchise saviour. Newsflash: our Galvin is Jarome Luai. And we let 18 months slip away chasing shadows instead of backing the vision already in front of us.
Wasted.
In fairness Latu has been injured a lot of that time.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
One word - WASTED.
Not a wasted opportunity in the game — but a wasted allocation of time, money, and strategy.
We chased a player in Lachlan Galvin who, deep down, never wanted to stay. And in doing so, we neglected the one who did want to be here — the perfect foil to Luai: Latu Fainu.
Yesterday’s performance made it crystal clear. The Luai–Fainu combination works. Throw Mason in at 14 and you’ve got spine depth most clubs would envy. We had the pieces. We always did.
But instead of building around that, we got sucked into the Galvin hype — like he was the franchise saviour. Newsflash: our Galvin is Jarome Luai. And we let 18 months slip away chasing shadows instead of backing the vision already in front of us.
Wasted.
In fairness Latu has been injured a lot of that time.
In fairness, Latu has been injured — but that’s not the point.
The issue isn’t about who was fit when. It’s that the club went all in on Galvin. Everything — the game plan, recruitment, even Luai’s role — was shaped around keeping him happy. We didn’t just give Galvin a shot; we handed him the keys to the joint before he’d proven anything long-term.
Whether it was Fainu, Mason, or someone else — the club had other options. The problem was the fawning over Galvin. The over-investment. The emotional, strategic, and operational weight placed on one player who never genuinely committed.
That’s the waste — not the injuries, not the depth. It’s how much we distorted the bigger picture for someone who didn’t want to be in it.
One Word.
Progress
We are progressing into a team that can compete
So proud of the performance. If a few calls go our way we win the match.
One Word.
Progress
We are progressing into a team that can compete
So proud of the performance. If a few calls go our way we win the match.
im worried that when we don’t progress quickly enough to winning more than we lose that we will start to unravel. Props get disillusioned with not scoring points on the back of their meters, marquee players exercise options, coach gets sacked. Rinse and repeat
@mattvtiger Have to disagree your comment would be Ok except Latu has only played around 4 games in two seasons .If Marshall had his time again things might be different but on the other side the depth and talent in both grades is abysmal so he really had no option .
24 hrs on, a lot to like about that performance in a vacuum. Really down on troops, against the 4x premiers (albeit not the same team), they should really have won the game. Some tough calls for sure, but Penrith came up big in the big moments by hook or crook, and we were left wanting a couple of times. The right edge defence is a real issue - hopefully Latu is there for the rest of the season and they generate a real combo.
@mattvtiger Have to disagree your comment would be Ok except Latu has only played around 4 games in two seasons .If Marshall had his time again things might be different but on the other side the depth and talent in both grades is abysmal so he really had no option
Fair call on Latu’s availability — no doubt he’s only managed a handful of games. But that’s not the core issue here.
This isn’t about Latu vs Galvin — it’s about how the club built the house around Galvin. Luai was expected to adapt to him. That’s a big ask for a 19-year-old with limited NRL experience, no matter how talented. The mistake wasn’t picking him — it was treating him like the foundation of the rebuild before he’d earned that right or committed long-term.
And let’s not pretend we had zero options. We had Bud Sullivan. Mason. Latu (even in limited games). Ontono Large showing glimpses. Luai arriving. There were pieces — maybe not perfect, but workable. Instead, we went all-in on Galvin, warped the system around him, and got burned when he walked.
That’s the waste. Not the injuries. Not the depth. The fawning over one player who didn’t want to be here.
My one word is "reality".
The stark reality that WT is, by comparison to most others, a dysfunctional club. I'm writing this as Galvin is idolised at Accor after that amazing Dogs win. And, if we're honest, Parra, IMO, on that effort, would have beaten WT as well.
From Board, to CEO, to coaches, to recruitment/development, we're just not competitive. Yes, there's improvements and full credit to Marshall, in particular, in helping that happen.
But, in reality we are a looooooong way off from being a serious, competitive and desirable place for GENUINE talent to come to or, in the Galvin case, commit to.
@mercy-rule With all due respect I think your post is a massive contradiction and way off.Wouldn’t Luai,Turuva,Terrell,Skelton have to be considered as GENUINE talent?And wouldn’t Jahream Bula’s recommitment to our club,along with Starford To’a and Fonua Pole demonstrate that someone is doing something right? I think our recruitment has been brilliant given the position we’ve been in.In contrast to you,and your notion that we’re riddled with dysfunction I think we’re very competitive albeit somewhat unpolished.Rome wasn’t built in a day,but surely the massive improvements can’t be ignored.
I think your swipe at the CEO,is absolutely unjustified if not disgraceful.I believe he’s been absolutely deft in his recruitments.We’re no longer paying massive overs and super-inflated contracts.We don’t possess the resources,nor the memberships of others,but we’re moving in the right direction.Perhaps the glass is fuller than you think.
@tiger-symmetry, no, I think the glass is half-full, at best. I am excited by your news that Bula has re-committed to the club. I was not aware of that. When was that announced?
In a better, but clunky and inconsistent year so far, Bula is the standout. And, May, of course is a great acquisition. I'm only hoping Luai can live up to his price tag.
As for the work of Richardson, we'll have to respectfully disagree. His media release gave Galvin the ammunition he needed to abandon the club. That will hurt Richardson's standing for the immediate future, IMO. It was poor leadership and management. If Galvin turns out be a star, then Richardson will be labelled as the guy who enabled him to leave. If Galvin turns out to be a dud, Richardson will be seen as the guy willing to pay $1 million for a dud.
Perhaps, a few more signings like Pearce-Paul and others that Richardson has said are imminent (lord knows we need them) and I might tip into the glass more full then empty side in assessing him. Signing high-quality (Luia) or high-potential (Pearce-Paul) players though does not guarantee success. That comes down to the coaching and development skills of those in charge. Which, as CEO, is also the domain of Richardson and the Board.
