Speaker 1: West Tigers Podcast, episode number four hundred and six, joined
Speaker 1: by Gary and Jordan. Tonight. You've been a regular. When
Speaker 1: I say regular, Jordan, you've been a regular guest the
Speaker 1: past couple of years. So thank you for stepping up
Speaker 1: and taking the ball and running it forward tonight. We're
Speaker 1: a bit like the West Tigers. We're sort of running
Speaker 1: it low on troops. Few injuries and excuses for some
Speaker 1: of the boys, So thank you for coming on.
Speaker 2: Oh is made happy to be here. I'm happy to
Speaker 2: jump up from New South Wales Cup or ron Massy
Speaker 2: Cup wherever I get pulled from.
Speaker 1: And I was going to ask you one of Richo's clients,
Speaker 1: because that seems to be away the first grade side
Speaker 1: of you with Richose Sports or whatever it's called.
Speaker 2: I've got an NDA on that I can't really talk about.
Speaker 1: It, Okay, fair enough, So midweek pod we get a talk. Obviously,
Speaker 1: the game against Penrith on Sunday afternoon you got his
Speaker 1: quiz will be a little bit of pie cell hole.
Speaker 1: But before that I've asked the boys, because Gary, I
Speaker 1: am seen as you missed the negative. I've decided the
Speaker 1: first fifteen minutes tonight they're going to be all positive.
Speaker 1: So for the people that don't like positives, you can
Speaker 1: log back on and listen after the fifteen minute mark
Speaker 1: where it might change tack. But I've asked the boys
Speaker 1: what are the three biggest positives since this time last
Speaker 1: year as a club. So you could just give me
Speaker 1: one of the time boys, and if we repeat each other,
Speaker 1: we can skip over them. But Jordan, I'll start with you,
Speaker 1: what's one of your biggest three?
Speaker 2: That we have more wins than probably the entirety of
Speaker 2: last season. I think that's a big positive. We've definitely
Speaker 2: looked more competitive. Yeah, there's been a couple of games
Speaker 2: we looked a bit off, but I only got to
Speaker 2: watch the Cowboys game yesterday through replay, and I saw
Speaker 2: I was monitoring the score was at a family event.
Speaker 2: But I think the second half played really well. I
Speaker 2: thought there were some really positive positive aspects to that game.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I'd say the more wins and that we've
Speaker 2: been a lot more competitive is probably as the biggest positive.
Speaker 1: Gary one of yours.
Speaker 3: I'm going to go for the new players that we
Speaker 3: have brought into the club. A couple of them have
Speaker 3: had a couple of poor weeks, but guys like Taruva,
Speaker 3: Terrell may Skelton when he's managed to get on the
Speaker 3: field and he's back this weekend. I think they've been
Speaker 3: massive contributors to us. I think there's more change needed,
Speaker 3: but the new players that have come into the club
Speaker 3: over the past twelve months have has started to make
Speaker 3: a big difference.
Speaker 1: Just to tack on to Jordan's point that was one
Speaker 1: of mine. It's undeniably a more competitive team. So it's
Speaker 1: gone from two wins at this point last year, from
Speaker 1: twelve games to five, and even of those seven losses,
Speaker 1: I'd argue this five than we could have won. You know,
Speaker 1: the Newcastle game Round one, we led eight mill at halftime,
Speaker 1: lost by two. The Warriors game we led with five
Speaker 1: minutes to go and got beat by two. Paramounta game
Speaker 1: we did lose by sixteen, but I think we were
Speaker 1: on the attack with five minutes to go, down by four,
Speaker 1: with all the momentum in that game. Sea House game,
Speaker 1: we dropped the ball over the line which would have
Speaker 1: won us the game. And the Cowboys game, obviously we
Speaker 1: won twenty eight to six with thirteen on thirteen, but
Speaker 1: it means nothing, Jordan. If unfortunately we had two men
Speaker 1: in the sinbin. Any other positives you've got from twelve
Speaker 1: months ago.
Speaker 2: Well, probably actually the lack of symbins we've had. I
Speaker 2: think those two sinbins on the weekend were unfortunate, but
Speaker 2: compared to last season as well, I think the minimal
Speaker 2: amount of sinbins we've had in comparisons are positive. We
Speaker 2: should be probably experts playing with twelve players on the field.
Speaker 2: But yeah, the sinbins and some disciplines picked up. There
Speaker 2: are a couple of players that still really need to
Speaker 2: fix up their discipline and sort out a few issues
Speaker 2: there just giving away silly penalties or restarts at the
Speaker 2: wrong time. But I think discipline and the sinbinning fiasco
Speaker 2: from last season has definitely subsided for this year.
Speaker 1: One of mine, Gary, was probably along your lines. It
Speaker 1: was the big signings actually playing good football at the club.
Speaker 1: We've probably only had happy in the past who could
Speaker 1: be in that category, and I think we've got three
Speaker 1: guys this year, especially Terrell May and Taruva. I think
Speaker 1: they've been nine out of tens and Lewi's probably been
Speaker 1: a seven. I think for what he's brought more so
Speaker 1: probably off the field than on the field at this
Speaker 1: present stage, but very early days in his tenure.
Speaker 3: What else have you got for me on the positive side, Yeah,
Speaker 3: it's really going to tie into that off field aspect
Speaker 3: you were talking about, and I think the culture at
Speaker 3: the club, while still a work in progress, I think
Speaker 3: is much improved from what we've seen before. The fighting
Speaker 3: the team that's come from that is much better than
Speaker 3: what we're seen before. Outside of that Melbourne Storm game that.
Speaker 4: Was just diabolical.
Speaker 3: Even last weekend, they didn't give up. They fought back
Speaker 3: into that game last week. I know the Cowboys took
Speaker 3: their foot off the pace a little bit, took their
Speaker 3: foot off the pedal and that's when we stormed back
Speaker 3: into the game. But there's fight in this team, and
Speaker 3: I do believe that there's an improvement in standards across
Speaker 3: the clubs starting to build as well, and that's through
Speaker 3: that leadership and those new players coming into the side.
Speaker 3: So I think there's been an improvement in our Culture's
Speaker 3: still a way to go, but that is on the
Speaker 3: improve for me.
Speaker 1: Any others for you, Jordan, either on field or off
Speaker 1: field positives?
Speaker 2: I think, apart from obviously the Galvin saga, I think
Speaker 2: the lack of stuff coming out of the club, the rumors,
Speaker 2: the talk, the media beat up. The Galvin situation was
Speaker 2: more probably external and management and his manager. But I
Speaker 2: think it has been a lot less drama field. We're
Speaker 2: not really in the headlines every other week and there's
Speaker 2: not a lot coming out of the club. Although it
Speaker 2: would be nice to actually hear about or see some
Speaker 2: of these signings that we were kind of teased with
Speaker 2: a few over a month ago now by Richal on
Speaker 2: one of the pods, So it'd be actually nice to
Speaker 2: see some of those signings because we need troops, and
Speaker 2: we even need troops for this year because we're scrape
Speaker 2: and the bottom of the barrel for the forward stocks
Speaker 2: at the moment.
Speaker 1: That was sort of my final big positive Gary. I
Speaker 1: know it's been a bit of a sort of slow
Speaker 1: burn with churning through I guess the upper management of
Speaker 1: the club, But do you feel like it's heading in
Speaker 1: the right direction, even if you put aside in our
Speaker 1: recent losses.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that for me is my third one. It's the
Speaker 4: off field.
Speaker 3: I think the club is in a better position now
Speaker 3: than it was twelve months ago, and a lot of
Speaker 3: that's on field, a lot of that's off field. I
Speaker 3: think Richro's starting to have an effect throughout the club.
Speaker 3: I don't think Richo's had the best past month, but
Speaker 3: I think the club is still on that upward kind
Speaker 3: of direction, and hopefully that continues over the rest of
Speaker 3: the season.
Speaker 1: Obviously with the new independent board and Richo's been there
Speaker 1: now for over twelve months, probably eight eight months. He's
Speaker 1: been there, Jordan, do you still maintain the same sort
Speaker 1: of faith you have in him or does he need
Speaker 1: a little bit more help inside that building.
Speaker 2: I still maintain the faith. I believe he is probably
Speaker 2: the best operator and the operator we need. He's definitely
Speaker 2: putting the club in the right direction. Commercially, he's trying
Speaker 2: to build the football team. You know, he's plugged a
Speaker 2: lot of leaks. He's probably got a lot of weight
Speaker 2: to throw around in that thing. I think he just
Speaker 2: doesn't understand part of especially with Tigers fans and always
Speaker 2: wanting positive news. Maybe just be a bit more tight
Speaker 2: lipped in relation to signings or if there's going to
Speaker 2: be announcements, or don't put a time frame on it,
Speaker 2: because everyone sat there on tenderhooks for two three weeks
Speaker 2: and we're still waiting.
