I feel like the lack of interest in promising halves coming to the tigers is related to how badly we have managed brooks. He is the poster boy for mismanaged talent. Hopefully we can change that perception but without success on the field it seems we are stuck with journeymen or reserve graders
As much as I think Brooks deserves a change to succeed at Manly it would be the worst thing for us because it will give people the opportunity to say The Tigers are the problem
I feel like the lack of interest in promising halves coming to the tigers is related to how badly we have managed brooks. He is the poster boy for mismanaged talent. Hopefully we can change that perception but without success on the field it seems we are stuck with journeymen or reserve graders
As much as I think Brooks deserves a change to succeed at Manly it would be the worst thing for us because it will give people the opportunity to say The Tigers are the problem
because maybe we are?
It’s fair criticism. The Tigers were the problem in Brooks development. We screwed him over endlessly with changes in coach and playing styles required.I feel like the lack of interest in promising halves coming to the tigers is related to how badly we have managed brooks. He is the poster boy for mismanaged talent. Hopefully we can change that perception but without success on the field it seems we are stuck with journeymen or reserve graders
As much as I think Brooks deserves a change to succeed at Manly it would be the worst thing for us because it will give people the opportunity to say The Tigers are the problem
I would accept such criticism because it’s true.
@mike If Brooks had started his career at a club like Melbourne or the Roosters he would have definitely been a representative player. I feel sorry for him that his career was essentially ruined by a long line of idiots both in the clubs leadership and coaching staff. I genuinely hope he succeeds at Manly and will be cheering him on when he plays. He made the right move to leave. I don't know how anyone would join (or stay at) the Tigers unless there were no other alternatives. We have the worst CEO and Chairman in Australian professional sports, a coach/future coach that hate the recruitment manager and a long line of consistent failure, infighting and idiocy.
Everyone thought the COE would have a positive impact but the new building can't hide the rotting stench of this club. Until Pascoe and Lee are gone there will never be improvement. They're the gangrenous limb that needs removing before there's nothing left to save.
Rumblings of unrest between Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Scott Fulton
How on earth does a club with such a proven track record for failure on the field expect success without trust, writes Paul Crawley.
Paul Crawley
You have to hand it to Wests Tigers. While they struggle to win footy games, they sure know how to win a headline for all the wrong reasons.
And as certain as night follows day, the next crisis only ever seems the next board meeting away.
But how on earth does a club with such a proven track record for failure on the field expect success without trust, given how they have so shabbily treated Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall in recent times?
This of course relates to this week’s revelations that all remains not well in Tiger Town in the aftermath of Luke Brooks’ exit after signing a four-year deal to join Manly.
It’s been almost two months since Scott Fulton was appointed as the new head of recruitment without any consultation with the head coach or coach-in-waiting.
You’d think after that period things would be starting to work themselves out.
Well, they haven‘t.
Yes, they all talk, but it is hardly a match made in heaven.
Sheens is trying to maintain a positive attitude for the players, while Marshall is said to remain so pissed off that he has had moments when he was seriously considering his future at the club.
But in the fair dinkum department, how would any coach worth his salt react to their club treating them with such utter contempt?
Here we have a club that has not made the finals for the past 11 seasons – and is now fighting to avoid another wooden spoon with the Tigers sitting equal last on the NRL ladder – and just like clockwork a new drama emerges.
Chairman Lee Hagipantelis did the old ‘nothing to see here’ smother over the weekend when he tried to make out the talk of Marshall being ready to walk was all nonsense.
He labelled it “absolutely ridiculous” that either Marshall or Fulton “are going anywhere”.
Hagipantelis also called it nothing more than “healthy and robust” discussion that “is to be encouraged”.
Yet while the chairman would have you blissfully believe it is all blue skies ahead, this goes beyond Marshall and even Sheens who have had their noses put out of joint.
Understandably, no one talks publicly.
But rest assured, this is a ticking time bomb that could still explode at any minute.
And the sad reality is it could have been so easily avoided if anyone had bothered bringing Sheens and Marshall into the conversation when the club first identified Fulton as the man to take over as the recruitment chief.
SIMMERING BAD BLOOD
No doubt Sheens would not have been happy given his long term ally Warren McDonnell was the former recruitment boss who has since departed.
But surely it would have been better to work with Sheens on this rather than leave him and Marshall completely out of the loop, because all that has done is create more bad blood.
Sheens is a proud man who should be treated with the respect he has earned as the game’s second most capped coach in history, who has won four premierships and was brought back from England as coaching director because the club was in such dire need of an injection of some footy IQ.
But then they go and publicly humiliate him like they have.
Sheens would be within his rights to at least consider if it wasn’t an intentional strike to push him out the door a year before his head coaching contract was up.
