https://omny.fm/shows/wide-world-of-sports/tim-sheens-confident-tigers-are-ready-for-successf
Interestingly Tim confirmed that he is talking to Bateman.
If it’s a done deal maybe out of respect waiting for England to finish their WC campaign before any announcement.
Yeah it has that feeling about it. Funny how the Klemmer talk has gone as cold as ice.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
https://omny.fm/shows/wide-world-of-sports/tim-sheens-confident-tigers-are-ready-for-successf
Interestingly Tim confirmed that he is talking to Bateman.
If it’s a done deal maybe out of respect waiting for England to finish their WC campaign before any announcement.
Yeah it has that feeling about it. Funny how the Klemmer talk has gone as cold as ice.
Newcastle would still have to release Klemmer, and they want us to do the same for Brooks. I could see this getting caught up in that.
One of the last things Tim Sheens did before he was sacked by Wests Tigers a decade ago was convince a young Luke Brooks to commit to the club.
He never got the chance to work with him then, which is why Sheens is in no mood now to let him go to Newcastle.
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien had the chance on Friday to shoot down speculation about Brooks joining the Knights for the 2023 season, but instead added to the intrigue when he said: “I’m not too sure ... when the list is finalised, I’ll coach that list”.
Sheens, though, was unequivocal. “I want Luke here,” he told The Sun-Herald. “It’s not our intention to release him, and there’s been no request from Newcastle. It’s been talked and talked and talked about.
“He’s due to turn up here on November 14, and I’m looking forward to working with him. Benji [Marshall] and I are looking forward to getting our hands on him.
“Right at the moment, there’s been no movement from the Knights and we’re moving forward with him as our halfback.
“He still has his legs, he has speed, he’s brave, and if you needed to find someone to replace him, you wouldn’t find that [an] easy task either.
“The last thing I did at the Tigers was to convince him, Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco to sign here. They were our next spine at the time. I never got the chance to work with Brooksy then. I’m looking forward to working with him now next year.”
Brooks is due to report for pre-season training on Monday week and is free to officially strike a deal elsewhere for 2024, now he is entering the final year of his Tigers contract.
The Knights were convinced they had secured Brooks for the start of last season. The fact the move never eventuated arguably left the Hunter club scrambling.
Sheens will not open negotiations with Brooks or Doueihi until the new year, even if it leaves them exposed to the advances of rivals.
The 72-year-old was relieved Doueihi pulled through the World Cup campaign uninjured after Lebanon’s campaign ended against Australia early Saturday. He will not resume training until the new year.
Sheens’ two-year tenure in charge started on Wednesday, alongside his 2025 successor Marshall.
While Sheens refused to discuss the pending arrival of English enforcer John Bateman – “I’ll only talk about the guys we’ve already got and signed” – he labelled Api Koroisau “the best advertisement for the club”, and someone who was already on the ground talking to prospective players.
Only the most rusted-on Tigers fan would dare to dream about a premiership in 2023. A finals berth will be the goal, but September football looks a more likely target the following year.
Sheens pointed out the club not once fielded a full-strength side last year, which included the trials. They lost nine games by 10 points or less, he said, which included eight games by eight points or fewer. Tommy Talau and Shawn Blore did not feature at all because of injury.
One player who did report for day one of pre-season training was Randwick rugby captain Ben Houston, a No.6 in rugby who “is big and rangy and a front-row proposition”, Sheens said.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Rothfield reckons Woods is a good chance of coming home in 2023 for a final season.
Apparently a third party sponsor wants to see it happen.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Rothfield reckons Woods is a good chance of coming home in 2023 for a final season.
Apparently a third party sponsor wants to see it happen.
I’m going to get absolutely flamed for this but I’d rather Woods than Twal.
@avocadoontoast Agree …. Like Twal but he’s very one dimensional. Hope Sheens can encourage him to develop his game . Always hasps impression the under Madge, he was under instruction not to promote play and just hang on to the ball.
So yea…. know Woods did the wrong thing by the club and his career suffered as result. He lost a lot … chance to be one club player, long term captan, Fox gig etc. and threw it all away and it all went south. So he got what he deserved but for me …… forgive and forget and give him a chance to repay the club and fans with his sunset appearances. I’m not against it.