Speaker 4: Everyone set the calendar alerts for three weeks time.
Speaker 1: I as hours and minutes and days. I think it's
Speaker 1: been forty three days Gary since he went on that podcast.
Speaker 1: But you said that was probably one of his only
Speaker 1: big mistakes he's made, you reckon.
Speaker 4: I think it needs to be more aware of.
Speaker 3: Jordan said of the scar tissue that this fan base has,
Speaker 3: and the fan base myself included, is hanging out for
Speaker 3: positive news constantly.
Speaker 1: Around the context he did say it was on James
Speaker 1: Graham's podcast, it was two days after the Paramatta game,
Speaker 1: which is basically six weeks ago, about forty two forty
Speaker 1: three days ago. He did say, I'm paraphrasing, there'll be
Speaker 1: two or three new signings in the next few weeks,
Speaker 1: so who knows. I don't think he was referring to
Speaker 1: the women's team or State Cup contract.
Speaker 4: Definitely not marry.
Speaker 1: But do you think one or two of them might
Speaker 1: have fallen through or haven't come to fruition or do
Speaker 1: you still think that's cooking.
Speaker 3: I know, I think there's lots going on in the background.
Speaker 3: I'm guessing at the moment we're kind of like the
Speaker 3: duck with its feet underwater. Looks all calm on top,
Speaker 3: but I'm sure there's a lot going on in the background,
Speaker 3: and I'm sure I think that the the Pierce Paul
Speaker 3: rumor has been around for a while now, and I
Speaker 3: would have to think that one is probably fairly close
Speaker 3: to being done. So I'm sure there's a couple of
Speaker 3: others that the club is talking to and hopefully they
Speaker 3: come through as well, and over the next couple of
Speaker 3: weeks we get those announcements of some players, hopefully a
Speaker 3: couple for this year, but definitely some for next year.
Speaker 4: I think it's really important.
Speaker 1: Just last one on Richo for now, Jordan, do you
Speaker 1: think you know, if he's to be here, hopefully for
Speaker 1: another three or four years, that he should be on
Speaker 1: in the role of sort of looking after memberships and
Speaker 1: stadiums or do you think this combination of him and
Speaker 1: Benji without a recruitment off saw without a general manager
Speaker 1: of football. I know Matt Betsy's in that sort of
Speaker 1: interim role. Do you think that's enough inside the club
Speaker 1: or do you think they need a general manager of
Speaker 1: football or another football he'd head in there to keep
Speaker 1: the momentum going.
Speaker 2: I guess it depends on the dynamic. Like some clubs,
Speaker 2: you want a CEO to focus on the commercial side,
Speaker 2: the membership side and everything, and you want that football
Speaker 2: manager for recruitment. But I guess at the same time
Speaker 2: we had that before, and it's more of a case
Speaker 2: of is it you know, too many cooks, you got
Speaker 2: too many people, you know, we try to bring in
Speaker 2: Scott Fulton and that just ended up being an absolute disaster.
Speaker 2: So it's more of a case of is it simpler
Speaker 2: just to have Richo and Benji doing it and is
Speaker 2: it working. Yeah, I'd give it a pass mark for
Speaker 2: the moment, but I don't think there would be any
Speaker 2: real rush to bring in a general manager of football
Speaker 2: if it's not needed.
Speaker 4: For me.
Speaker 3: I have a look at the track record of bringing
Speaker 3: players across so far, and the majority of Ritro signings
Speaker 3: have been an improvement on what we had before. So
Speaker 3: we got rid of off A Luma at the start
Speaker 3: of last year, and we signed Taruva for this year,
Speaker 3: we lost Stefano and we end up with money. All
Speaker 3: those are improvements. We've also picked picked up for our
Speaker 3: Skelton as a winger as well, so I think everywhere
Speaker 3: where we've kind of missed out, I think it's been
Speaker 3: an improvement after now it's a very tough to improve
Speaker 3: on the loss of Locky Galvin, but so far I
Speaker 3: think what we've had going out has been replaced by
Speaker 3: are coming in.
Speaker 4: So I'm quite happy with how that's going at the moment.
Speaker 4: So I think he's doing a really good job of
Speaker 4: that recruitment process for the club.
Speaker 1: I actually got this idea about being sort of starting
Speaker 1: on a positive note by reading the West Tigers forum.
Speaker 1: And I'm just going to reference a specific post. It's
Speaker 1: around sort of our local juniors, Jordan, because there's been
Speaker 1: obviously a little bit of a blowback since we've lost
Speaker 1: Galvin and obviously lost one or two last year. But
Speaker 1: it was a post by the name of actually West
Speaker 1: Tiger's a not very creative name, but it was a
Speaker 1: good post. He said about retention. Let's not rewrite the
Speaker 1: story in terms of the narrative around that we can't
Speaker 1: hold onto our juniors, he said, We've retained just off
Speaker 1: the top of my head, Buller, Makassini, Mason, the Lal
Speaker 1: Lilly Brothers, Pole and then there's a couple of state,
Speaker 1: couple younger guys, and I'm not sure I can't read
Speaker 1: my own writing here, so I won't read them out.
Speaker 1: He said. We've lost Lucky Galvin, but we've also picked
Speaker 1: up from you know, other juniors. We've picked up the
Speaker 1: Finer Brothers to RuvA, Stafford Tower, who was a Newcastle
Speaker 1: of junior. He says, let's just focus on making the
Speaker 1: right decisions going forward, not ones driven by outside noise
Speaker 1: or hypothetical future predictions. Your reaction to that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And look, we've also kept a few guys like
Speaker 2: Phoenix got an a and to Power.
Speaker 1: Money write down. Sorry, I just couldn't read my writing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, and there's some good young forwards, like
Speaker 2: we've retained a few. We've got that young hooker Hayward
Speaker 2: as well. There's we're definitely moving some ranks around in
Speaker 2: the juniors that we're able to hold on to them,
Speaker 2: you know. And god And is even a Moses client,
Speaker 2: so we were able to hold on to him even
Speaker 2: though there was serious interests from Union and whatnot. Macasini
Speaker 2: was actually probably the biggest one that we needed to
Speaker 2: hold on to. I still him to probably make his
Speaker 2: NERL debut sometime this year once he turns eighteen. But
Speaker 2: we are retaining juniors. The Galvin one, I think, unfortunately
Speaker 2: no matter what. If you know, maybe if there was
Speaker 2: different circumstances with manager or his parents, I think there
Speaker 2: was probably an absolute Buckley's chance that we held on
Speaker 2: to him, just with all the other circumstances going around
Speaker 2: on the back. You know, if the money they're talking
Speaker 2: about that he sacrificed is true, what chance did we
Speaker 2: really have?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I tend to agree with the Galvin one. I
Speaker 1: don't want to get stuck on him tonight, Gary, But
Speaker 1: do you have any thoughts about local juniors. Do we
Speaker 1: still have a problem in in terms of retaining our
Speaker 1: best or is it sort of the Galvin was a
Speaker 1: one off case.
Speaker 3: Well, at this point it's a little bit of a
Speaker 3: one off case. We'll see what happens over the next
Speaker 3: couple of months. We've got telling them to see who's
Speaker 3: also off contract at the end of next year, so
Speaker 3: it will be interesting to see what happens in that regard.
Speaker 3: I think what we're fairly good at at the moment
Speaker 3: is keeping those guys who are in the pathway system. Still,
Speaker 3: we don't tend to lose that many from the pathway system.
Speaker 3: We lost large earlier in the year who went over
Speaker 3: to Manly, but for the most part, we're good at
Speaker 3: keeping them at that level. Those players that are making
Speaker 3: the NRL side now from our juniors. It's really only
Speaker 3: that first wave of guys who are coming through now,
Speaker 3: so it's still to be seen how well we keep
Speaker 3: them once they make it to the NRL level.
Speaker 1: All right, Jordan, I wasn't. The Boys were on Sunday
Speaker 1: night and they went through their one words. I wasn't on,
Speaker 1: so I've got my won't. It's actually two words. But
Speaker 1: do you have a word to describe that performance against
Speaker 1: the Cowboys?
Speaker 2: Probably, if anything, it would have been sporadic, like with
Speaker 2: the events of the game and everything that happened we
Speaker 2: and like that. You watch the footage of Lewi spraying
Speaker 2: bird and them trying to get on top of it.
Speaker 2: That there, it was sporadic, but we still managed to
Speaker 2: score points. So I think if if we can sort
Speaker 2: of kind of hone in on that and and calm
Speaker 2: it down a little bit, will be a lot more,
Speaker 2: will be a lot better and lock structured. I liked
Speaker 2: what I saw of Mason, and I think he can
Speaker 2: straighten us up a bit. But yeah, I just think
Speaker 2: we looked a bit sporadic with what we tried to
Speaker 2: do and it sort of kind of undid us in
Speaker 2: certain points.
