Has anyone seen Locky Galvin? Has anyone seen Phil Gold? Has anyone seen James Graham? Has anyone seen Cameron Seraldo? Has anyone seen Jason Taylor? Has anyone seen Locky Galvin? Has anyone seen Phil Gold? Has anyone seen Bulldogs' Instagram? Has anyone seen the kennel? Has anyone seen Phil Gold?
Ha?
Has anyone seen Locky Galvin? Steven Gary, Welcome to West Tiger's Podcast. Four hundred and twenty four.
Holy smokes, but a start. That's amazing. That was totally unrehearsed.
Well done. Yeah, I think we should just cut upon there and we just released that.
Now I'll explain that no one will understand that. But I follow Talk sport over in the UK and their late night show This is at Night show. They do that to wind up in opposition, and I thought, what better way boys going into a bye week, a little bit of lighthearted banter, get one over the enemy, Gary, I mean, Sunday night we did the collab podcast and Rob told me to behave I mean, of all people to tell me to behave, So I've saved it for Wednesday night.
This well, and I had to listen to the West Tigers podcast, and I can tell you Steve Stretton didn't behave when he got on on Monday night when he started talking about lockey Galvin, he gave him a right Royals, which I quite enjoyed.
I may of us or aty spilled my beans. I didn't know this was coming, Steve.
I was standing and applauding when I got to that point, because it was very he might notice is a very different level of maturity and humility in hosts compared to Monday night to tonight. But I was standing and applauding with your Galvin rant, and I thought, in all seriousness, it was a very very strong podcast for your voice. But I was happy that you ripped in with about eight minutes to go. Well, you know, any opportunities do and.
He deserved it right And it could have gone the other way go and could have played the house down and would all be sulking because of that. But he didn't, Steve, No, he didn't, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to go near the football. You know, not only not only was he absent, he actually dogged it in that whole game, and I exemplified it in that last part. But I'm really glad he dogged it, as I kept telling the bench over and over and over again that maybe they should put Toby Sexton on.
The key part of it for me, Steve, and you mentioned it on Sunday night, is his lack of engagement of the line.
Now.
A strength of his game while he was playing for US was his running game, and he's playing through contact, and he's ball playing through contact and kicking close to the line. All that disappeared on the weekend. And to be fair, it has disappeared a little bit for a couple of weeks since he went to the Dogs. But I thought we would have seen a guy that engaged the line a little bit more than we did see
on Sunday night. And maybe it's the broken hand or the injured wrists or the injured ankle, but made he didn't go anywhere near our defensive line on Sunday.
Yeah, And I honestly think it was the the at the game, the guy doing the camera work at the game, like focusing on him before kickoff like that was obviously done on purpose, because they went to him about five times before actual kickoff started. Once they get out in the field, and you know, as we all saw, the crowd were booing and carrying on and he was rattled. He was absolutely rattled. Then for the first twenty minutes
Louill was brilliant. Louis. I just kept feeding the ball to Samuela who just charged at him time and time and time again. And he was off his game. He didn't want to know about it.
So the crowd was doing it.
Wasn't just Rache who happened to end up in the in the Daily Telegraph on Monday doing Lucky Gavin.
It was the whole crowd, not just Range.
But she made a good fist of it. Let me tell you I will sit next to her.
Alrighty boys, a little bit of a different midweek podcast. There's no Quick Steve, so you'll be this very disappointed about that, mortified, and no game to preview, but we will jump around a little bit all over the place. Probably wouldn't have done a podcast Wednesday night if we didn't beat the Bulldogs Gary. But I'm in a good mood this week, as you might have noticed, so.
Mate, this has been one of the best weeks of my year. Just woke up on Monday happy, woke up on Tuesday, Happy, woke up today happy, and then I found out I was doing a probly few guys and the depression hit.
Then you had to tell Happy to get out of your bed.
Well, banter and drama at the game, and you guys touched on it maybe a little bit on Monday night, Steve with Joel and Nick, Me and Gary did touch on it Sunday because we didn't really know anything about it. But the Tigers last Try celebration. It's obviously been all over the media clickbait the last couple of days, but he's a talking point, official warnings for the two final brothers and a fine for Brent Naden. Gary, was that a fair result?
It's hard to really know.
I'm not of Arabic descent, if you've ever seen me on as white and pale skin as they come. But so I'm not going to tell people what they should be offended by when I don't know anything about the sign. So it is a hard one for me to sit here and kind of judge people who are offended by it.
But everyone I've spoken to who is from that culture doesn't really have too much of an issue with the sign, will admit most of them the Tiger supporters, so they may be a little bit biased in that regard, but that there's a really Gervaise saying that I always go back to. Just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right.
And look, I don't know enough about the sign itself to really have much of a say, but if the reports of it being a little bit of an up yours and that sort of stuff is true, then I don't have too much of a.
Problem with it.