@avocadoontoast Agree …. Like Twal but he’s very one dimensional. Hope Sheens can encourage him to develop his game . Always hasps impression the under Madge, he was under instruction not to promote play and just hang on to the ball.
So yea…. know Woods did the wrong thing by the club and his career suffered as result. He lost a lot … chance to be one club player, long term captan, Fox gig etc. and threw it all away and it all went south. So he got what he deserved but for me …… forgive and forget and give him a chance to repay the club and fans with his sunset appearances. I’m not against it.
Agree with everything you you’ve written Momo.
@momo-amp-medo I have said previously under Maguire not one player improved there game many regressed … under Sheens and Benji hopefully this will change and there natural ability will shine through .
Bonjour Mr Avo.
Listen Very carefully I shall say zis only once.
Monsieur Wooods, was Capitan of dis Clubb. If he was in the French Foreign Legion, he would have been shot at dawn for what he did. As for Monsieur Twal, Loyal, Effort every game and he is not a Traitor.
Au revoir, The Frog
@avocadoontoast I’m all for attacking & Woods does have an offload in him but defensively they’re chalk & cheese. Woods missed 30+ tackles from the 350 or so he made, Twal missed 5 from the 380 he made. For a club which has a very poor defensive record it’s probably not the road we want to go down.
@avocadoontoast I’m all for attacking & Woods does have an offload in him but defensively they’re chalk & cheese. Woods missed 30+ tackles from the 350 or so he made, Twal missed 5 from the 380 he made. For a club which has a very poor defensive record it’s probably not the road we want to go down.
Mate, research before posting. Very impressive!! 😂👍
@avocadoontoast I’m all for attacking & Woods does have an offload in him but defensively they’re chalk & cheese. Woods missed 30+ tackles from the 350 or so he made, Twal missed 5 from the 380 he made. For a club which has a very poor defensive record it’s probably not the road we want to go down.
Twal is a great defender but to be a quality middle you also have to be good offensively. He has zero impact or ball playing ability. He doesn’t really suit Sheens style at all. He’s far too one dimensional.
Woods on the other hand is pretty productive and a good ball player. No slouch defensively either. I think he’d suit Sheens style of football far more.
Twal had 1 offload the entire 2022 season. For a coaching style that revolves around second phase play this does nothing but stifle the attack.
@avocadoontoast I’m all for attacking & Woods does have an offload in him but defensively they’re chalk & cheese. Woods missed 30+ tackles from the 350 or so he made, Twal missed 5 from the 380 he made. For a club which has a very poor defensive record it’s probably not the road we want to go down.
Twal is a great defender but to be a quality middle you also have to be good offensively. He has zero impact or ball playing ability. He doesn’t really suit Sheens style at all. He’s far too one dimensional.
Woods on the other hand is pretty productive and a good ball player. No slouch defensively either. I think he’d suit Sheens style of football far more.
Twal had 1 offload the entire 2022 season. For a coaching style that revolves around second phase play this does nothing but stifle the attack.
Are we talking 2014 Woods here?
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Its a no from me dawg on Woods.......unless on absolute minimum wage and he gets Klemmer over the line, then its a maybe.
Aaron Woods is reportedly set for a huge Tigers homecoming to link up with former teammate and incoming assistant coach Benji Marshall.
Marshall and Woods recently met on the Gold Coast according to The Daily Telegraph, and a third-party sponsor is reportedly willing to contribute to a potential deal.
The Dragons reportedly won’t block a potential move for the 31-year-old, who has played 252 NRL games.
The Tigers are also reportedly closing in on the signing of former Raider John Bateman, which leaves only two roster spots left in the merger club’s top 30.
While Woods would likely play off the bench and mentor the club’s younger forwards including Fonua Pole and Stefano Utoikamanu, Fox league’s Greg Alexander wasn’t convinced he is a good addition.
“Back with Benji, I don’t know if the signing of Aaron Woods makes the Tigers a better team, he will be backup,” Alexander said.
“They have got a handful of younger front rowers, Aaron Woods will add something but I think mostly he will be coming off the bench.
“Aaron Woods signing doesn’t spell the Tigers are going great, John Bateman is probably a key signing to get.”
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Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
