- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The confirmation last week that Jamal Idris had committed to a one year deal with the Wests Tigers was the best news I have heard from the club in a long time.
Jamal provides size, strength, the ability to penetrate in attack and generate fear as a defender. He has played an Origin game for NSW and also for the Kangaroos.
His jaw-dropping defensive hits where he “blindsides’ his opponent are worth looking up on YouTube to remind yourself of how devastating he can be.
As Jason Taylor said in the media statement these are areas that Wests Tigers can improve on in our outside backs.
I would go further and say that the Tigers have been lacking size and controlled aggression across the park for some time.
It is not just what Jamal offers on the field that excites me. His return to rugby league if successful will provide enormous off field benefits to both the club and NRL.
Idris has a huge presence and charisma with the ability to attract and engage fans both young and old. It is no coincidence that the Wests Tigers started using him in their membership drive from the moment the signing was announced.
In an era where NRL players are becoming more like cardboard cutouts with cliche-driven responses he is one of the few players that provides a point of difference.
Jamal has the potential to generate positive media, sponsors and gain supporters for the club after some lean years in terms of public relations.
The son of a Nigerian father and Aboriginal mother he has recently returned after travelling the world amid reports of him being kidnapped and then escaping in Ho Chi Minh City.
Jamal is not your average NRL player and that is why his appeal is broad.
Watching his debut for the Bulldogs after he represented the Australian Schoolboys it was obvious he was going to be something special.
Idris was also a world ranked junior javelin thrower and potential Olympian.
Jamal’s detractors say he is ‘different’ as if it is a negative thing. Bring on the ‘different’ I say!
For every few Cameron Smiths let’s have a Jamal to add diversity in our game. It can only help grow the rugby league supporter base outside of traditional demographics.
There is of course a very large elephant in the room that I haven’t addressed. This is Jamal’s fourth club and in 2015 he walked out on Penrith due to personal reasons.
It would be fair to say his form has been inconsistent during his career hence the one appearance only for NSW and Australia respectively, He appears to lose interest and focus in training and his form suffers.
To borrow a well worn media cliche Jamal has arrived at the last chance saloon.
I have a gut feeling, and that’s all it is, that eighteen months away from the game, travelling and soul searching will be a turning point and Idris will become the player he always promised to be.
There has been fan talk of Wests Tigers wasting money on a troubled player. I would be surprised if his one-year deal commanded huge dollars.
The benefits for the club if he is successful greatly outweigh the cost of him ending up in NSW Cup or walking away if it doesn’t work out.
The relationship forged during their time at Penrith, between Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe and Idris appears to be a factor in his choice of club.
Earlier this year Jamal said that he missed the theatre of big games in the NRL that made his spine tingle while he was away.
Let’s hope the ‘theatre’ of Leichhardt, Campbelltown and ANZ can keep him motivated.
The only one that knows if this will be a success is Jamal Idris. It will be his mindset not his ability that will determine the outcome.
The rest of us will find out in March 2017 and I can’t wait.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.