Well. I have been practicing the sign at home all week. It's a little bit difficult to execute. My ring finger doesn't quite go where it's meant to. But anyway, but Steve, I mean even the mainstream has been a little bit all over the shot with it. And you listen to guys like I listened to braithon Asta and he'd obviously have a lot of Lebanese friends. And even when I went to school, I had lots of Lebanese friends. I know it was a different era, but they're quite playful
and lighthearted and they are in your face. But I think the NRL actually used good discretion here. Thought usually you know the Panthers trainer, it was things blow up and they react to that I think this time they actually came to the right decision.
Yeah, I would agree with that. I think a warning to the players on field was a correct reaction from the NRL. I thought Naden need to be treated a little bit differently, Like apparently it was a private post
and then from that it became public. But he needs to know better than that, right, he needs to know what can happen, that anything you put up there can end up out in the public sphere as it did, right, So yeah, he does need to be But I suppose I've got a slightly different take on it, and that's from the club perspective. And you probably know what I'm going to say because I'm a little bit old fashioned in this regard. You know, I don't like the I don't like the try celebration stuff.
I don't.
I just like players, you know, score a try, get back halfway, do it again, stay disciplined, do it again. Right, that's my mindset. So I didn't like what Leui did and what Taruva did with the galv and stuff. I thought that inflamed already hot situation and made it a lot worse. I copped a lot of flag flat.
Because I was on your side, Oh you were, you.
Were actually yeah, But most people said to me Louis was all right, Toruver was over line. I actually thought they both cross the line. And I think they did the same like the can every Bankstown supporters are probably the most passionate, and you could say argument and even aggressive, but they're supporters, right. Supporters is different to the players on the field, and I just don't think they should
be doing that sort of stuff. And I think our club behind closed doors should really be riding the riot act and saying this is not acceptable. It's not the standard we've bought, unwanted attention to ourselves. It's not the look we want. And there'll be a lot of people probably saying, oh, you've been too serious with it. But I don't know, what do you guys.
Think, Steve, You and I were sitting at the Paramatta game at Combank Stadium earlier in the year, our home game, I can't remember which one it was, whichever it was these the Monday game, and there there were some West Tigers fans absolutely giving it to the bench of Paramatter and the Paramatta players were actually standing up and almost to the point of calling the supporters down to have let's say, a heated discussion with them, but it would have been more than that that got to that level,
and we didn't see any news reports about it. We didn't see any articles about it. And that was players getting to the point where they were yelling abuse and calling players down. And I'm not justifying the behavior. The behavior from the West Tiger supporters who were shouting the abuse at the Paramatta players that we heard was was way out of line, to the point that I actually contacted the club and put in a complaint about that behavior.
But the Paramatta players on that occasion were actually aggressive towards fans and we didn't hear a word about it. So I think there's a little bit of a case of double standards here.
I know that it was a very visible thing and it.
Was players actually on the field, and it probably got more media due to that. We didn't hear booth about Paramatta players getting into verbal arguments with play with fans in the stands on Easter Monday.
I you know, I don't want to wrap journal, Steve, but I actually thought there was a good article I was today yesterday by Michael Chammers, who is of Arabic descent who sort of played it down, who said and I even saw I know it's player to player, but I saw a photo of Jacob Krraz greeting Adam Dewey in the warm up with the same gesture and laughing, and they're two Lebanese guys, So I know that's player
to player. And I know inciting the crowd is always dangerous territory, but I think in the context of West Tigers, I know it's I get what you're saying, where you know, you score a try, and I think rather than you know, walk back to halfway and concentrate, at least celebrate with your teammates, not celebrate with the crowd. That's what we try and do in cricket is encouraged you to celebrate with your teammates, don't go on an individual celebration by yourself.
But in the context of what Canterbury have done to us and their supporters, like let's remember Cameron Serroudo knocked us back last year, we had that over line. They've taken our best young player, Phil Gould is Phil Goold and the Bulldogs fans would have been antagonizing them for seventy five minutes. Brent Nadan, Yes, he went over the line with your Instagram post. I will say those Instagram posts by Taruvera and Naden go to it's called you know,
it's a green circle Instagram. They go to your close mates. They're obviously not very close mates because one of them sending it on to someone who sends it on to the media. So hopefully they've learned a lesson by that. But what I'm saying is I reckon. If I scored that try, Steve, and I hope I'm never out there, but if I scored that try, I might have considered
doing the same thing. Because these people are humans, They're emotional, and I think this will create a really big rivalry and the NRL be licking their lips about that.
I can't argue with any of that. That's everything you've said makes perfect sense. And I can't be hypocritically either, because I was extremely emotional on the weekend and given it too. But it was lighthearted. It was lighthearted. But I just think I suppose my only point is this as a club, as a team, we lack discipline. We lack discipline on the field. You know, you could say we lack discipline across the club historically. I just hope that we respect the need for discipline. I suppose that's
what I'm saying. Yeah, And look, I'm being a party pooper and I can't argue with you any You make a lot of sense, but I would just like to see this be a little bit more discipline, a little bit more reserved, I suppose.
