In recent seasons the Wests Tigers have had problems all the way from the front office to the backline. Unfortunately for the Tigers’ faithful, it doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.
Last season – 14th
Seven wins, 17 losses, 413 points scored, 571 points against
Last five seasons
15th, 13th, 15th, 9th, 14th
2017 review
2017 was over before it began for the Tigers, with coach Jason Taylor being sacked after three rounds, and three of the club’s biggest players in James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Aaron Woods all taking up contract offers elsewhere. In Week 6, Ivan Cleary walked into what was a circus.
It was an awful season for the Tigers really, when you consider they finished 2016 in ninth place, and had a number of younger players expected to take the team to the next level.
Once the turmoil died down, the team actually played pretty well in the back half of the year under Ivan Cleary, without getting many results to show for it.
However, that still can’t mask the fact it was a sixth straight season outside the finals, at a time when things were expected to be looking up.
2018 gains
Mahe Fonua (Hull – 2019), Tyson Gamble (Redcliffe – 2019), Pita Godinet (Sea Eagles), Benji Marshall (Broncos – 2018), Ben Matulino (Warriors – 2020), Chris McQueen (Titans – 2020), Taane Milne (Dragons – 2019), Russell Packer (Dragons – 2021), Josh Reynolds (Canterbury – 2021), Robbie Rochow (Storm – 2019), Corey Thompson (Widnes – 2019),
2018 losses
Matt Ballin (retired), Justin Hunt (retired), Jamal Idris (retired), Jordan Rankin (Huddersfield), Ava Seumanufagai (Sharks), James Tedesco (Roosters), Aaron Woods (Bulldogs), Joel Edwards, Jack Littlejohn, Kyle Lovett (Leigh Centurions), Moses Suli (Bulldogs).
The Tigers virtually have a new side in 2018 with plenty of salary cap space freed up by the departures of Tedesco, Moses and Woods.
They have taken an interesting path with the signings of a number of older/experienced type players that were perhaps in need of a fresh start. Josh Reynolds was the Tigers’ biggest signing and will be expected to form a stable partnership with Luke Brooks.
The Tigers have overpaid for Reynolds who is clearly a risk on a four-year deal given his recent spate of calf and hamstring injuries. However he is the sort of inspirational and popular figure the club perhaps needed to try and build a new culture.
Reynolds, Chris McQueen and Ben Matalino all played in struggling sides last season and all three experienced some injuries and average form.
I really like the signing of Russell Packer as he is a reformed character and will add much-needed aggression to the forward pack. The club won’t miss Woods greatly as he was a poor leader, and they have enough depth in their forward pack in 2018. However, they will clearly miss Tedesco who is a game breaker and a dynamic fullback, and is impossible to replace.
James Tedesco (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
Head coach – Ivan Cleary
Last season Cleary was picking up the pieces really. He could hardly be judged either way on what the side produced. Now he has made a number of signings and reshaped the roster somewhat how he wanted, so fans will be expecting things to be on the up.
The good thing about Cleary is he has achieved similar mass rebuilding jobs at both the Warriors and Panthers.
He is used to working from the ground up and, at a club like the Tigers, that’s the only way at the moment given they have missed the finals the past six seasons. I don’t expect much pressure to be on Cleary this year. However, there is pressure on some of his recruits to deliver, and if they don’t, the Tigers will have an ageing roster with recruits that are perhaps past their best.
Ivan Cleary (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Most important player – Luke Brooks
It’s time for Brooks to step up, having played virtually four full seasons in the NRL. He would be the first to admit he has fallen a long way below expectations the past few years, after some outstanding performances in his debut season.
Brooks will control the team this season, with Reynolds acting as a roving five eighth, and he needs to fire if the Tigers are any shot of doing something.