Speaker 1: We'll get to the game preview Gary laid in regards
Speaker 1: to team changes, But I thought that was a huge
Speaker 1: positive to come out of the game. Mason.
Speaker 3: He was He was dynamite, Yeah, very lusive, very good footwork.
Speaker 3: I want to see what he's passing game is like.
Speaker 3: He didn't really do much passing in that game. I
Speaker 3: haven't seen a lot of it when he was at
Speaker 3: fullback I ever. I thought when he played fullback earlier
Speaker 3: in the season he struggled to create the shape and
Speaker 3: make the players outside him better.
Speaker 4: So that's probably the.
Speaker 3: Biggest challenge for him at the moment is how well
Speaker 3: that passing game he's able to implement, because if you're
Speaker 3: playing five eight, you need to have a passing game.
Speaker 3: But he's running game looked excellent on the weekend. And
Speaker 3: what really impressed me about his game on the weekend
Speaker 3: wasn't with the ball. I was really worried about him
Speaker 3: being a target in defense, but I thought he really
Speaker 3: held his position defensively, really strongly, probably better than what
Speaker 3: Galvin has so far into his career. So it was
Speaker 3: a very good defensive effort from Mason on the weekend.
Speaker 1: Difficult one for me to lineup Jordan because we often
Speaker 1: go on this podcast about glass half full and glass
Speaker 1: half empty, and I mean, you look at that game
Speaker 1: and I just feel like it was so winnable. Like
Speaker 1: if we were to play him again next week in
Speaker 1: North Queensland, I'd be really confident. But don't now if
Speaker 1: that makes me more angry or or you know, because
Speaker 1: I just feel like, you know, Steve, particularly on our
Speaker 1: pot e, he hammered us. And I think that's fair.
Speaker 1: Is that no point blaming referees. You know who's going
Speaker 1: to be referee. When you haven't been a strong club
Speaker 1: for ten years, you're probably going to get the bad
Speaker 1: end of the decisions. And I thought whilst they were
Speaker 1: softs in winnings, I just thought, especially in the first
Speaker 1: twenty minutes, it was really disappointing coming off of buy
Speaker 1: And it's something that we've really struggled with this year.
Speaker 1: Is that starts to games.
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. And I don't think it makes you mad
Speaker 2: at you. I think it makes you a West Tigers fan.
Speaker 2: It's yeah, if it's not the start of games, it's
Speaker 2: that ten minute period after halftime, or it's you know,
Speaker 2: it's that ten minute period on either side of the break.
Speaker 2: We've got to like it's it's very, very hard to
Speaker 2: think of a time that we actually played an eighty
Speaker 2: minute game, that we played a game that we really
Speaker 2: put structure everything, put a team to the sword that
Speaker 2: wasn't injury riddled, or you know, we haven't put an
Speaker 2: eighty minute performance against a top tier team. The closest
Speaker 2: one was possibly the Sharks game, but even then that
Speaker 2: got too close for comfort. But we've got to find
Speaker 2: that ability to start a game strong and maintain it.
Speaker 2: We have to be able to maintain that momentum and
Speaker 2: that strength and not fall apart the moment of decision
Speaker 2: or a sin binning or you know, something that goes
Speaker 2: against us and we just seem to go weak at
Speaker 2: the knees.
Speaker 1: Interesting point I thought Steve made Gary that I was
Speaker 1: nodding my head on when I was listening on Monday,
Speaker 1: is that now our wins tend to be ones that
Speaker 1: are a little bit frantic. I still don't feel in
Speaker 1: some of our wins outside of the first paramounta game
Speaker 1: in Newcastle game that we control games in terms of
Speaker 1: the collision and in terms of game plan and just
Speaker 1: playing the long game, it seems like I think Steve
Speaker 1: used to quote, you know, our heart rates aret one
Speaker 1: hundred and eighty at the end of the game, which
Speaker 1: is spot on in terms of that shaft and that
Speaker 1: Dragons win. Do you feel like that is potentially something
Speaker 1: that's going to hold us back in terms of the
Speaker 1: style of football that we're playing. Is it a coaching
Speaker 1: thing or is it a roster thing.
Speaker 4: I think it's a ruster thing.
Speaker 3: I think I answered Steve on this the other night
Speaker 3: by saying, we're going to be frantic when you're worried
Speaker 3: as a team that you've got guys in the side
Speaker 3: that you don't just don't trust to hang on the
Speaker 3: ball or not make a stupid mistake, Like it's really
Speaker 3: hard to build pressure when you don't hold onto the
Speaker 3: ball for long enough. And what that then leads to
Speaker 3: is it leads to guys probably trying to do a
Speaker 3: little bit too much, a little bit too early, and
Speaker 3: that just compounds the issue. And I think that's why
Speaker 3: we kind of look frantic and a little bit all
Speaker 3: over the shop. Is I still think despite I think
Speaker 3: the morale and the guys are playing for each other.
Speaker 3: I still think there's guys who probably feel they have
Speaker 3: to do too much because they can't rely on a
Speaker 3: few few weaknesses in the team.
Speaker 1: Jordan, what are your expectations for the rest of the season.
Speaker 1: I mean a lot of hope that first six weeks
Speaker 1: and we're sort of at least on the ladder. We're
Speaker 1: still in that top eight race. So you look it
Speaker 1: up or you like me, and you're starting to get
Speaker 1: worried and look down.
Speaker 2: I'm starting to get worried about a forward pack. I'm
Speaker 2: starting to get worried about how thin we're looking. We
Speaker 2: really need some signings, and they can't just be depth signings.
Speaker 2: We need some mid range signings. We need some guys
Speaker 2: that are actually going who aren't at the club at
Speaker 2: other clubs are struggling to make first grade, but are
Speaker 2: actually going to, you know, put pressure on those first
Speaker 2: graders to make the spot their own. Where my expectations
Speaker 2: for rest of the season I have and I'm not
Speaker 2: going to make a prediction just so Gary, can you
Speaker 2: give me crap about it for a I wouldn't do
Speaker 2: that on a year on year never, but I have
Speaker 2: a feeling that we will go for a run. I
Speaker 2: have a feeling that there will be some part in
Speaker 2: the season that that's that will that'll that will follow
Speaker 2: me forever. And if we don't win three in a row,
Speaker 2: which obviously means will never win the finals or a
Speaker 2: Grand Final because you have to win three at least. Yeah,
Speaker 2: if we never win three in a row, I'll make
Speaker 2: sure that three in a row row statement is on
Speaker 2: my tombstone.
Speaker 1: We've been close a few times. I think we've won
Speaker 1: two in a row about three times since you said it.
Speaker 1: So yeah, technically a good prediction, just unlucky.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I still I still maintain that the by
Speaker 2: count at the end of last year. But Gary's Gary
Speaker 2: is pretty stoic on that.
Speaker 1: Well, Gary to flip to negative Eddie, my one word
Speaker 1: was spoon watch because I I do fear I look
Speaker 1: at the analytics. I won't call it Eddie's gambling, but
Speaker 1: it's sort of Eddie's gambling at the moment. I look
Speaker 1: at the drawer we had for the start of the year.
Speaker 1: We've played twelve games. We've played the team running fifteenth twice.
Speaker 1: We've played the team running sixteenth twice. We've played the
Speaker 1: Cowboys who won't make the eight. We've played Souse, who
Speaker 1: I don't think we'll make the eight. We've played the Dolphins,
Speaker 1: who don't think we'll make the eight. We haven't played
Speaker 1: We've played two teams or two games against teams in
Speaker 1: the top four. And I look at the next seven
Speaker 1: or eight weeks and I'll go through it quickly. Penrith
Speaker 1: who are fourteenth, so it can be deceptive, but defending
Speaker 1: premiers that need to win, Raiders who are second at Brookvale,
Speaker 1: Manly who was seventh at Roosters we were actually twelve,
Speaker 1: but Buckley's chance to winning there at Warriors, Titans at home,
Speaker 1: please win that, Penrith again and then the Bulldogs. That
Speaker 1: is the next eight games. That to me is a
Speaker 1: bit of a gauntlet the way we're trending.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's definitely a tough period in our season. As
Speaker 4: I've said to you many times in the past week
Speaker 4: that you haven't liked. We have to be better.
Speaker 3: We need to play much better than we played last weekend.