Okay, Well, I just think look out for those two games next year because they will. The reason I'm getting my shots in now is I know they're going to respond. Canby. They're a strong club with a great fan base, like a really great fan base, and if they had done that to us, I wouldn't have gone and complained to the NFL. If I was a fan, I would have just said, well, it's there day, good luck to them. Carry on how you like. But boys, let's stop talking
about that. Let's go to Adam Dewy because he is beating the news again Gary. He had an outstanding game obviously. On Sunday, rumors that the Tigers or it was quotes actually from Shane Rigson on Monday that there is a two year deal now on the table, and Rich I said, that's our final offer. There's no deadline on it, but it'll be up to Adam. Where do you think this is going to end up?
Well, apparently the Dragons are about one hundred and fifty thousand more season than we are that they're apparently about five hundred thousand for each of the two years, and we're at three.
Hundred and fifty.
For where we stand as a club and what Adam has shown for us over the last couple of years, I think that's about the right offer. I'd go to probably four hundred thousand, but I don't think at this point in time we're a club that can really go much higher than that. And I don't want to take any credit away from what he did on the weekend. I thought he was fantastic on the weekend, But we have seen these sort of games from him in the past, and the consistency in that sort of role has been
the issue for him in the past. To go much higher than that, I want to see him playing at that level regularly, and we just haven't seen that from him yet. And that's to take nothing away from his last month of football. His last month of football has been excellent.
It's tough, Steve, I mean, I sort of changed my opinion on Adam. Do you every week you know, you know, every three weeks for the last year, But I know, like your cricket, so I just use a little cricket analogy, like he's a really good footballer. And when I say cricket is a really good cricket is it's not because they're good at one skill. It's because they're good at several skills with the fielding, bowling, batting, like Adam Dewey
has proved this year. He can be a decent center, he could be a decent lock, he can be good in the halves, he could be good off the bench. Like to me, the way the game's going, that sort of a player, maybe it is worth more than three out and fifty thou a year.
Yeah, I think it is. And the one thing you haven't mentioned there that I think it's hard to put a value on. But he's a Tiger. He loves the jersey, he loves the club, and he supports support the team when he was younger, and there's something in that. You know, when we've had a season where blokes have said they don't want to be part of the club and walk down on us to have a bloke actually wants to be there and his preference is to stay. Whether he'll
stay for less, I don't know. R There's got to be some value based on that though, that we're trying to build something and he does have the sort of mindset and attitude love for the club and the jersey that we're looking for. It is a hard one. I'm probably I'm probably agreeing with both of you. I think he's worth more than three fifty. Is he worth five hundred?
No?
Probably not. Would I pay up to five hundred probably close? Probably close from what I've seen, But more than from what I've seen. It's the versatility that he's providing now. That's where his value is, not his last month of footy or his last game on the weekend. It's that versatility that he could play thirteen for us, He can jump in at seven or six if we need it, and if it's gained specific as I said the other night, he can play fourteen for us if he's got the
attitude for it. You know, he's a pretty important guy on the roster actually, when you look at it like that. If he can maintain his form.
A couple I think Steve.
He has now called out Shane Richardson at least once in regard to his contract negotiations, and for me, that's not a guy that necessarily shows his love for the club in the correct manner, like going into press conferences and saying you'll have to speak to Rito about my contract and all those sort of comments. I don't think
is a really good look. And at this point, I think there's a couple of positions he could slide into in our squad next year, and if he's continuing the Hars continues, one of those is potentially the number seven jersey. But at this point he doesn't own any of those spots. And I'm of the belief that with Appy at the point in his career he is, that fourteen needs to be someone who can play hooker, and I don't think Adam can do.
That role for us.
So if he doesn't fit into that thirteen spot, if he doesn't fit into that seventh spot, and he is a backup in all of those positions, and I think would get plenty of games because he can play so many different positions, and pretty much anytime we have an injury, he comes into that squad. But I just don't know where he fits into that squad for next year, and that's why I'm reluctant to go five hundred thousand or higher, because I just don't know where he fits at this point in time.
I think your point on his attitude is a good one. But we know that about Adam, do you. We know that's what we're going to get from him, and he probably comes across a lot more or a lot ruder than it. It's probably meant to, you know. I dislike totally those times he said I'm a six and if I don't get six, I'm not interested.
Right.
That's that attitude is terrible, But I think that's part of the whole package with him. I think he believes in himself and he's got such a strength of character in going out there to prove himself. He does back himself and he doesn't shy away from blokes like rich A lot of people would run away from Richel. He's a pretty scary sort of dude, right, But I don't think Adam do He would. And I think a him said, well, you know, come on, come on, Richard, you show is
what you got type thing that's Adam doing. I'm not defending him really because I tend to agree with you, but I don't know. I just said enough throwing to think he's worth having in our squad. I'd do it at around I'd i'd pay four fifty. I'd go to four fifty.
I reckon one hundred percent. I won him here next year.
I think, like a month ago, I would have been happy with that one year deal at around the three hundred and fifty thousand. At that point, a lot of people were ready for it to just let him go. I'm actually quite happy they have extended that to a year based on the form that he has shown over the last month. But there has to be that kind of limit somewhere, and I think if he can get, especially a half spot at five hundred thousand at the Dragons, I think that's a very hard offer to kind of match.