Not that you can blame Fulton for how it unfolded, because the club brought him in, not the other way around.
By all reports Fulton is good at his job, and many believe he could really be an asset as the club looks to build a stronger roster given his connections within the game, and especially with his history of identifying talent at Manly.
But how could Fulton expect to win immediate trust when Sheens and Marshall have had theirs broken by the same men who enlisted Fulton’s services without their knowledge?
What makes it especially disappointing is that once again the drama comes at a time when some green shoots were starting to spring to life in respect to emerging talents like Jahream Bula and Starford To’a rising at the troubled club.
Yet now they have been left without an experienced playmaker for next season with Brooks gone, while Josh Schuster has re-signed with Manly, and Adam Doueihi is recovering from his third ACL knee injury and likely to miss a large chunk of next season.
Like they say, sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for.
For years Brooks had to wear the wrath for the Tigers’ struggles given his role as the star playmaker.
Yet his exit leaves the cupboard pretty bare when it comes to finding a replacement.
There are simply no experienced halves coming off contract, and who are they going to pick up for the reported cut price $660,000-a-season deal Brooks pocketed to go to Manly?
Marshall and Sheens both wanted to keep Brooks, and have been criticised for previously missing out on the likes of Mitchell Moses and Cameron Munster.
But it will be interesting to see who Fulton lands given Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins as of Tuesday had not given up on their pursuit of Manly young gun Latu Fainu, despite reports this week that the 18-year-old was to be part of a swap deal with Tommy Talau.
WILL BENJI WALK?
You think back over the years to coaches like Michael Potter, Jason Taylor, Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire who have all come and gone.
Yet the same problems remain.
You can only shake your head.
Let’s not forget it was only this time last year Marshall was handed a five-year deal that will see him take over as head coach for three seasons from beyond 2024.
Some have suggested that because Marshall is a rookie coach he would be better served keeping his focus on coaching and allow Fulton to do his job.
In a perfect world, that would be sound advice.
But that is not how people operate when they have been treated with the disrespect Sheens and Marshall have been shown here.
As previously pointed out, any coach worth his salt would be understandably upset, if not furious.
Those who know Benji think quitting would be his last resort.
But in saying that, they feel certain that there is an obvious power struggle that continues and it should not be underestimated.
Because if Marshall walks it could set the club back years.
After all, what other coach with any hint of credibility or self-respect would be willing to take over this hornet’s nest if this is how club legends are treated?
@avocadoontoast thanks for sharing.
I can see the intention behind signing Scott Fulton. Sheens and McDonnell have struck out big time in failing to land a target after chasing Munster, Moses, Johnson & Pearce which is precisely the reason we have no halves for 2024.
I think the decision should have been communicated to Benji and Sheens in advance.
I wonder what sort of relationship Benji and Mario Tartak have noting that Tartak used to be Benji's manager but is not now. Why did that relationship end?
To defend Sheens and McDonnell a little bit, they did manage to sign Bateman, Api, Papali'i and Klemmer who I think have been fantastic recruits. Yep they didn't get Moses or Munster but they were long shots, Johnson wants to stay in NZ. It seems like we brought in Fulton to go after Manly players, and to date, it's been a total failure. It's also provided unrest in the coaching ranks.@avocadoontoast thanks for sharing.
I can see the intention behind signing Scott Fulton. Sheens and McDonnell have struck out big time in failing to land a target after chasing Munster, Moses, Johnson & Pearce which is precisely the reason we have no halves for 2024.
I think the decision should have been communicated to Benji and Sheens in advance.
I wonder what sort of relationship Benji and Mario Tartak have noting that Tartak used to be Benji's manager but is not now. Why did that relationship end?
Mr Creepy Crawley at it again doing his level best to destabilise and create a furore around Wests Tigers.This guy dines out on negativity,innuendo and muck-raking.He was at the coal face during our troubles with Madge going in hard with the hobnail boots and blaring forth about the greatest basket-case that is the WTs.He ripped hard on the Centre of Excellence cockup and has attacked,ridiculed and laughed at all and sundry on and off the field.
You’ll notice that his article is nothing more than a hatchet job à la mode FOX/Murdoch.No quotation marks,nothing from the horse’s mouth,just the same cowardly,repetitive and unaccountable guff that the likes of Buzz,Kenty and Hoops have perfected over the years.Please flush!!