Speaker 3: We need to play much better than we played the
Speaker 3: weekend before. The really important thing in the NRL is
Speaker 3: you can't afford to go on those losing streaks. That's
Speaker 3: where your season turns poor, that's when you come into
Speaker 3: contention for the wooden spoon, and it's really important to
Speaker 3: break a losing streak earlier. I think this weekend's game
Speaker 3: is really crucial. If we don't put in a good
Speaker 3: performance this weekend, then I can definitely see the season
Speaker 3: really taking a downward turn.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the roster before Jordan. Is there any signing
Speaker 1: that could happen in the next couple of weeks? So
Speaker 1: it looks like that Kye Piers Paul is probably one
Speaker 1: for next season. But are you okay with potentially waiting
Speaker 1: until next year if there's a couple of good ones
Speaker 1: or do you think that we can't just afford to
Speaker 1: throw another season away? And the fact we've lost Gallen
Speaker 1: for nothing at the moment means we need immediate reinforcements
Speaker 1: before June thirty.
Speaker 2: We do. We need immediate reinforcements before June thirty. We
Speaker 2: need at least two players who are on the edge
Speaker 2: of other teams that are going to improve us now,
Speaker 2: whether that is a six month deal or an eighteen
Speaker 2: month deal, like I know, we can't do it at
Speaker 2: the expense of next year. We want to make sure
Speaker 2: we build the roster even better than we can for
Speaker 2: next year. But we need to be looking at two
Speaker 2: players at least that are going to come in and
Speaker 2: put pressure on or even come into the team immediately
Speaker 2: and make an impact, because especially now with tour with concussion,
Speaker 2: and that's that's a concern in its own right. You know,
Speaker 2: se Fath has been moved around. We need we need,
Speaker 2: we need a second rower at least, like I know
Speaker 2: Piece Paul will be next year and he'll probably be
Speaker 2: starting second row next year, but we need another outside
Speaker 2: back and we need another forward or a middle that
Speaker 2: is going to help out. Because I look at the
Speaker 2: bench and I look at our second row, Like Suka
Speaker 2: has impressed me in parts of his game, but I
Speaker 2: keep looking at that bench and I just think to myself,
Speaker 2: how is that an NRL bench?
Speaker 3: Well, it's a really tough one for me, Jordan. I like,
Speaker 3: six month contracts don't really happen in the NRL. I
Speaker 3: don't think you're going to pick up someone for six months.
Speaker 3: And the issue you do have is exactly what you
Speaker 3: spoke about, is whether you sell, like you have to
Speaker 3: sell a position to someone to get him to come
Speaker 3: across for multiple years and and the effect that has
Speaker 3: on your ability to build the squad for next season
Speaker 3: and twenty twenty six. It's a really fine line to walk,
Speaker 3: and I'm glad I don't have to make that decision
Speaker 3: because we definitely need upgrades for this year.
Speaker 4: But how to do that while setting.
Speaker 3: Yourself up to be in a really good position for
Speaker 3: the next one, two, three years is the really hard
Speaker 3: part about it, And hopefully rich O gets that right.
Speaker 3: Hopefully someone like that Kuypis Paul signing can turn into
Speaker 3: a position that's for this year instead of next year,
Speaker 3: because that's a signing that I think improves us next year,
Speaker 3: but would make a massive difference to us this year
Speaker 3: and could make a big difference on that edge for
Speaker 3: this season.
Speaker 1: I want to talk about the coach Jordan for a minute,
Speaker 1: because it will be interesting to see what happens. Like
Speaker 1: I was quite taken aback by listening to start of
Speaker 1: our podcast on Sunday and the boys spent about ten
Speaker 1: minutes that start talking about the worry about potentially what
Speaker 1: is in store for Benji over the next couple of months.
Speaker 1: Is there a baseline that he has to achieve this
Speaker 1: year where you'd be comfortable saying he's under no pressure,
Speaker 1: or do you think he is under pressure heading into
Speaker 1: the second half of the year.
Speaker 2: He's always going to be under pressure personally, I think
Speaker 2: from what we've seen through the team and how we've played,
Speaker 2: and the improvement and the fight and call me nuts,
Speaker 2: but for me, it's a pass mark At the moment,
Speaker 2: I think there is enough there to show that with
Speaker 2: another twelve months under his belt, another preseason, and a
Speaker 2: couple of extra recruits, he has the ability to turn
Speaker 2: this team into exactly what we want it to be. So, yes,
Speaker 2: he'll be under pressure. If we go on a six
Speaker 2: to seven game losing streak, and hopefully that's not the case,
Speaker 2: the media pressure will get louder. But I think at
Speaker 2: the moment, if we jag half the amount of wins
Speaker 2: or three wins over the next seven weeks, I think
Speaker 2: it'll still be enough just to sort of kind of
Speaker 2: hold the dogs back before people start questioning whether he
Speaker 2: should be coaching twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1: I like that one, hold the dogs back. I've've heard
Speaker 1: that one before. I like it, Gary, I actually have
Speaker 1: like I just think he's got to avoid the spoon.
Speaker 1: And that's how it might sound stupid because people will go, well,
Speaker 1: what's the difference between finishing fifteenth and finishing last? But
Speaker 1: I just don't know if the club can maintain the
Speaker 1: ambush that they receive if they if they came last. Again,
Speaker 1: remembering that he was the the quasi sort of coach
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three, even though he wasn't officially the coach,
Speaker 1: he was the coach in twenty twenty four, and we've upgraded,
Speaker 1: and with upgrades comes increased the expectations for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: But I just think he's got to get a few
Speaker 1: wins you get by this season. I actually have low hopes,
Speaker 1: not even low hopes, but a low bar. I don't
Speaker 1: think he's got to get close to the eight. He's
Speaker 1: just got to continue to improve the side in terms
Speaker 1: of their competitiveness. If he can replicate the first half
Speaker 1: of the season in the second half, which I have
Speaker 1: big doubts about, I think it'd be a big tick
Speaker 1: for him. But where do you sit in terms of
Speaker 1: like either the number of wins or position he's got
Speaker 1: to get or is it basically that you know, looking
Speaker 1: at every game and how competitive and if the side's improving.
Speaker 3: Well, for me, it's not just about where we finish
Speaker 3: this season. If we end up with the wooden spoon,
Speaker 3: I think he's in a lot of trouble. But if
Speaker 3: we avoid that wooden spoon, plus he's able to get
Speaker 3: out into the market and bring in two three more
Speaker 3: quality plays for next year, then that buys in more time.
Speaker 4: So I think it's not just what we do on
Speaker 4: the field that's important.
Speaker 3: It's what we do with the squad between now and
Speaker 3: the end of the season as well. If we're looking
Speaker 3: at going in to next season with a far superior side,
Speaker 3: then I think there's a lot of credit of that
Speaker 3: that has to go to Marshall. If you listen to
Speaker 3: all the players that have come across our club since
Speaker 3: he's been the coach, they all talk about coming across
Speaker 3: because it's Benji Marshall they're playing under.
Speaker 4: And if he can bring in another two, three, four,
Speaker 4: seventeen between like that makes a big difference, and I
Speaker 4: think I think that buys him more time.
Speaker 1: So just to clarify, Gary, you're like me, if you
Speaker 1: think he can win eight, eight or nine games, Let's
Speaker 1: see if they finish eight or nine games and they
Speaker 1: finish fourteenth, fifteenth or sixteenth that's enough.
Speaker 3: My big thing is I want to see progress. I
Speaker 3: want to see progress of the squad and I want
Speaker 3: to see progress of the team.
Speaker 4: Now, if.
Speaker 3: We win that eight or nine game, but we're playing
Speaker 3: really poor football, then I think they're still going to
Speaker 3: be questions asked. But if we if we can. For me,
Speaker 3: it's about getting away as far away from that wooden
Speaker 3: spoon as you can and getting some players in. But
Speaker 3: I if he's anything above kind of that bottom quarter,
Speaker 3: I think he's definitely safe.
Speaker 1: I just think I don't want to say the club's
Speaker 1: trapped Jordan, but I just don't see how we could
Speaker 1: replace him at the moment because I just think Leui
Speaker 1: particularly is tied to Benji Taruva. I think is tied
Speaker 1: to Benji, and by starting again and firing a club legend,
Speaker 1: even if they were to come bottom two or three,
Speaker 1: I think you just start the whole process again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree, And look we're not we're not held
Speaker 2: at gunpoint. In relation to the relations he does have
Speaker 2: with the players, I understand. And it is hard because
Speaker 2: you've got that clause in Loui's contract. As Gary mentioned
Speaker 2: that the amount of players that say they are playing
Speaker 2: for him and the way they look he looks after
Speaker 2: them and what he's bringing out of them. And you're
Speaker 2: seeing improvement in players from last year, and you're seeing
Speaker 2: improvement from players that were already at the club, so
Speaker 2: their past marks. As far as I'm concerned, there's a
Speaker 2: lot to actually look in the scale of it. But
Speaker 2: you're right, unless there was an amazing replacement that you
Speaker 2: could do, and you know, I agree with the wooden spoon.
Speaker 2: If we got that, that would make it very hard.