But they're not offered him a half spot. That's the sticking point. They've told him.
He'll be actually spot here.
No, he potentially has a half spot here, but it's a little bit less money, So I guess there's a decision there for him to make.
In fairness to the Tigers and rich O Steve, like I'm just looking at it. Adam Dohoe has been with the club since twenty twenty, so this is his sixth season. Now, he's played eighty three games, and my rough math says total amount of games in six years is about one hundred and fifty, so he's played just over fifty percent of the games. Obviously it's not his fault he's getting injured, but the club has to look at things like that.
If you've had three acls and you're only twenty six years of age, the chances of doing another one again, i'd say, are still relatively high.
Yeah, well I heard. I don't know how correct this is. I just heard in conversation that when he went to the dragons before he fell, I mean that they did with him, you know. So there is that, and the club's got away and we don't know that that sort of stuff where any where any speculating.
Right, It's interesting. I'll just jump in stee was interesting. I was listening to Phil Goold's podcast tonight and I mean he was looked like he's swallowed a wasp. But anyway, he was talking about Adam Dewey and he actually sort of let slip that Adam Dewey had emailed the Bulldogs a few years ago offering his services because obviously he was his own manager, and he said he was offering himself for a lot more than he is now, and he said that the Bulldog's actually got mail that he
was very susceptible to an ACL. Then, I mean, he could just be talking crap field good, but he was basically saying we thought he was going to get injured. He did then go on to do his ACL. So it's like, you wonder what sort of background information there is from clubs out there, because it's not like there's seven or eight clubs sort of in the mixed bidding against each other.
At the moment.
It's probably a slightly desperate sir George, and that's that's.
Going to impact, you know, the negotiations. Maybe the club's got that in the back of their mind. Maybe they're proving to for me, maybe it's just maybe three fifty is a smart He's a smart move by the club.
And if you have a look at his form on the weekend and most of his form over the last month, if he was playing at that level consistently, he's that level player of the money he was asking three or four years ago, which is the eight hundred thousand dollars plus. That's if he was playing how he played on Sunday regularly and showing that every week, that's what he.
Would be worth. And there he's contractor.
Before the one of the Acel injuries was around that mark, he was up around that seven hundred eight hundred thousand. So he does have the potential to be that sort of player. He just hasn't shown it enough for me.
There's an argument Steve, and I don't necessarily agree with it, but I'm going to make an argument that he could be out. He's our player of the year. I know the obvious pick is Terrell May and Taruver's been great and Buller's been great, but I'm just looking through the games. I don't think we beat Cronulla if we don't have Adam Dewey. Obviously he kicked that penalty goal in overtime. I don't think we beat the Roosters without Adam Dewey, who was a late inclusion to the halfs had a
blinder that day. We certainly don't beat the Titans without Adam doing kicks a field goal with ten seconds to go, and maybe we would have beat the Dogs without him, but he was the best player by the length of the strait. So that's four games where I'd argue we've only won eight that he has been the difference in those games.
I think we were all really concerned about Adam deeing and will come in at the beginning of this season. Defensively, he's shown a real lack of application and desire to get his shoulder in there and you know, defend consistently. Well, he's turned that around this year. He's attacking. He showed like like in the wet picking up that loose ball and all those two runs right to get away. He showed some great speed. So you know, I don't know what he's done. He's been working on his game, got
himself super fit. Not sure what it is. Maybe it's a bit of mindset as well, but he has had a different different attitude and application this year and it's shown he's he's been a very good foot bar and yeah, just listening to you rattle those off, I think you're pretty close to being right. You know, like he's had a lot of impact for us. And at the end of the day, we've said we've said that we tend to lack a bit of impact, and he's a guy who has provided it.
Talking about his speed, Eddie's a gamble.
He'll know some horses are just mud runners, and I think he may just be a little bit of a mud runner because his pace was reasonable on the weekend. But talking about that change of application in defense, I think the biggest thing that highlights that for me, Steve is the Gold Coasts, not the Gold Coast the Bulldogs last try on the weekend, his effort to get him back there and almost saved that try.
I don't think we see that from him last year or the year before.
He's never really been that player that really chases down a ball like that or chases a guy that's made a break. And that's the big change in what I've seen in him this season is that that application to effort plays. It's always been the effort plays that I've had concerns about before this season, and credit where credits due, he has improved that massively this season.
And something else from the weekend to a nick point of this out on Sunday night when I'm not going to listen, then well steal it. This is actually a good one.
Monday night.
He's he mentioned the team getting into a huddle before they went off at halftime and Dey was commanding the conversation. And it's not the fact that he spoke, it's the fact that Luai and Appy let him speak. If I didn't respect him, that have had just jumped in and
talked over him. Right, that's the way it works. If you don't respect the bloke the if the other team members again aren't going to listen to the guy, they're not going to let him talk, but they let him have you say, and so it shows that the team that that's seventeen really respect him, and that's a positive as well.
