‘New signings’: Sheens says returning Tigers duo like fresh recruits
For all the excitement surrounding the arrival of Isaiah Papali’i, Api Koroisau and David Klemmer, Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens says you can’t under-estimate the importance of the club’s “other two signings”.
Tommy Talau and Shawn Blore missed all of last season because of injury, and Sheens can’t wait to welcome the return of the 22-year-old pair.
“They are great ‘signings’ for us - they didn’t play a game last season, and coming back from knee injuries is a real bonus,” Sheens told the Herald. “To say we missed them is an understatement.
“They’re two good characters, and I’m really looking forward to working with them. All things being equal you find a spot for both of them in your 17 if not your 13.”
There was so much hype surrounding Talau that he was used as one of the faces of an NRL campaign a few years ago, while Blore became an instant cult hero when he called out Parramatta’s Nathan Brown during his NRL debut during the 2020 season.
Blore, who ruptured his left anterior cruciate ligament while at Penrith before shifting to the Tigers, then ruptured his right ACL just a week before the trials this year. He dreaded making the phone call to his parents who ride the rugby league rollercoaster with him.
Tommy Talau and Shawn Blore are considered ‘new signings’ by coach Tim Sheens.Nick Moir/SMHnone
Talau ruptured his left ACL in the final round of 2021 - he also suffered a tear in his meniscus and bone fractures to the same knee - and spent the year getting to know Blore while in the rehabilitation group together.
The Tigers banked on their promise by offering the pair contract extensions - Blore until 2024, Talau until the end of 2023 - and the youngsters can not wait to repay the faith.
Back-rower Blore said: “Tim is right, we basically are new recruits when you think we haven’t played in 18 months.
“It’s been a rough couple of years. I’m unproven, I haven’t done anything in the league so far, and for the club to show me that faith and give me a contract extension, it’s really motivating, and I feel like I’ve got a debt to repay.
Shawn Blore has played just the 18 NRL games.Gettynone
“They’ve given me the best physios, the best treatment, we’ve got the best facility, I’m in the position to repay that faith, and all I honestly want to do is stay on the park and prove I am worth the contract.”
Blore has undergone extensive conditioning work and will rejoin the main group in the new year.
Talau, who played alongside incoming coach Benji Marshall, said he was also thankful to have his own deal stretched out, and wanted to make an immediate impact.
Sheens said he always liked players capable of playing more than one position, and viewed Blore as someone capable of handling the edge and middle, while Talau, who has spent most of the summer at right centre, was another edge option.
The Tigers return in the new year, with English international John Bateman likely to join them in time for Sheens’ second coming in charge.
They’ve both got something to offer and we are probably going to need them to be able to contribute something despite coming off the injuries. Fingers crossed for both of them.
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To be honest, I'm a bit more concerned about the apostrophe in "say's" than anything Sheenius would have us believe.
Plenty has been made about the recruits that can save the Wests Tigers after the club claimed its first wooden spoon in 2022, but a forgotten man who hasn’t played in nearly 18 months could be their secret weapon heading into the new season.
Shawn Blore is back on the training paddock a year after he suffered his second ACL injury when he was at the peak of his powers and seemingly ready to show why the Tigers had been so keen to lure him from Penrith.
“Last year was tough,” he said.
“I was the strongest and fittest (I had ever been) last season and it was really hard to go down the way I did.
“I thought I was going to do really good things last year, but it’s all done now and I can’t change anything about it. I’ve worked my a**e off to get back here and I’m feeling fit and strong again.”
Speaking at the club’s new centre of excellence a year to the day since he suffered the dreaded knee injury, Blore reflected on how far he’d come after he executed the same drill that ruptured his ACL a year earlier.
“It was actually today, one year ago when I did it,” the junior rep star said.
“I’ve come a long way. It’s all behind me now.
“It’s ironic because the way I did it was a cross-field kick, and when I went up for it I came down and twisted my knee.
“Today I had a cross-field kick come up and it got tapped back to me and I caught it and ended up scoring off it. That was kind of bittersweet and it gave me a lot of confidence.”
Blore explained the process of putting a graft in his knee, describing it as “cooking a baby ACL” using tissue from his hamstrings.
The 22-year-old is now back to his best and ready to repay the faith after the club extended his contract in September even though the former Panthers junior had suffered two serious knee injuries in the space of three years.
“The contract situation, the fact they showed love to me and my family (means) I am in debt to this club. I love them for that,” said Blore, who didn’t want to think about what would happen to him if playing was no longer an option.
“I’m unproven in the NRL, I’ve done nothing.
“They’ve thrown a kid a contract who has done two knees. I want to repay that by getting back on the field and putting the best foot forward and getting some results for the team.
“Up until this point in my career I had never felt the pressure of a contract. I had one year left (before the ACL) and I didn’t really know what was going to happen.
“When I got the phone call from my manager to say the Tigers wanted to re-sign me it was massive. I remember telling mum and dad. There was a feeling of relief because I’d been carrying so much weight on my shoulders and that was gone.”
The young cub can now focus on footy, with the Tigers set to play their first pre-season match in New Zealand next week.
It will be the first look at their new roster with big-name recruits David Klemmer, Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i on-board to strengthen a forward pack that was outmuscled last year.
“It’s really good for us young fellas to learn from those sorts of people,” Blore said, conceding the Tigers have been missing someone as aggressive as Klemmer.
“I like ‘Klemm’ because he’s a bit of a nutcase. The way he carries himself and the way he trains lifts our energy, you love playing next to someone like that.
“He’s going to hurt someone someday the way he runs, it’s so good to see and it’s a breath of fresh air to stand next to someone like that who’s going to give 110 per cent.”
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Love this kids attitude