Speaker 2: But there is enough there even now for me to
Speaker 2: go okay. I would give him another eighteen months. Then
Speaker 2: if we're you know, we're not competitive, like proper competitive,
Speaker 2: that's when we probably have to start going okay, this
Speaker 2: isn't working how we want it to work. So I
Speaker 2: think he needs more time.
Speaker 3: It's really crucial for this club not to be in
Speaker 3: a position where we start again, Like if we get
Speaker 3: to the point and we move Benji Marshall on and
Speaker 3: say it's after a wooden spoon, which you guys are
Speaker 3: using as the criteria, we're not in a position next
Speaker 3: year to get away from that wooden spoon. So what
Speaker 3: are we looking at five? Like half a decade of
Speaker 3: Wooden spoons, this is something we need to actually work.
Speaker 3: So I think we need to put that support in
Speaker 3: in around him. And I think what's really crucial right
Speaker 3: now is Jordan mentioned and I mentioned as well about
Speaker 3: how the players say they came here to play for him,
Speaker 3: but we saw Lui and Appia and how they spoke
Speaker 3: about him when the Galvin news broke. And I've said
Speaker 3: this a number of times now, but I think it's
Speaker 3: crucial to our season and I think it's crucial to
Speaker 3: Benji Marshall's career. Is that instead of just saying that
Speaker 3: they came here to play for him, instead of just
Speaker 3: talking big and saying how much support they've got of him,
Speaker 3: they really need to show it on the field.
Speaker 1: The two biggest weeks scary were Paramatta and then Cowboys
Speaker 1: this week, and we didn't show it.
Speaker 3: No, And they were the times where, depending on the
Speaker 3: media reports you listen to, that Benji made decisions based
Speaker 3: around what he wanted but also what the players wanted.
Speaker 3: And Galvin came straight back into the NFL side because
Speaker 3: against Paramatta we didn't aim up well enough. And then
Speaker 3: we get rid of Galvin last week and we go
Speaker 3: into last week and a time where the players can
Speaker 3: stand up and show that Benji Marshall made the right
Speaker 3: choice and they can support him in what must have
Speaker 3: been a two really tough calls that he had to make.
Speaker 3: I don't think they've performed on the field to show
Speaker 3: that support to him, and I think that's really crucial
Speaker 3: over the next couple of weeks that these players that
Speaker 3: talk about their love of Benjie Marshall and how they
Speaker 3: love playing under him and how they support him show
Speaker 3: that support on the field. And I think it's really
Speaker 3: it's crucial not just to our season, but to Benji's career.
Speaker 1: One of my concerns Jordan is just I had a
Speaker 1: look before the defensive numbers. I said it preseason. I said,
Speaker 1: I thought we could maybe be a top eight side
Speaker 1: in attack. But I worry. You know, the best teams,
Speaker 1: or the teams that you look at Canterbury who've gone
Speaker 1: from the bottom and turn themselves into a top club,
Speaker 1: is built on defense. And we're actually averaging now twenty
Speaker 1: six points a game. I know, with the rule changes
Speaker 1: and whatnot, the points per game are higher, so it's
Speaker 1: not like you have to be averaging under twenty anymore.
Speaker 1: Twenty six seems a bit concerning number.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I also think if if we only lost out there,
Speaker 2: I know, yeah, the Melbourne blowout and stuff like that,
Speaker 2: because I think the opening six weeks or something, we
Speaker 2: were the second or third best defensive team. So yeah,
Speaker 2: there's been a bit like we are scoring points and
Speaker 2: we can score points, but yes, defensively at the moment,
Speaker 2: especially over the last four or five weeks, we haven't
Speaker 2: been we haven't been great. But I also think that
Speaker 2: it has a lot to do with the amount of
Speaker 2: rotation and changes we've had to do in our forward pack.
Speaker 2: We're not getting consistency with our forwards and who's starting
Speaker 2: where and Jack Bird coming in starting or he's not in,
Speaker 2: or the props are changing and the locks changing. So
Speaker 2: I think that comes down to part of it. Because
Speaker 2: when we had consistency in our forward pack, our numbers,
Speaker 2: our defensive numbers were a lot better. So I think
Speaker 2: more or less there is improvements everywhere and there, but yeah,
Speaker 2: it has dropped off the last month.
Speaker 3: One of my sort of mental rules in regard to
Speaker 3: rugby league is if you score more than twenty four
Speaker 3: points in a game, you shouldn't lose that game. So
Speaker 3: That's kind of one of my theories on rugby league.
Speaker 3: And if you're averaging twenty six points against you during
Speaker 3: the season, then you're going to lose more games than
Speaker 3: you're winning because you need to be doing much better
Speaker 3: than that. And I know the rules have changed over
Speaker 3: the last couple of years and points are higher, but
Speaker 3: you need to be keeping sides way close to that
Speaker 3: twenty point mark. Why don't you start getting twenty six
Speaker 3: to thirty. That signs that you're a port defensive team for.
Speaker 1: Me, all right, let's do quick buysell hold one of
Speaker 1: our regular segments, Jordan Midweek pot. I'll fire the first
Speaker 1: one to you. West Tigers should prioritize retaining Talon the
Speaker 1: silver over extending happy corrousal buy or sell.
Speaker 2: That selling it why, I Talon's got a lot of
Speaker 2: ability and talent. I have no doubt about that, and
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure it's actually Gary pointed out to me
Speaker 2: in relation to Harry Grant. I'm sick of these kids
Speaker 2: and these players holding us to gunpoint because they believe
Speaker 2: that somehow a nineteen year old kid has more force
Speaker 2: and ability and per see on a veteran of Appy's
Speaker 2: statue in the game. If you have the ability to
Speaker 2: sign someone like Appy and he's playing good football, even
Speaker 2: if it is for another twelve months, and you don't
Speaker 2: have the patience as a nineteen year old to sit
Speaker 2: there and learn of one of the great hookers in
Speaker 2: the game, then maybe we should be looking to bring
Speaker 2: in the next kid who's coming through, which is that
Speaker 2: Haywood kid, and allowing him to learn off Appy. I'm
Speaker 2: sick of the entitlement of some of these guys who
Speaker 2: think that they should be top dollar and top dog
Speaker 2: when they've only just put their foot in the water.
Speaker 3: Well, I'm going to preface what I say about this
Speaker 3: that it's based off speculation, that of stuff that we've
Speaker 3: read in newspaper reports.
Speaker 4: But for me, if I've got no issue.
Speaker 3: If Talent of Silver decides that Appy's blocking his pathway
Speaker 3: so he decides to go to open market and see
Speaker 3: what's availer, I've got no issue with that whatsoever. What
Speaker 3: I do have an issue with is the story that
Speaker 3: came out in the newspaper stating he told the club
Speaker 3: that if they resign Appy corros Ow, he would be
Speaker 3: going to market. Now, if you go off and make
Speaker 3: that decision, and you do that. It's the ultimates them
Speaker 3: around that that I don't like.
Speaker 4: Like, I don't think do you think.
Speaker 1: That's that unusual though, Gary, even if he said that
Speaker 1: behind the closed doors, it probably isn't.
Speaker 3: But it got into the media. That's where the issue
Speaker 3: it comes for me, and I personally wouldn't want him
Speaker 3: saying that. I'm sure it happens all the time, but
Speaker 3: I don't know why a nineteen year old should be
Speaker 3: saying to the club, if you sign Appy horus Our,
Speaker 3: a guy who's played State of Origin, has one multiple
Speaker 3: premierships at multiple clubs, has thinks they can go to
Speaker 3: their club and say, if you re sign him, I'm
Speaker 3: going to look elsewhere. Now more the fact that it
Speaker 3: then ends up in the media. Now, I'm sure it
Speaker 3: happens all the time. I just don't like it and
Speaker 3: the Harry Grant example, and I do want to stay Oh,
Speaker 3: that's just based off what we've read in the newspaper. Like,
Speaker 3: I don't know anything about it, and if it didn't happen,
Speaker 3: then I've got no issue whatsoever. But if that's what happened,
Speaker 3: I really don't like that because when you look at
Speaker 3: a guy like Harry Grant, and I know he was
Speaker 3: at Melbourne, and I know he was behind Cameron Smith,
Speaker 3: but he played two first grade games before he turned
Speaker 3: twenty two. So you have look at how me games
Speaker 3: talent of Silver's paid now. And I know where the
Speaker 3: Wooden Spooners. I know it's a different club, but the
Speaker 3: patience that guy had to actually sit there and wait
Speaker 3: for arguably the best look of all time to retire.
Speaker 3: But Afikras has been one of the better hookers of
Speaker 3: the last ten years in the game, so I think
Speaker 3: he deserves a little bit more respect than that. And
Speaker 3: that's all based off if that actually happened or not.