It wasn't just that either though, Steve.
After the game he was getting his pitches taken with Loui and Taruva, and Louie and Taruva were actually praying in the center of the field and Adam Dewey joined them in that as well, just the three of them. And that there's been a little bit of a narrative around the club in certain parts about a little bit of a concern around the pacifica kind of click that may be forming in the club having a look at Adam Dewey on the weekend. He didn't look to be on the outside of any click at our club.
I saw Josh Reynolds quote Steve Sorry, it was justin Horro's quotes, and he was talking about Josh Reynolds because they do a show together, a podcast, and they were talking about Adam Dewey and Josh Reynolds basically said, there's no way Adam do He will want to be a
lock full time. So I think if that's Saint George's plan, I think he still might stay at the Tigers because I think he'll look at this last month and I reckon he won't make a decision till the end of the year because it's clear he's playing for a contract and he's adding value to his contract every week. The way he's going, he's playing really desperately and he's playing
good football. But he'll be looking at the next four weeks and going no reason if we can't keep winning, you know, four out of the last five and I started half back, that my dollars might go up a bit more and I could potentially be the halfback of it the Tigers or the Dragons.
Yeah, as long as he's prepared to accept the fact that la ju Fann who could shoot the lights out and then take the spot which puts him to thirteen.
I just shouldn't like that from the bench.
Well it is, but you know, he's he's shown that he's got it and I think has a lot of respect for him and is bringing him along at the pace of Benji thinks correct. So you know, I think there's a potential that he would get frustrated at the Dragons, but I'm saying I think there's potential that he could be frustrated for the same reasons here, but you know, he'd probably get a better shot out of here. I don't know Flannigan's going to let let his son out at number seven.
I think there'll be a decision in the next month. Gary. I think it might just slide on to the end of the season.
Yeah, I think if he got the offer he wants from us, I think he probably decide fairly quickly.
So I think, as he has said, that ball's probably in Shane Richardson's court a little bit. And I agree with you.
Like everything we've heard from him, I don't see him going to the Dragons to play thirteen if he can.
Get something else.
So I think what happens next really depends on what we do as a CLI. If he gets a slight increase on that offer, that may be enough for him to sign straight up. I think it's a little bit of a wait and see and comes down ultimately to what Jane Richardson decides to.
Do this World Series Rugby or whatever it is. Steve it could be to fly in the ointman, I've been reading a bit about it. It seems quite mysterious. But anything backed by the Saudi Investment Fund or whatever they are, they bankroll anything.
Yeah, there'll be some dollars in it. And there's also one team coming in and then another team coming in, then another team coming in. So there's not going to be any shortage of offers out there for decent NRL players over the next couple of years, that's for sure.
All right, boys, it's moved from Madam. Do we talk it a little bit of recruitment? Gary. There was some news dropping today. I think it's actually confirmed on the West Tiger's instagram that Maverick Guy, a son of Mark Guy, has signed for the club for one year is it or two?
It's a one year deal. I believe, so, yeah, just for next year. Apparently he wasn't off at a contract at all from Penriff and his moving across to the West Tigers next year. He's always been a player I thought had a little bit of potential. He's still quite young, so depending on the contract, as long as it's the
right contract, I'm not too disappointed with it. You and I did have a conversation earlier about that players, but I think he's he's a player that will possibly provide some for the club and mostly spend his time in him playing for the Magpies.
I think he debuted about the year ago. Just remember him having that huge contingent of mates out. It might have been Alliards or something Steve, but still pieces of the jigsaw you'd like to think with recruitment to come. We know, you know November December when crickets playing, there's things can drop out of the tree to real May did last year. So probably got to keep something up his sleeve for that because Sarry cap squeeze can happen at some clubs.
We need someone to drop out of the tree that's going to make a huge thump, right, We need to have big that elite, elite middle player to sign with the club. I don't know where he's going to come from, but year we need him. Yeah, the Maverick guy one. I think it's a good signing. Our back row is still going to be untested next year. I think Samuel Fine who is showing that he's got the goods to be good in the second rower. I don't know about Pierce Paul yet. I've seen a couple of good games
from him. Newcastle will just be let's see how he goes. But to have a back up there with Mattick Guy, I saw him playing earlier in the year and he looked looked okay without looking overly damaging. Especially another guy coming as well, isn't that.
Yeah guy from the from the Roosters as well. But the thing with Guy is I think he's an upgrade on guys we have in the top thirty at the moment. Like so, I'd much rather have someone like Maverick Guyer playing in our lower grades than Brendan Turmouth.
Okay, yeah, there was a post. I don't know, that might just be Facebook post says the West Tigers have taken advantage of the back row squeeze at the Roosters by landing one of the club's most promising forwards understood. Twenty year old Ethan Roberts has agreed to a two year deal with the Tigers from next season, where he will join the club alongside Penrith Backbrow at Maverick Guyer. So again a player that maybe Decan or some of the guys that watched the lowel grades regularly might know
a little bit about. But Gary we it seems like it's still like even I read something about, you know, Charlie Murray, we re signed him. I know, I don't think it was a top thirty contract, but I read something online that the Tigers are shopping him around, you know, the three weeks after they signed him. I get the same feeling with Tristan Hope. We signed him and I'm thinking should we have done that?
