Mole:
Several players under contract for 2024, including injury-plagued utility Adam Doueihi are likely to be told they can shop around for new clubs.
Doueihi suffered yet another ACL injury recently and may miss the entire 2024 season.
The Tigers' management realises changes need to be made, with Fulton set to start his recruitment soon by signing Manly's talented young Fainu brothers on a package deal.
Either way we'll be paying AD next year. But probably a good thing to let him know to look around now, than string him along. I wonder who the others are? There are 14 players who finish up after 2014...
Among them these players would seem likely?
AD
Tumeth
Rua
Blore
Reilly
Anyway, promising news about the Fainu brothers, we know the Mole is not the best source, but it is a positive at this point.
@barra why would Tumeth be moved on? He’s just a kid with huge talent .
Blore just needs to move to lock and be done with it . He’s still an asset .
Reilly is a failed experiment , much like Junior Tupou who was a success . They gave it a go it didn’t work. 1 from 2 isn’t that bad a strike rate though. You’d take that for sure .
@lestronge Tupou has been bog average most part of the season TBH! Reilly who knows has not been given a go as yet .
Pascoe’s COE if you build it they will come malarkey……………………………………………………………………🦗……..🦗……..🦗………………………..🦗……………..🦗……………………🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗.
@hsvjones Couldn’t agree more HSV.Wherever we find ourselves,the fact is Fulton is here,and here to perform a function.Whatever the unsavoury politics and power plays,he needs to be afforded time to execute his role.It’s just plain ludicrous to think after a few weeks he’s going to transform the joint.He needs at least the off-season to effect change and even then it would probably be premature to be casting major judgement.I know that patience from a Wests Tigers perspective has worn a little thin,but Rome wasn’t built in a day and if we cast our minds back a few weeks there was plenty of optimism.I still believe there is a lot to be hopeful about with this squad.The gulf between success and failure isn’t necessarily large and the loss of Api and Brooks,and the Joffa ousting gives this argument more than a little credibility.
Pascoe’s COE if you build it they will come malarkey……………………………………………………………………🦗……..🦗……..🦗………………………..🦗……………..🦗……………………🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗🦗.
So true. Again, all smoke and mirrors that distracts us from the real issues.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
I believe that’s very harsh Snake and while his last couple of games haven’t been memorable,I certainly wouldn’t be dismissive of him.He’d be at the top of my list for contract upgrade/retention.I think your bog average statement is way out of kilter.@lestronge Tupou has been bog average most part of the season TBH! Reilly who knows has not been given a go as yet .
@tiger-symmetry -100%. There’s one of two things that’s very tigers in fandom and in the general running of the club .
They give up on kids who clearly ha be it , because they’re raw , or they cling to people way too long .
Tupou will play origin one day . He has errors in his game , that he will need to work on to get to that next level .
to say he’s not good is hyperbole I get frustrated about .
It’s the same intellectually dishonest conversations that happened around brooks .
Like I said hyperbole, or even like a messed up tribalism type thing .
Irs black and white . He’s either good or he’s shit .
Give the kid time . And also understand he’s going to mess up both now , but also even when he’s a really good footy player and has reached his potential .
It is the nature of things . And the way some people are hyper critical of everything isn’t healthy at all
@barra why would Tumeth be moved on? He’s just a kid with huge talent .
Blore just needs to move to lock and be done with it . He’s still an asset .
Reilly is a failed experiment , much like Junior Tupou who was a success . They gave it a go it didn’t work. 1 from 2 isn’t that bad a strike rate though. You’d take that for sure .
I'm just looking at who seems to be in favour and who isn't due to game time or lack thereof.
FWIW I do agree with you about Tumeth and Blore but who knows what the coaching/recruitment think? Unfortunately, I think that Blore not getting game time is a real indicator and Tumeth has barely improved all year going by other reports.
I believe that’s very harsh Snake and while his last couple of games haven’t been memorable,I certainly wouldn’t be dismissive of him.He’d be at the top of my list for contract upgrade/retention.I think your bog average statement is way out of kilter.@lestronge Tupou has been bog average most part of the season TBH! Reilly who knows has not been given a go as yet .
I am a fan of both Tupou and Kepoa. They both started the season so well it was a good insight to what they can offer. Unfortunately both have dropped off a bit lately... because they are young perhaps, or some other factor? They haven't lost the talent which was on display in early rounds.