Speaker 3: I don't know that it did, but I'd hope he
Speaker 3: would be a little bit more supportive and could look,
Speaker 3: as Jordan said, at what he could actually learn from
Speaker 3: playing closely with someone like Happy Curus.
Speaker 1: Just start playing Devil's Advocate. Jordan's not necessarily I agree
Speaker 1: with this, but my job as host to ask questions,
Speaker 1: what are you know, like what could it be irresponsible? Though?
Speaker 1: If the Tigers say, well, you know, we're going to
Speaker 1: resign Happy because he's been so good, We're going to
Speaker 1: give him one or two more years as a thirty
Speaker 1: four year old when the drop off, you know, when
Speaker 1: players get their mid thirties, it usually is a drop off,
Speaker 1: especially playing the middle of the field. And we've got
Speaker 1: a potential guy here that can play for the next
Speaker 1: decade plus. You don't think any of that's potentially irresponsible, No,
Speaker 1: I don't think it's irresponsible.
Speaker 2: I think it's more of a case that, Okay, so
Speaker 2: we resign Happy for two years, what it'll be thirty six,
Speaker 2: possibly by the end of it thirty two now, so
Speaker 2: he's not thirty, but yes, okay, so be thirty four
Speaker 2: nearly thirty five. If Talon decides to sign behind him
Speaker 2: at the same time, he'll be what twenty one, So
Speaker 2: it's and yeah, he can be a decade player and
Speaker 2: whatnot as well. But it's I don't think it's irresponsible.
Speaker 2: I think it's more of a case of going, well,
Speaker 2: we can start transitioning you, same with Appy. We can
Speaker 2: we Eventually it would get to that point where maybe
Speaker 2: in that last year of Appy's deal, he's the fourteen
Speaker 2: and talent's nine, and Happy comes on for fifteen twenty
Speaker 2: minutes in a game just to have that experience and
Speaker 2: you know, trouble, which he was doing at Penrith exactly
Speaker 2: which he was doing at Penrith. So I think it's
Speaker 2: more of a case of going, you know, instead of
Speaker 2: jumping out of the boat the moment you think you're
Speaker 2: going to be blocked by someone like Corrosow, how about
Speaker 2: you sit there for the ride, and then eventually you'll
Speaker 2: be the captain at the front and you'll have Happy
Speaker 2: behind you, you know, still mentoring you and still helping
Speaker 2: you and showing you the way and taking that reduced role.
Speaker 3: I think it also depends on how much faith they
Speaker 3: have in Heyward, the guy that's coming up underneath as well.
Speaker 3: If they see him as a better prospect moving forward
Speaker 3: than what they say talent of silver, then.
Speaker 4: That gives you a little bit more kind of room
Speaker 4: to move on that and.
Speaker 3: Probably a little less tied to what talent does. So
Speaker 3: I think it comes to down to how highly they
Speaker 3: rate the Hayward coming through.
Speaker 1: I'm just not sure Gary about that Penrith example he
Speaker 1: used because he was still playing the bulk of the game.
Speaker 3: That was, he was still playing more the bulk of
Speaker 3: the game, but he had no issue coming off the bench,
Speaker 3: And which leads me to to believe that now that
Speaker 3: he's moving into the thirties by the time he's thirty
Speaker 3: three thirty four. I don't think he's going to have
Speaker 3: an issue of coming off the bench at that point either.
Speaker 3: He never really kicked up a stink about not starting games,
Speaker 3: and players like to start, no matter what they tell you.
Speaker 3: Being part of the seventeen is still not the same
Speaker 3: as being part of that starting thirteen.
Speaker 1: Just last one on Talon Jordan, is it have you
Speaker 1: sort of player that he is? I sort of think,
Speaker 1: you know, like, I don't think he's a Robbie Farah
Speaker 1: coming through, but I don't think I think Robbie Farrer
Speaker 1: and Happy by large are probably I'm not going to
Speaker 1: say a dying type of hooker, but that creative sort
Speaker 1: of hooker. He's not that usual for me these days.
Speaker 1: It's more guys that are powerful and fast out of
Speaker 1: dummy half. And you look at Little now. The way
Speaker 1: he's playing and talent for me is a lot better
Speaker 1: than Little at the age. And whilst I think he's
Speaker 1: more a runner than a passer, do you think he
Speaker 1: has to develop his game or if he's been pressed
Speaker 1: by what you're seeing.
Speaker 2: He does have to develop his game. That's actually probably
Speaker 2: the difference with Hayward. Hayward is, Yeah, he's he's a
Speaker 2: bit more of a schemer. He's a bit more of
Speaker 2: the the creative style hooker that Pharah and Corrousales style.
Speaker 4: Talent.
Speaker 2: For me, his biggest deficiency at the moment is he
Speaker 2: gets bumped off a lot in defense. Now, I know
Speaker 2: he's only young and he's still developing and whatnot, but
Speaker 2: I feel he's got explosiveness. He can really take advantage
Speaker 2: of a player with his back turned, but there hasn't
Speaker 2: been enough so far. He's young, he's a lot to learn,
Speaker 2: but I haven't seen something for me where like, he
Speaker 2: hasn't come on and changed a game. He's made some
Speaker 2: runs and he can expose tied forwards to a point,
Speaker 2: but at no stage have I gone Okay, this kid's
Speaker 2: probably close to even taking over Appy.
Speaker 3: Yeah, my biggest concern has been defensively. You're exactly right, Jordan.
Speaker 3: Not only does he get bumped off, he's been caught
Speaker 3: out of position a few times during this season, and
Speaker 3: that's been a concern for me. I think he's going
Speaker 3: to be a wonderful hooker, very different style to what
Speaker 3: Appy is, and you are right, Haywood is a lot
Speaker 3: closer to that same sort of style that Appy has,
Speaker 3: so I guess it does. Yeah, it kind of depends
Speaker 3: on what the club's looking for moving forward. Yeah, it's
Speaker 3: a tough call though.
Speaker 1: He was good at it Headson Park. Garrier made a
Speaker 1: trip to Headson Park on Saturday to watch the reserve grades.
Speaker 1: It's like, I enjoyed it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you would have fit him very well out I
Speaker 3: had some park on the weekend.
Speaker 4: I watched that game as well.
Speaker 3: I watch that game online and he was He had
Speaker 3: an incredible game, so did Luke Lily. I thought he
Speaker 3: was very strong playing at fullback as well. So yeah,
Speaker 3: he was very but telling was very good on the weekend.
Speaker 1: Where should we go Now, we're going to preview the
Speaker 1: game in a minute, but I've got a couple more
Speaker 1: bical Holtz quick ones Jordan. The club should resign Stafford,
Speaker 1: tower By.
Speaker 2: Or Sell buying that he's starting to get some games together.
Speaker 2: It's you know, he's obviously had some runs with injury,
Speaker 2: but Stafford, you know, a lot of Newcastle fans I
Speaker 2: remember when we picked him up, said that that was
Speaker 2: that was one that would they would regret. And I'm
Speaker 2: starting to see it. The guy like he does have moments,
Speaker 2: but he has that ability, like he can beat a
Speaker 2: player one on one, and I really think he has
Speaker 2: that chance to develop into a real solid first grade center.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think I said on the Pot on Sunday night
Speaker 3: that at the start of the season I wouldn't have
Speaker 3: picked him in round one. But he has been incredibly
Speaker 3: strong this year. He's fanned that left hand fan that
Speaker 3: he's had, allowing the beats opposite center and then draw
Speaker 3: the winger in has been fantastic. And I was actually
Speaker 3: talking to Steve tonight and we're talking about Stafford.
Speaker 4: The amount of times I've like the.
Speaker 3: Two tries on the weekend are prime examples of it,
Speaker 3: where he goes through and it looks like it's really
Speaker 3: terrible defense.
Speaker 1: Guys, just for off, he broke fourteen tackles on the weekend.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but some of them they just look like guys
Speaker 4: had no idea defensively. And if you'd done.
Speaker 3: That once or twice this year, would have thought either
Speaker 3: they're just poured offensive efforts. But he's absolutely ripping through
Speaker 3: tackles like like constantly in games, and even when he
Speaker 3: doesn't score, he'll break two or three tackle and then
Speaker 3: get pulled down close to the line. There was another
Speaker 3: one on the weekend where we almost scored the opening try.
Speaker 3: I think it was early in the game and he
Speaker 3: broke a couple of tackles and tried to pass back
Speaker 3: inside to Taruver and kind of messed up the timing
Speaker 3: of it. But he Yeah, I would one hundred percent
Speaker 3: be resigning next year. I'm very happy to go in
Speaker 3: to next season with him as one of our centers.
Speaker 3: I think I think over the next couple of years
Speaker 3: he can develop into being.
