A question posed by Eddie on the latest Wests Tigers Podcast - have we improved as a team through the season? Check out the boys' comments here - https://weststigerspodcast.com.au/wests-tigers-podcast-post-panthers-loss-analysis/
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
I think the guys covered it pretty well in the pod but IMO the reason is very obvious.
The template for EVERY club is to spend the offseason Nov-March establishing primary combinations in the spine and second row. Plans, plays and systems are developed, taught and learned in these months and the platform is built for the entire season and once the season starts, no club has the time to learn new plays/plans/combinations and they are polishing and correcting the work they put in during the preseason.
The good clubs and the clubs that are improving are able to follow this blueprint. Tigers spent the entire preseason building plays/plans/systems revolving around Lachlan Galvin. He was clearly the focal point of all our plans and plays and was the focus in our early games. A third of the way through the season, all of that preparatory work was through in the bin and now the Tigers are trying to learn new systems and strategies on the run at the most critical part of the season whilst other clubs are polishing.
If you add to that Benji's seemingly instinctive reaction to just "try something" when things arent working and its clear why our spine combinations are not working.
The spine that we made our plans on in the preseason was Bula - Galvin - Luai - Api.
This spine played together 9 times for 5 wins and 4 losses, one of those losses was 2 points to Warriors. This is the spine that was supposed to carry this team for 2025 and everything that the preseason was built on. 5-4 was a great place to be at that stage of the season and what a successful season looks like.
After the debacle of losing Galvin, Benji has had to chop and change constantly but has stated a number of times that his spine going forward is Bula - Luai - Latu - Api. That spine has played exactly ZERO games this season. None.
Our halves partnership of Luai & Latu has only played 3 games together ever for 1 win - 2 losses (Warriors & Panthers). ill repeat what Ive said in the other thread, the ONLY hope for this club is to stick to a spine of Bula - Luai - Latu - Api and let them oil in that combination and then lock in the best players around them and fix these holes.
Maybe many of the players in the pack have now reached there peak and they can not get to the next level ..I do not think it’s about effort but if that is the case they have to be moved on or the team becomes stagnated , with a lot of these players what changes next season well nothing what your seeing is what your going to get !
@tiger5150 It’s the pack that’s the issue they just have not got the physicality to compete week in week out.. with Big M coming in thats a pretty formidable backline !