Yeah, I was a bit perplexed by both those signings at the time. But Charlie Murray's manager has come out in the last twenty four hours and said it's not true that the Tigers aren't shopping him around. So I
don't really know what's going on there. I could see a situation where he's on a development contract next year, and if one of the Super League clubs came in and offered him a good contract, then I could see why the Tigers may say let him go for a better opportunity, even despite having signed him like weeks ago. But like, I'm not too fussed either way. If he's here on a development contract, I'm okay with that. He's a fairly old player to really be using one of
your development spots on. But if they were release him to go playoffse where, I don't really have too much of an issue with that or either because I don't if he's seeing a lot of first grade next year, then we're in trouble. The thing I do like about Guy and the other other rumored signing is second row. Despite us bringing in Kay Piers Paul, is still an area where we lack depth. It's an area where as
soon as we get an injury, we're in trouble. So bring and a couple other guys to kind of improve that area. That was I think is a pretty smart idea.
Well, Steve, I've been in the lab, I've been doing my homework and I've just gone through the West Tyers players off contract at the end of twenty twenty five and twenty twenty six. We'll start with the twenty twenty five ones. Just give me a simple yes or no, or I'll give you one fifty to fifty if you're on the fence whether you would resign these players? Adam do you yes? Josh Feldy no? Justin Madame Moua no. Brent Naden fifty leaning towards now my new favorite player Brenton Charlie stains.
How happy were you when he was named on the weekend?
I was horrified, But after his celebration against the Bulldogs, I just find the fact that Brent Naden like he's a trial Steve and I'm a troll. So that's why I like him, because he has been in reserve grade and he managed to antagonize an entire fan base. So well done, Brandon Naden. Even though I don't think you should be playing for West Tigers next year, Charlie, but.
Anyway, we are happy with what he produced on the field on the weekend.
Did he did fine? He did fine much. I think the job. I think the swimming pool conditions probably help him on the dry track against Manly with Kohler in the centers, I'd be horrified, like what he could do to Brent Naden, but he didn't let us down on the weekend. No doubt he's got ability, but he's just never like you said Monday Night, Steve, he's never been consistent throughout his career and some of his off field antics has been part of the reason. I'm sure. Charlie
Staines No, Brandon Tuomoth Nope. All right, Gary, these are the guys off contract at the end of twenty twenty six, and I want you to say if you know, I say you get to November this year, where they'd be free to negotiate whether you would extend them, whether fifty to fifty or whether you put him through the shredder now, Jack Burt, No, so you only find it one hundred percent?
Yes, extension, Yeah, I'd extend him tomorrow.
Tristan Hope, No, Kitler Lily.
That that's a hard one.
I'm at this point I'm leaning to know because I don't think he's shown quite enough.
All right, I'll stay with you Gary for the rest of them, and Steve, you can jump into the end if you disagree with Gary on any of them. Lukely, Yes, I'd keep him Heith Mason, No.
Solomon Suduku No, despite him being on my trivia team at A what started this function?
I don't even know who that is. He's not in on top thirty, is he?
Yeah?
He is.
He has been for a couple of years. Wow, he was a development player a couple of years ago. I think he's now in the top thirty.
Steve smiling, it's good.
Good premp.
Uh Girass Skelfon, Yes, Toney Suka no.
Oh. I think he does have potential staff of tower. That's a.
I will say yes now, but I'd like to see him play a little bit more before the end of the year to see whether those defensive issues are going to kind of continue and whether he's lack of pogency in attack the last few weeks will improve.
So yes, I would, But yeah, I'm a little bit nervous about it. Steve.
Any issues with what Gary said that, No, no issues with that at all. But I do want to just mention Tristan Hope and bring it up again. I just don't get it, Hope. I just cannot see the reason and I just I just wrote down here as you guys were talking the impact of Bloke like Jacob Little and Billy Walters have both both those guys have for their prospective teams.
At the moment, it took us a big spot.
Yeah, when they come on and play that twenty five minutes or either side of halfway, or how however they choose to do it, Like Billy Waters plays less than half a game, and I would argue that could pick up Man of the match half the time he goes out there. The impact that guy has when he goes out there for the Broncos, and I just don't understand. I know we don't know everything, but we've let go a bloke who said he wanted to stay, had that
sort of impact but wanted to start. I get that for a guy that to me is filling at absolute best. I'm really concerned about that for next year.
Yeah, I don't want appy.
I think we've spoken about it a lot over the last couple of years, and I think we're saying it last year. We don't really want happy playing eighty minutes a game. I think there's some weeks where you're needing to. I think there's certain games you go into you want to have us lightly different bench rotation and.
Miss one Gary was perfect big game leading.
Road yep, you and you playing a pack like the Dogs. You want that extra forward there. So there's certain weeks where you're playing eighty minutes, but there's some weeks where you don't. Like there's a lot of weeks. You don't want to be playing him eighty minutes. You want to be playing him sixty minutes.