Speaker 4: Because like that, I was really shocked. Joel told me
Speaker 4: on the weekend. He's only twenty four.
Speaker 3: So he's coming into that age where he's going to
Speaker 3: play his best football and over the next couple of years,
Speaker 3: if he gets an injury free run, he keeps his
Speaker 3: confidence high.
Speaker 4: I think he can be one of the better centers
Speaker 4: in the game.
Speaker 2: It's his running style that There's one thing I've noticed
Speaker 2: with him, like with the breaking tackles, and it's it's
Speaker 2: actually something you can't really teach. It's just the people run,
Speaker 2: but it's the way he comes across where he has
Speaker 2: his feet planted behind him and he uses that to
Speaker 2: basically use all that upper body strength and force, so
Speaker 2: he will literally plant like it's sort of almost like
Speaker 2: a hunch. But when he's running our players, I notice it,
Speaker 2: and someone put up a comparison photo to greg Ingliss.
Speaker 2: Now I'm not saying he's going to be a greg
Speaker 2: inglis but it is that same style. Is that where
Speaker 2: you launch, you have your feet behind you and you
Speaker 2: have your back arch and you're able to use that
Speaker 2: full force towards to bump the person off.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but it's not even just bumping. And sometimes it
Speaker 3: looks like guys just clear missing. Well they come in
Speaker 3: and he's not changing directions, he's just running it. So
Speaker 3: it maybe he just gets his legs in a position
Speaker 3: where players misjudge how to tackle him. I don't know
Speaker 3: what it is, but it seems it's really hard to
Speaker 3: get a really clean shot on him at the moment.
Speaker 3: So hopefully it continues because of the Yeah, he's one
Speaker 3: of the most dangerous players on the field for us.
Speaker 3: I also think, sorry Eddie, I also think playing on
Speaker 3: the same edge that Buller's playing on, I think Bull's
Speaker 3: starting to attract a lot of attention in attack. I
Speaker 3: think that's creating a little bit more space for him
Speaker 3: as well to do his thing. He's getting nice early
Speaker 3: ball and he's getting one on one with his opposite
Speaker 3: centa a lot, and I think a lot of that
Speaker 3: comes down to one him getting the early bore, but
Speaker 3: defense is keeping.
Speaker 4: Their eye on Buller as well.
Speaker 3: So yeah, he's getting a lot of one on one situations,
Speaker 3: which is really good for him.
Speaker 1: Last one and we don't have the time to go
Speaker 1: down the rabbit hole with this one. So I apologize
Speaker 1: in advance to our listeners because I said I wouldn't
Speaker 1: mention him again, but I'm going to. So sorry, Jordan,
Speaker 1: you don't care how lucky Galvin's career goes by or sell.
Speaker 2: Bye, I don't. I you know, good luck to him.
Speaker 2: That's all I say.
Speaker 4: Good luck to him. Yeah, I don't care, but I
Speaker 4: hope it's really badly.
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly exactly. I'll keep my promise. So I had
Speaker 1: a ran prepared, but I'll save it for another day.
Speaker 1: We played Petrin on Sunday. Where's the game? Gary? I've forgotten?
Speaker 3: Colmback Sunday afternoon, four o'clock.
Speaker 1: Four o'clock Sunday afternoon. I believe you guys have an
Speaker 1: ambush event before did I see something on Facebook about that.
Speaker 4: We do have an ambush Evan, I'm really excited about
Speaker 4: this one.
Speaker 3: So starting at three o'clock, well just after three o'clock,
Speaker 3: the gates open at three o'clock near gate be the
Speaker 3: bar Members bar that's right next to Gatebe as you
Speaker 3: come in, take a right turn as you come through
Speaker 3: the gates and head him on into the ambush. Get
Speaker 3: in there nice and quickly because we've got for new
Speaker 3: a Poll as our guest on Sunday afternoon. Very excited,
Speaker 3: really looking forward to sitting down and having a little
Speaker 3: bit of a chat with him.
Speaker 1: To find out when he's back Gary, because the club
Speaker 1: doesn't seem to want to tell us that.
Speaker 4: Mate.
Speaker 3: Every time I do these, because we always get an
Speaker 3: injured player because they're available to talk to. It's always
Speaker 3: my first question is give me an update on when
Speaker 3: you're back. So we'll definitely be asking him that. We're
Speaker 3: also going to have a little bit of a chat
Speaker 3: to him about he's had a really unique pathway in
Speaker 3: rugby league. Like he's a Victorian junior and and like
Speaker 3: came through the junior systems at the Storm and is
Speaker 3: one of the maybe the only Victorian junior in the competition,
Speaker 3: so I'm really interested to have a chat to him
Speaker 3: about that. So if you're heading out to the game,
Speaker 3: get there for gates opening and come on in and
Speaker 3: pay us a visit at that bar and have a
Speaker 3: listen to paul A tell us about his.
Speaker 1: You might have to have a little word to him
Speaker 1: before Gary. I think he's a very nervous interview or
Speaker 1: e because I saw him on Fox once after the
Speaker 1: game with Malvin Inger and it looked like he'd never
Speaker 1: been on TV before. He looked really lovable personality, but
Speaker 1: really nervous.
Speaker 4: So I better treat him with kid gloves. Then I'll
Speaker 4: say the hard questions for someone else.
Speaker 1: So Jordan, we played Penrith. I think it's a terrible
Speaker 1: sort of time to play them, given I would love
Speaker 1: to play with the first eight weeks when they're in
Speaker 1: free fall, but they look pretty close to full strength.
Speaker 1: I don't think they're unbeatable like they were in previous years.
Speaker 2: Now there's definitely a chance. I think this game is
Speaker 2: going to be one on the edges. This is going
Speaker 2: to be something we need to target the like of Jenkins,
Speaker 2: which I'm not sure if he's opposite Skelton this week.
Speaker 2: But there's definitely there's definitely points to be scored on
Speaker 2: the edges out there. Their forward pack isn't as formidable
Speaker 2: as it was in previous years. I think they've really
Speaker 2: underestimated the loss of Fisher Harris. You've still got the
Speaker 2: likes of his aoh and Moses Leota and whatnot. But
Speaker 2: I think if we are going to win those points,
Speaker 2: the trials are going to be scored in the centers
Speaker 2: and on the wings. I don't think we're going to
Speaker 2: go through the middle of them, but there is definitely
Speaker 2: opportunity to go around them.
Speaker 1: Just Keenruth Gary quickly. I'm going to ask you for
Speaker 1: yes no, because I just went through there seven eight,
Speaker 1: and I don't want to be disrespectful because they've won
Speaker 1: four comps in a row and they've lost probably seven
Speaker 1: eighten great players or good players. But these are guys
Speaker 1: in their seven A and I want you to tell
Speaker 1: me if they'd make the Tigers starting thirteen. Some of
Speaker 1: them might not be answer because you haven't seen enough.
Speaker 4: Thomas Jenkins, Yeah, I haven't seen enough, but I'm going
Speaker 4: to say no.
Speaker 1: Isaac Targo, Tongo No, Casey McLain possibly lays to Lungey.
Speaker 4: I don't think.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I think he's struggling a little bit, but I think
Speaker 3: he's got a lot of potential and some good moments.
Speaker 1: No, Lindsay Smith, front Rower Scott. That's what I mean.
Speaker 1: If you take out they're five Origin players who are
Speaker 1: absolutely elite. Sadly they're all playing though Gary, but I
Speaker 1: had a look at their roster and even their bench.
Speaker 1: Again I can't read my own writing, but Luke Somerton,
Speaker 1: Matt Eisenhooth, the Great Dane Lorry and Luke Pettia never
Speaker 1: heard of some of that.
Speaker 3: Well, it's definitely not the same side they've been fielding
Speaker 3: for the last five years, and I think how it's
Speaker 3: really coming out for them is they've been really inconsistent
Speaker 3: this year. They have played some really strong games, and
Speaker 3: they tend to be games where those those big five
Speaker 3: players that they have where Yo and Cleary especially, kind
Speaker 3: of dragged them through the games. I think Jordan's exactly
Speaker 3: right that loss of Fisher Harris has really hurt them.
Speaker 3: I don't think they're getting the punch up the field
Speaker 3: that they have in the past, and there was a
Speaker 3: Matthew Johns was talking about a couple of weeks ago
Speaker 3: how sideways that Cleary's been playing this year, and a
Speaker 3: lot of that comes because you're not playing against that
Speaker 3: retreating defense and you're unable to straighten, so you end
Speaker 3: up going across the field a little bit. And I
Speaker 3: think that's been a little bit of an issue for
Speaker 3: them this year. And look, I think this weekend a
Speaker 3: lot of it does come down to what Penriside kind
Speaker 3: of shows up, because for me, they've been fairly inconsistent
Speaker 3: and probably more poor than they've been good throughout this season,
Speaker 3: which is why they are where they are on the table.