@hsvjones Couldn’t agree more HSV.Wherever we find ourselves,the fact is Fulton is here,and here to perform a function.Whatever the unsavoury politics and power plays,he needs to be afforded time to execute his role.It’s just plain ludicrous to think after a few weeks he’s going to transform the joint.He needs at least the off-season to effect change and even then it would probably be premature to be casting major judgement.I know that patience from a Wests Tigers perspective has worn a little thin,but Rome wasn’t built in a day and if we cast our minds back a few weeks there was plenty of optimism.I still believe there is a lot to be hopeful about with this squad.The gulf between success and failure isn’t necessarily large and the loss of Api and Brooks,and the Joffa ousting gives this argument more than a little credibility.
With total respect @hsvjones this is incorrect IMO and this is the whole problem. We do not have time to give Fulton or the club to perform that function and this is not "fans patience worn thin" its a statement of objective fact. You are correct that there is a lot to be hopeful with this squad and that is critical. It means we have a short window where actual improvement and turning it around is possible. The club MUST make the changes during the short window of opportunity. You state yourself that Fulton will need the off season at least and then it would be premature, well that mean that next season isnt a turn around. Next year is almost certainly our last year with Api who is so critical in turning this club around. By saying the club has into next year to get their act together with attracting quality means we have completely wasted our time with Api. We will possibly have spent our whole time with Api picking up spoons. We need at least a year of being competitive with Api.
I dont disagree with your opinion that its "ludicrous" to expect Fulton to move quickly, which is the whole point IMO. Why the hell is the club disrupting the system like this, at this time and probably setting the whole damn club back another 2 years?
TLDR: We dont have time because our brief window of opportunity to turn this club around is closing very fast.....and fans, members, sponsors aren't going to hang around much longer to feed this club into the future.
@lestronge respectfully disagree with you regarding Tumeth. I'd compare him to Brendan Santi from a few years ago.
My personal view is that the majority of NRL forwards these days are 190cm +. There are some exceptions - Cam Murray, Rueben Cotter & maybe Angus Crichton come to mind.
If you are not 6'3' and above you need a hell of a lot of talent and / or luck to make it as a forward. Every time you watch reggies before NRL you can tell that there is a difference in size among the players at each level.
I'd make the same point about some of the other Magpie forwards coming through. That Chris bloke who debuted in NSW Cup last week was that tall either.
Just my 2 cents
I believe that’s very harsh Snake and while his last couple of games haven’t been memorable,I certainly wouldn’t be dismissive of him.He’d be at the top of my list for contract upgrade/retention.I think your bog average statement is way out of kilter.@lestronge Tupou has been bog average most part of the season TBH! Reilly who knows has not been given a go as yet .
I am a fan of both Tupou and Kepoa. They both started the season so well it was a good insight to what they can offer. Unfortunately both have dropped off a bit lately... because they are young perhaps, or some other factor? They haven't lost the talent which was on display in early rounds.
On the James Graham podcast Sheens was very proud of the fact that he'd moved AJ to edge forward which I found interesting. I would have preferred to him see him get a consistent run at NRL level at left centre first, before being moved.
I fear for him on the wing this week. He's sure to drop a bomb or two given he's hand handling issues in the past.
I believe that’s very harsh Snake and while his last couple of games haven’t been memorable,I certainly wouldn’t be dismissive of him.He’d be at the top of my list for contract upgrade/retention.I think your bog average statement is way out of kilter.@lestronge Tupou has been bog average most part of the season TBH! Reilly who knows has not been given a go as yet .
I am a fan of both Tupou and Kepoa. They both started the season so well it was a good insight to what they can offer. Unfortunately both have dropped off a bit lately... because they are young perhaps, or some other factor? They haven't lost the talent which was on display in early rounds.
On the James Graham podcast Sheens was very proud of the fact that he'd moved AJ to edge forward which I found interesting. I would have preferred to him see him get a consistent run at NRL level at left centre first, before being moved.
I fear for him on the wing this week. He's sure to drop a bomb or two given he's hand handling issues in the past.
Agree with you and would add that IMO he is simply a better centre than TT.
Joel caine went in depth re WT recruitment on SEN this afternoon
https://www.sen.com.au/podcasts/ look under drive with Joel and fletch
Made some really good points. He said
- when he was at the club they would sign name players that didnt lift the standards in training despite having big reputations
- this type of recruitment has become the norm at WT ever since
- exceptions being when the club signed the likes of Gareth Ellis and Heighno who were 'tide risers' and helped left the standards at training. Club had success during those Ellis years.
- modern day equivalent is Scott Sorenson. WT need blokes of his kind (not specifically him / in his position)
- club needs to avoid blokes with poor reputations like Schuster and Lomax
Its a great listen. I can't think of anyone in the current game who is off contract with these traits but hope we can find some!
