Wests Tigers Podcast episode 0356

The Latu situation (sounds like a scene from Pulp Fiction) is interesting. I think the most likely scenario is that he & Tallyn will share the 14 role unless there are injuries of course. Tal might start at 14 but he’ll need to play Cup sometimes just to ensure he has the game fitness needed if called on to play 80 in the NRL. The same with Latu.

I agree with Declan, Api should be captain next year. He already has so much respect amongst the group & will be there the full preseason. I’d take kicking duties off him if we can find another goal kicker & Luai would obviously be doing most of the talking & organising with Api on the field. There’ll be less pressure on Api next season just by having Luai there. Also having watched some of the training sessions you can see Benji & Api have a strong relationship, always in discussion. Obviously all 3 of these guys will have that relationship next year & that will help Api. 

The way Richo is going about contracts it’s probably likely the next announcement will be a player that hasn’t been reported as even talking to the club.

at the game on Thursday I noticed our attacking shape has completely changed over the second half of the season. We have been guilty of playing way too flat and 4 out of 5 attacking plays in the red zone were just either settling hit ups or cross field crabbing. Now we are playing the the very deep backline where you have the players lining up in pairs and moving together at speed giving the ball players multiple options that really breaks down the defensive line. Very nice to see and the key reason why we are now regularly scoring 20/30+ points whereas last year and the start of the year we struggled to get 12/16 points. Another reason we have to give some credit to the coaches. Perhaps there has been a change in the attacking coaching structure since Farah was announced he wasn’t staying last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Morris hasn’t been more involved in attack the past couple of months 

I am thinking that the question mark over the longevity of Galvin's tenure at WT may well be answered when Luai arrives and buddies up with him like he has done with To'o. Once they have bonded it will be very difficult for Lachy to consider leaving. Another reason why paying overs for JL may pay dividends for WT. IMO of course.

Let's just assume that Heath Mason develops over the off season:

1. Mason

2. Taruva/Skelton

3. Bula

4. Olam

5. Lualilii/Staines

6. Galvin

7. Luai

9. Api 

13. Fainu

Worth getting excited about I reckon

Another obvious improvement through the season has been the kick/chase. Sezer held up after retrieving a kick rebound, Latu scored off a kick rebound, Fataape scored following up a kick. Then there are the many occasions that our backs chased a downfield kick and nailed the opposition player just as they received the ball to keep them in their 10m zone. Not something that was evident through the first half of the season.

Hi guys. ,

great pod , but I have some real issues with what you guys were saying around Bula , and a complete dismissal of how many tries he saves and his ability in defence . 
Everyone seemed to get lost in the Mason hype train and completely forgot how much wrist cutting used to go on prior to Bula in defence especially with Laurie . 
I think it’s absolutely  crazy to even put Mason in the same Breathe as Bula re. Fullback . 
Mason has all the attributes to be a star , but he’s really poor under the high ball , and really poor with recognised numbers around the ruck , which is what led to those tries at the start .
the criticism for the centre/winger about being stripped for numbers on a block play that started in the opposite corridor , is crazy to me . The ball would have traversed 2 out of the other 3 corridors before it even got to the centre and winger. 
If the numbers are wrong then there’s only the middles and fullback to blame for that . 

You could easily say Bula is the same , but I don’t think that’s true . His issue is voice projection because he’s so softly spoken . 

Posted by: @lestronge

↑

Hi guys. ,

great pod , but I have some real issues with what you guys were saying around Bula , and a complete dismissal of how many tries he saves and his ability in defence . 
Everyone seemed to get lost in the Mason hype train and completely forgot how much wrist cutting used to go on prior to Bula in defence especially with Laurie . 
I think it’s absolutely  crazy to even put Mason in the same Breathe as Bula re. Fullback . 
Mason has all the attributes to be a star , but he’s really poor under the high ball , and really poor with recognised numbers around the ruck , which is what led to those tries at the start .
the criticism for the centre/winger about being stripped for numbers on a block play that started in the opposite corridor , is crazy to me . The ball would have traversed 2 out of the other 3 corridors before it even got to the centre and winger. 
If the numbers are wrong then there’s only the middles and fullback to blame for that . 

You could easily say Bula is the same , but I don’t think that’s true . His issue is voice projection because he’s so softly spoken . 

I think missing the preseason is going to have a negative effect on Bula going into next season. I am a Bula fan and think he is the best fullback in the club, however he is probably more capable of playing another position than Mason is, so if you are going to play both then Bula would be playing somewhere else.

Great pod guys, a post victory pod is so much better.

However, tackling the big issues........

I cant beleive the two school teachers didnt pick Joel up on repeatedly saying potentiality. Potential is the word you are reaching for.

Posted by: @tiger5150

↑

Great pod guys, a post victory pod is so much better.

 

However, tackling the big issues........

I cant beleive the two school teachers didnt pick Joel up on repeatedly saying potentiality. Potential is the word you are reaching for.

??

Agree re Bula. I really like Mason but he's a mile off a genuine FG fullback at this stage. I think he projects more as a #14 longer term given his size and versatility. 

Bula is potentially a genuine star and is one of the first names on the team sheet. 

That said, him being out until Feb is a little concerning. Hopefully he can keep up the cardio and weights to some degree over the summer. He'll still have at least a month at full contact before the season starts. 

Posted by: @lestronge

↑

Hi guys. ,

great pod , but I have some real issues with what you guys were saying around Bula , and a complete dismissal of how many tries he saves and his ability in defence . 
Everyone seemed to get lost in the Mason hype train and completely forgot how much wrist cutting used to go on prior to Bula in defence especially with Laurie . 
I think it’s absolutely  crazy to even put Mason in the same Breathe as Bula re. Fullback . 
Mason has all the attributes to be a star , but he’s really poor under the high ball , and really poor with recognised numbers around the ruck , which is what led to those tries at the start .
the criticism for the centre/winger about being stripped for numbers on a block play that started in the opposite corridor , is crazy to me . The ball would have traversed 2 out of the other 3 corridors before it even got to the centre and winger. 
If the numbers are wrong then there’s only the middles and fullback to blame for that . 

You could easily say Bula is the same , but I don’t think that’s true . His issue is voice projection because he’s so softly spoken . 

I think the calls for Mason to replace Bula, even with the preseason disruption, are massively premature and flatly insane.

Yes Mason has potential, particularly as a runner but he has massive defensive deficiencies, particularly diffusing kicks. I think part of the issue is Mason is so limited due to his size that people are trying to shoehorn a player who is a good runner but limited into the squad but the simple fact is Bula is miles better as a fullback in so many ways, particularly in defence and diffusing kicks.

The other critical issue is Bula has been there for the best part of two seasons with a lot of fanfare. opposition teams have always had him on their tip sheets and consequently, first the early part of this season, Bula was a little more quiet, but he has developed as a player and at the back end of this season has forged that combination with Galvin and the backline and been a dangerous attacking weapon. Teams have not even started to work against Mason but they would and with his size it would be relatively straightforward.

@tiger5150 I agree . With luai and an offseason of Sam Fainu in the gym , the left edge should be really dynamic and scary especially on sweeping block plays . 
As for the other edge , I mean , if seyfarth continues to do a job and remains with this dynamism , that no one thought he had , he could claim that other edge . It sure would fix a lot of issues . Even simply with squad allocation and balance .