Speaker 4: So I don't write us off this weekend if.
Speaker 1: You change this for us, Jordan, I asked you quickly
Speaker 1: which one you're most excited about and least excited about.
Speaker 1: So Gira Skelton's back on the wing, so you only
Speaker 1: find who to prop Tony Suitgard to starting back row
Speaker 1: safe after Locke last, who find Charlie Murray and Kit
Speaker 1: Lily on the bench.
Speaker 2: I'm most excited about Geryl Skelton being back. I liked
Speaker 2: what I saw from him at the start of the year.
Speaker 2: I hope that he's fit and he's ready to go.
Speaker 2: Hamstring injuries can always be a fickle thing, so I'm
Speaker 2: really excited to see Jerrell Skelton. I have no idea
Speaker 2: about this Charlie Murray guy. When I saw the name
Speaker 2: on the bench the other week and then I saw
Speaker 2: him actually in the squad this week, I did a
Speaker 2: quick look, but I had no clue who he was.
Speaker 2: But apparently he's a middle forward with good footwork. But
Speaker 2: he's a small middle forward, so I don't know what
Speaker 2: kind of impact he's going to have.
Speaker 1: Gary, which one are you least excited about, besides say
Speaker 1: farf at.
Speaker 3: Locke, Yeah, I'm not too happy about that one. I
Speaker 3: have to Yeah, Charlie Murray, I don't know anything about him,
Speaker 3: so it'll be interesting to see how he goes. I
Speaker 3: do want to agree with Jordan on Skelton. I think
Speaker 3: a lot of our difficulties over the last couple of
Speaker 3: months has a lot to do with him not being there.
Speaker 3: That go forward that he provides has made a big
Speaker 3: difference at the start of the season, so hopefully we
Speaker 3: get that back. And I'm also really keen to see
Speaker 3: how Tony Suker goes starting. I think he's shown some
Speaker 3: real promise the last couple of weeks. I wasn't too
Speaker 3: impressed with him earlier in the season, but I think
Speaker 3: he can potentially be an upgrade on safe far off
Speaker 3: on that edge, and so I'm really keen to see
Speaker 3: how he goes.
Speaker 1: Last one on the game. Jordan, how many minutes do
Speaker 1: you think Latu should or will play well both?
Speaker 2: Ooh, that's a good question. I won't start, No, no,
Speaker 2: won't start. I kind of hope it's not a gimmick
Speaker 2: eight minutes or something at the end of the game.
Speaker 2: I kind of really hope that's actually, you know, fifteen
Speaker 2: minutes or fifteen minutes before halftime and then maybe another
Speaker 2: fifteen minutes spell in the second half somewhere, so that
Speaker 2: would be ideal. But yeah, I just hope it not
Speaker 2: some little gimmick eight minute appearance at the end of
Speaker 2: the game that has no real meaning.
Speaker 3: What I'd like to see from him is actually spend
Speaker 3: some time in that link role that we saw in play.
Speaker 4: I think he's last an RL game. I thought that
Speaker 4: made a big.
Speaker 3: Difference to our shape and structure, so I'd like to
Speaker 3: see if that can continue this weekend. So I'd actually
Speaker 3: like to see him come on and pretty much play
Speaker 3: that middle role that lock roll and see how that
Speaker 3: goes again. I do have to say I'm really looking
Speaker 3: forward to seeing Kip play as well. I think he'll
Speaker 3: provide some impact off the bench. I thought he was
Speaker 3: very strong in our trials, and I was really disappointed
Speaker 3: he didn't get a run in the second trial we
Speaker 3: had to can't remember who was against now, was it Paramatter?
Speaker 4: I can't remember.
Speaker 3: I was really disappointed he didn't get a run in
Speaker 3: that game because I thought he deserved more time against
Speaker 3: enteral players. So I'd be really keen to see how
Speaker 3: he goes this weekend as well.
Speaker 1: Well, let's do the quiz as we're running out of time.
Speaker 1: Question one, it's a multiple choice which two thousand and six,
Speaker 1: Big Name Signing uploaded a photo of the new Bulldogs
Speaker 1: player with the caption, can someone please give this massive
Speaker 1: dork a haircut? Was it a Jamal A Lessi, B
Speaker 1: Keith Galloway see Ryan O'Hara or d Sam Harris Jordan.
Speaker 2: I'm going to go a big Keithy that was.
Speaker 4: Key for sure.
Speaker 1: No, it was Ryan O'Hara, and yeah, he probably probably
Speaker 1: got a bit of blowback for that. Because he didn't
Speaker 1: exactly excel.
Speaker 2: When O'Hara one of the most disappointing forward signings along
Speaker 2: with Jason Kayla's.
Speaker 1: Because he smoked about three packets of cigarettes today. I
Speaker 1: used to see him out when I was young at
Speaker 1: those nightclubs, and I used to think, Man, this guy's
Speaker 1: not not a pro.
Speaker 2: Didn't a broken jaw in his career or something.
Speaker 1: I think his career was ended by a lack of
Speaker 1: a lack of a giving of stuff. But anyway, but yeah,
Speaker 1: I do vaguely remember that big shout out Ryan O'Hara
Speaker 1: if you're listening. True or false, West Tigers and ped
Speaker 1: Panthers shared a full time score in which both teams
Speaker 1: had single digits. True false, It was true nine eight
Speaker 1: golden point loss for US. It was the start of
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. It was when Cleary's scored in the last
Speaker 1: minute or whatever they kicked from the sideline.
Speaker 2: There was a horrible, horrible game of football. Yeah, that's
Speaker 2: probably I don't remember it.
Speaker 1: Nearest to the pin. What jersey number did Paul fadawiaware
Speaker 1: for his one and only West Tigers game at starting
Speaker 1: five to eight? Assuming it wasn't number six, What number.
Speaker 1: Was it Jordan.
Speaker 2: Fourteen, I'll just go four.
Speaker 1: It was number fifteen, John Morris Ward the six. It
Speaker 1: was named on the bench. What a shock, Jim Sheen's
Speaker 1: doing something like that. Charlie Murray, debooting on the Weekend,
Speaker 1: named the fiftieth one hundredth, one hundred and fiftieth, two hundred,
Speaker 1: two hundred and fiftieth and three hundredth West Tigers players.
Speaker 1: No one's got any idea, do they Nope, We'll just
Speaker 1: give a ten second pause so our listeners out there
Speaker 1: can think about it, or they can pause the podcast itself.
Speaker 1: So I'm going to be fiftieth player with Anthony Lofrankie
Speaker 1: one hundred and two games, one hundred players, Rocky Tamaki
Speaker 1: eight games, one hundred and fifty do Solready twenty seven games,
Speaker 1: two hundred players, Matt mcculick twenty seven games, two hundred
Speaker 1: and fiftieth was Oliver Gilder eight games Charlie Murray's our
Speaker 1: three hundred player on the Weekend. Last one is who
Speaker 1: am I? Born in Sutherland in nineteen eighty three, debuted
Speaker 1: with the local NRL side in the same year as
Speaker 1: Benji So two thousand and three. Sharks I'm thinking they
Speaker 1: join their local rivals Dragons for two years secured. I
Speaker 1: don't think this guy ever played for West Tigers, by
Speaker 1: the way, secured a two year deal West to this
Speaker 1: weekend's opponents. So Cronullas and George Penrith landed at our
Speaker 1: joint venture, making zero appearances in centenary season, left mid
Speaker 1: season to join Cannery and played four games finishing the
Speaker 1: Super League. Became a male model in Australia and New York.
Speaker 1: He was a winger, currently the community engagement and Partnerships
Speaker 1: manager for the Sydney Marathon. Who gives us stuff about that?
Speaker 1: But who was it it was? If I was doing it,
Speaker 1: the model one would have triggered me, because I do
Speaker 1: remember this dude. He was a fairly fast winger. But
Speaker 1: Sharks two thousand and three, Dragons two thousand and four
Speaker 1: to five, Panthers two thousand and six, seven, West Tigers
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight and eight, Super League twenty nine
Speaker 1: and twelve. Nick youngquest so.
Speaker 2: Tigers, I never actually thought he signed with us.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well he signed and never played a game, So
Speaker 1: maybe I wish a few more players had done that
Speaker 1: in the past. Gary, But not to be all right, boys,
Speaker 1: Thank you Jordan in particular for jumping on. Hopefully we
Speaker 1: can get a win on Sunday. I'm not sure if
Speaker 1: we'll do a Sunday Night pod because a little tricky
Speaker 1: with the Monday public holiday and I'm not sure, So
Speaker 1: if we don't do one Sunday Night Gary, we'll do
Speaker 1: one Monday. Thanks boys, Thanks guys, Thanks guys. Enjoying the
Speaker 1: game