I feel like the lack of interest in promising halves coming to the tigers is related to how badly we have managed brooks. He is the poster boy for mismanaged talent. Hopefully we can change that perception but without success on the field it seems we are stuck with journeymen or reserve graders
As much as I think Brooks deserves a change to succeed at Manly it would be the worst thing for us because it will give people the opportunity to say The Tigers are the problem
I think you will find we are the problem
he will go well at Manly and I hate them but they have some weapons, DCE, Schuster, Garrick, Koula, turbo bros. DCE is the big one for him it will take all the pressure off him
He's 100% right though.Mr Creepy Crawley at it again doing his level best to destabilise and create a furore around Wests Tigers.This guy dines out on negativity,innuendo and muck-raking.He was at the coal face during our troubles with Madge going in hard with the hobnail boots and blaring forth about the greatest basket-case that is the WTs.He ripped hard on the Centre of Excellence cockup and has attacked,ridiculed and laughed at all and sundry on and off the field.
You’ll notice that his article is nothing more than a hatchet job à la mode FOX/Murdoch.No quotation marks,nothing from the horse’s mouth,just the same cowardly,repetitive and unaccountable guff that the likes of Buzz,Kenty and Hoops have perfected over the years.Please flush!!
we need better at 7 than TMM from warriors, volkman yes Sam walker yes Toby Sexton from Titans yes, trindall yes
what we don't need is makeshift 7's like TMM, Taafe if we sign Fainu
we need better at 7 than TMM from warriors, volkman yes Sam walker yes Toby Sexton from Titans yes, trindall yes
what we don't need is makeshift 7's like TMM, Taafe if we sign Fainu
Yep I agree. TMM is gettable but he's not what we need. I'd be offering Walker whatever it takes to get him on board, and offering him a long contract.
Mr Creepy Crawley at it again doing his level best to destabilise and create a furore around Wests Tigers.This guy dines out on negativity,innuendo and muck-raking.He was at the coal face during our troubles with Madge going in hard with the hobnail boots and blaring forth about the greatest basket-case that is the WTs.He ripped hard on the Centre of Excellence cockup and has attacked,ridiculed and laughed at all and sundry on and off the field.
You’ll notice that his article is nothing more than a hatchet job à la mode FOX/Murdoch.No quotation marks,nothing from the horse’s mouth,just the same cowardly,repetitive and unaccountable guff that the likes of Buzz,Kenty and Hoops have perfected over the years.Please flush!!
I agree with everything you have said TS, but it is also true that the Tigers have handed the media the hatchet to bash us with. The way Fulton was appointed was ridiculous and will be ridiculed. The way that Pascoe & Lee treated Sheens and Benji was terrible and can only be justified with significant successful recruitment of quality personnel, which to date has not happened, exactly the opposite.
I am strongly of the opinion that if Fulton does not deliver Fainu (at a minimum) on a plate to the Tigers, then Fulton, Pascoe & Lee should be shown the door.
It is one thing to correctly say that the media "has it in for us" which is true, but it is an entirely other thing for Pascoe & Lee to prove them right.
I feel like the lack of interest in promising halves coming to the tigers is related to how badly we have managed brooks. He is the poster boy for mismanaged talent. Hopefully we can change that perception but without success on the field it seems we are stuck with journeymen or reserve graders
As much as I think Brooks deserves a change to succeed at Manly it would be the worst thing for us because it will give people the opportunity to say The Tigers are the problem
i like Brooks and I actually wish him success but IMO unless he learns some new tricks at 29yo like a reliable passing and kicking game, I actually think his best years are behind him. We have all heard ad nauseum that he is a running half and his game is built on speed, well you dont get faster from 29yo, particularly coming off a long hamstring break and a calf tear.
He's 100% right though.Mr Creepy Crawley at it again doing his level best to destabilise and create a furore around Wests Tigers.This guy dines out on negativity,innuendo and muck-raking.He was at the coal face during our troubles with Madge going in hard with the hobnail boots and blaring forth about the greatest basket-case that is the WTs.He ripped hard on the Centre of Excellence cockup and has attacked,ridiculed and laughed at all and sundry on and off the field.
You’ll notice that his article is nothing more than a hatchet job à la mode FOX/Murdoch.No quotation marks,nothing from the horse’s mouth,just the same cowardly,repetitive and unaccountable guff that the likes of Buzz,Kenty and Hoops have perfected over the years.Please flush!!
No he's not. He's 95% speculative.
Nobody at Tigers has said anything about a rift and he's assuming to be upset on behalf of some Tigers staff. Don't you find it weird that he starts the article outlining how consistently Tigers lack success, then starts to assume to be upset on behalf of people directly involved in that lack of success?
It's all well and good to point the finger at Lee and Pascoe, but you also need to share some finger-pointing for Sheens, who has overseen both directly and indirectly two diabolical seasons that could well end up in 2 wooden spoons. So it may in fact be that bringing in Fulton, by any mechanism, is a good move. It may be that consulting Sheens first would have resulted in politicking or a blocking play and Fulton may have been missed out.
For all the talk of failing to get deals done, funnily enough, the signing of Scott Fulton was done very quickly and decisively. Isn't that what fans have been asking for?
