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Tigers' 'Big Four' is about spirit, not talent

Stick with it, Tigers fans, it may be worth it in the long-run. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Roar Guru
25th March, 2017
14

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Tigers supporters. One of our best players has been deregistered in the most unflattering circumstances.

We’ve suffered two debilitating losses to the Panthers and the Raiders.

And, of course, we’ve lost our coach.

Whatever you think of Jason Taylor, there’s nothing more precarious than a team without a coach.

In light all that, it’s not surprising that the so-called Big Four has come under additional scrutiny.

In the absence of a dependable coaching and management presence, James Tedeso, Luke Brooks, Mitch Moses and Aaron Woods have had to provide what little bedrock of stability the team has.

As a result, critiques of the team have tended to focus on critiques of these four players.

In some ways, however, that’s not really fair.

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For one thing, you can’t expect four players – however good – to compensate for coaching and managerial chaos.

At the same time, the Big Four was never just about talent.

Sure, Tedesco may be the most innovative fullback in the competition.

Sure, Woods may be regarded as one of the most reliable props in the competition.

But nobody in their right mind would claim that Moses and Brooks have reached the top tier of halves pairings in a consistent way.

Instead, the Big Four is more about spirit and potential.

For one thing, all four players have represented the Tigers for their entire careers.

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Luke Brooks argues about having to leave the field with concussion

But, as any footy fan will know, the connections go much deeper than that.

Brooks and Moses have been working together ever since they were at high school, where they played first and second receiver with Holy Cross Rhinos.

Tedesco, too, has a rich connection with the Tigers’ heritage, having started Year 7 at St. Gregory’s in Campbelltown as Chris Lawrence was completing Year 12 .

He also played alongside David Nofoaluma for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the Harold Matthews Cups.

In addition, Tedesco turned down a more lucrative opportunity at the Raiders in order to remain with Brooks, Moses and Woods.

Time and again, these players have articulated their need to grow and mature together.

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That kind of synergy is rare in the NRL.

In the absence of Robbie Farah, it seems even more powerful.

While the Big Four may have talent then, they’re not primarily about talent.

Nobody would argue that they bear much resemblance to the Storm’s Big Three, or to the Warriors’ up-and-coming Big Three.

Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith are three of the best players ever to have graced the field, while Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck are a largely untested entity, a hypothesis that hasn’t yet been proven or disproven.

The Tigers’ Big Four is a different thing entirely – a group of players who have recaptured the local spirit and synergy of a club that seemed to be suffering an identity crisis for much of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Even if they were to be replaced by brilliant players from elsewhere, their departure would therefore feel like something of a setback.

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No other current NRL spine has the same potential to galvanise club identity over the next few years if only the coaching and management gets it right.

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