And all Hope really provides you is a body to give Happy arrest. That's it.
I want someone who can come on and have some impact. And I watched that Pendriff game Steve and I went out to it. No, Steve wasn't there. I went out to the Pendriff game at Combank, and Happy, just before he came off, was getting really tired and starting to fall off tackles and he needed a break.
The problem was we put Hope on and he was falling off more.
Tackles than Appy was when he was dead tired after playing a really high impact game where he actually he played his heart out for sixty minutes. The guy that came on to replace him was playing worse. And I don't want to lose something when Appy goes off. I know we're not going to have a Happy on the field. But someone with a bit of speed around the rack, someone can provide some point of difference other than just being.
A warm body. So appy can go sit on the bench for twenty minutes. I think we need more than that.
My last little bit of research I did, Steve just for you tonight. I went through the twenty twenty five off contract and it's slim pickings. But I'm going to give you three answers. You can say none, you can say slight, or you can say yes. Say if you have any interest in some of these players. Might not have hurt of some of them, but anyway, Felice.
Cafusi, Felice Cafusi, slight.
From the Knights, Adam Elliott and Tyson Frazzell.
Adam Elliott, Yes, Tyson Frazzell. David Klemmeruh, Gary.
That would be a West Tigers move, though, wouldn't it Release in one year and signing.
I think the UK is calling mister Clemo, even though he's had a very good career. Gary, Mark Nichols and the Dolphins. No Takiaho from Manly. I know he's old, but he's been playing all right for them upfront. Yeah, I'd consider it for one year, and I can't read the writing of the last one, So we're not going to bother with that. But boys like you said, Steve, I think maybe the strategy, I don't know if it's a wise strategy that came off last year. Maybe the
strategy is to wait and see. Because do you still think we are two middle short of being potential top eight side next year?
Yeah?
I think we're too two dynamic forwards short. And you could say two middles, you could still say one middle, one edge player. You know, I'm just throwing this name out of the first one say, but I kick out for example, the impact that guy has on a football game. You know, I'd just go there. We've got to have tons of money, I'd.
Go there's rumors about him a little bit that he could be one of them that gets squeezed out.
Well, mate, if that was the case, I would be onto him so quickly. Wouldn't be funny. We've got to have a war chest of money somewhere, right because we haven't spent it yet, and I'd be finding I'd be fining anyone I could that might be semi interested in coming to this club and throwing a ton of money at them and absolutely the middle, and I'd be happy to say two middles, or if not two middles and one middle and an edge back rower that was going to be dynamic.
That that's the thing, the one thing that gives me a little bit of hope moving into the off season, the recruitment, because I think we've been pretty good at picking up players who have fallen out of clubs in the past twelve months, mainly the two Mays, but I think we've done a very good job when when a guy in an area of need has come loose at the club, we've got him across and I think we've
done well using Drome Lui in that situation. And once Terrell was here, we use Terrell to get his brother here. And I know those were probably beneficial circumstances for us, but that's what those circumstances are.
When a guy falls out of.
A club, and I'm hopeful that we can kind of pick up someone that the right person falls out of a club and we can pick them up for next season. Hopefully, as they said, a nice big front row who can play some decent minutes but cause some impact through the middle of the field.
Taylor May Steve, it's a tricky one. I watched his podcast today with his brother, quite an intense podcast if you get to watch it in the next couple of weeks. But that's a bit of a tricky one for the club because he could now you know, the Tigers have taken the head and give him a training trial and he's proved that he's clearly a very good RL player. So there could be seven or eight clubs in for him. You know, we might get a little bit of a
brother discount, but we might not. Is there Do you have a figure on what we should offer May and how many years or it's hard to know.
Yeah, I think clubs are going to come after him for sure. I don't think he's a huge risk to leave. I think he's I think he's pretty cemented to Benji and the opportunity that Benji has given him. He said, yeah, I had listened to it as well. He loves playing with his brother and they mentioned that they'd love to get the third brother from from the UK across as well. So I think he's pretty glued into the club as far as how much and for how long a couple
of year contract offer him. I don't know what are your players center like a dynamic center of him? Is he is he out around the five hundred thousand mark.
I don't know.
I'm guessing. I don't know what they're worth. He you know, i'd pay him good money because he's he's going to be an impactful player for us. The thing with that that worries me and listening to that podcast is I don't I just don't know how rock solid he's going to be. You know, it wouldn't surprise me to see him go off the rails pretty easily, right.
He mentioned how he mentioned just how sore his body was, which was interesting, Like I think Gary and a couple have said, you know, with surprised he got the first grade so early, but having been out of contact for so long, and I think he's probably I know it was really difficult conditions Gary for any outside backs on the weekend, but I think he's probably the last couple of weeks it might have just hit him a little bit that it's this has all come pretty quickly.
Yeah, maybe he played a game and a half of reserve grade. So he played a game and a half in about two years before he made his deboo.
For us, So.
I would expect him to be sore, because it doesn't matter how hard you train off the field, the physical toll your body goes through on the field is completely different to anything you can replicate at home by yourself, and he was at home by himself. So yeah, I don't think that side of it's surprising, but I think
Steve is exactly right. No matter what way you paint it, it's still not a risk free signing, So I think there's got to be a little bit of probably a discount with that kind of in mind that you are still taking a risk on this guy. He's not that far out of the troubles he had in the past, and I think he's making a really strong goal of
turning them around. And I've seen bits and pieces of that podcast, and I was I like how open and honest he was about his issues, and the first thing you have to do to kind of get past those issues.
And you don't have to be open and honest on a pod like he was, but being open and honest with yourself about where you are as a person and where you are in life is really crucial, and he seems to have that, so hopefully he can make a fist of this opportunity because another big stuff up, he probably doesn't get another opportunity.
So I thinker's crossed for him.
Yeah, i'd echo those remarks, the fingers crossed for the guy, because he does come across as a really likable guy who wants to get his act together. The opposite could be true as well, you know, like this could be the best thing that's ever happened for him, you know, like to be playing with his brother, and it's obvious, it's obvious that there's a strong bond there, to be playing for a coach that he respects, to be in amongst a group of mates that he really gets on
with and feels a part of. He says every day is a challenge for him, that every getting up and being happy and content is a challenge. So maybe the West Tigers is that safe place for him. Maybe the West Tigers is exactly what needs and I really hope it is. I'd love to see it, you know, obviously for the club's perspective, i'd love to see it, but you know, just listening to him, I'd love to see it for him too.
Yeah, I think that's crucial for him. Steve, he may not get the support that he has at the West Tigers at another club. The leaders of our team, Like he's got his brother there who's known him all his life. But the other leaders in our team, guys like Happy, Jerome Law, these are all guys that have known him for a long time, so that they're all from that
Mount Druid area. They all came through together. Not necessarily he's a little bit younger than those guys, but his older brothers played played with those guys as well, so he's been around those guys for a long time. And I don't know that he gets that support at another club from that long term kind of base that he has with them. So I think this is probably the best place for him to be to get that opportunity to make those improvements that he's trying to make in his life.
It was an interesting contrast because a lot of those Penrith boys, Gary are you know, they're pretty loud and brash, and like Jerome and Happy and Taruva and even Terrell, his older brother, is a pretty you know, like he will tell you what he thinks, where if Taylor struck me. He's very introverted, quite shy.
Yeah.
I think I've mentioned before, like I used to teaching them out through an area. I've had interactions with the family for a long time and he always came across as a little bit quieter than the other two boys.
So yeah, I just think the interesting point out of that, Gary is that you know, they've they've they're both now going to church regularly and they've sought solace and a whole lot of different areas. And it's taken them years and years and years obviously to get over the influence that you had on them at an early age.
Mate.
Yeah, that's exactly what it is. One of them had to move to England to get away from it.
I've been going to church lately, Steve, as well most people. Yeah, all right, boys, I think we'll leave it there because there's no game this weekend. There's no quiz. But what are you going to do with yourself, Steve? With no game on the weekend. I love by weeks, especially coming off a win, means I can be happy for two weeks.
Yeah, I'm just going to sit and watch a whole lot of football games. But you know, now, this ridiculous part of me starts.
Becomes another rantity.
Yeah, I know, this ridiculous part of me starts to come out because because we had one win, I'm now thinking we can make the eight. So now I'm watching every single game thinking.
Have you got that list of things that need to go our way? Yeah? De pin that to your wall, haven't you?
And look if I can, just if I can, just if you'll just taking on for a minute. Now, I've got to go and hope that the Roosters beat the Dolphins. And I've never hoped that the Roosters beat anyone ever, So I'm I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. That's how I'm going to spin my weekend.
I cansole this for you, Steve, We're not making the You know what, what.
If the Dolphins had lost on the weekend and those three teams are all on nine wins with our run home, the ninth place dream is alive, Steve. The ninth place dream is alive.
And he's been riding us all the way to the Wooden Spoon all season. He's just looking he's looking right up.
I'll say it now. We will not get the Wooden Spoon. So first time I could confirm it this year, Steve, I've been I've been like you, but i've been watching all the bottom teams all year.
As you know, that's really good. And he just said that's a real risk of taking it. It's like that bloke who said we couldn't take the game home. The guy's on the forum the other night that we couldn't run, couldn't get fat the game home.
Mate.
We were leaving twenty eight to eight with sixty seconds to go. I think we're taking the game home, but.
I'm you know, it's scarred supporters. That was the same as I'm sure many Tigers fans Gary. When we scored the last try twenty six eight, I'm thinking, please kick the goal, do we otherwise they could come back and beat us.
Yeah, Jordan was sitting behind me and said the exact same thing.
So all right, boys, Well it's been a joyous podcast tonight. We hope to be back Sunday night. Joel will be back. But good to have a weekend off and nice to celebrate a win. So thank you boys, excus guys, thanks boys.
Enjoying the game