If he’s quiet Brooks may struggle to retain his place at halfback, with club legend Benji Marshall lurking in the shadows, and rumours Nathan Cleary would like to play under his father when off contract in 2020.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Best 17
1. Tui Lolohea 2. Corey Thompson 3. Esan Masters 4. Thane Milne 5. David Nofoaluma 6. Josh Reynolds 7. Luke Brooks 8. Russell Packer 9. Matt McIlwrick 10. Ben Matulino 11. Elijah Taylor 12. Chris Lawrence 13. Matthew Eisenhuth
14. Chris McQueen 15. Alex Twal 16. Sauaso Sue 17. Josh Aloiai
2018 verdict – 15th
I love my Tigers, but it’s really hard to see them turning it around this season, given they lost three of their best players in the off-season.
While they have added depth to their roster, their top 17 looks to be close to the weakest in the competition in terms of quality in key positions and strike power.
Tui Lolohea is not a proven fullback and it’s impossible to replace someone of the quality of James Tedesco, while their halves in Brooks and Reynolds will need to build a combination, and their main hooker Jacob Liddle is only very young and coming off shoulder surgery.
Their forward pack can likely compete quite well, the likes of Alex Twal, Matt Eisenhuth and Josh Aloiai could really surprise teams with their size and strength.
However, their backline lacks class, speed, and anyone who can really turn a game. In key positions, only Reynolds is an established player, and Brooks has never lived up to the hype.
Expect a season of less drama for the Tigers, and a physical and competitive team, but one lacking the strike power to really worry many sides. That said, I’m prepared to give Cleary a couple of seasons to turn things around for a club that has struggled mightily of late.
They will avoid the spoon, but won’t win more than seven or eight games.
Eddie’s ladder
15th: Wests Tigers
16th: New Zealand Warriors
Mr Brown
Roar Pro
100%. His slow play the balls are ignored by the experts.
Al
Guest
I think the start of the season will be rough for the tigers with the draw they have got....
Eddie Otto
Roar Guru
The Barry I am hoping Cleary plays him as a roving type player. I think he will bring plenty to the club int arms of spirit and culture. However his style of play can be a bit haphazard. He is certainly not an 800k type player which is what the club has paid. Anyway beggars can't be choosers.
Richard Powell
Guest
Yeah. Why not? Ivan has the makings of a champion team in the making, and we all know about champion teams and what they do to a team of champions. By the time Nathan comes on board in 2020 they should come close to another premiership. (I'd love to get a bet on that Nathan will be a West Tiger in 2020. It's 100 to 1 ON, that he won't be a Panther. The only other fly on the wall would be Nick Politis after Cronk hangs up his boots after 2019.)
Albo
Guest
Cleary is not a miracle worker. Once he finds a handy "spine' things might improve, but I can't see that for 2018.
Fred
Guest
They will be first. They are a whole fleet of nuclear stealth bombers flying under the radar.
JOHNY BULLDOG
Roar Rookie
Woods will only improve at the Doggies with more capable forwards by his side to assist.
Albo
Guest
Woods' big positive is that he is strong with the ball into the tackle and has an offload that most other props in the game lack. If he has a few rovers backing him up at the Dogs this year, we may see some more 2nd phase play that has been missing for awhile at the Dogs.
Fred
Guest
Great recruitment. We've gone for a champion team instead of a team with a couple of champions. I'm on the bus. The Tigers are guaranteed premiers this year. In Ivan We Trust!
Fred
Guest
Tigers will be premiers this year, no doubt at all. We finally have players competing for spots (all over the park) instead of the same old 17 week in week out.
Matt
Guest
Woods might make the metres but the player taking the ruck after him is severely hampered because of the slow play the ball. I started to do some numbers on it last year but got too frustrated watching the Tigers playing. They were awful to watch. TB have a look at how set the defensive line is after a Woods run. There is very little dummy half running after one of his hit ups as well. He stands in the tackle and makes post contact metres but it is a false stat because of the time taken to play the ball. Factor in that referee also has taken the defensive line back his 10 metres and Woods creeps two metres forward to play the ball and the defense is onto the attack even quicker.
Paul
Roar Guru
The Tigers are one side where the start of the season really will determine how they go for the rest of the year. No, they won't make the 8, but if they start playing good, confident football early on, they'll be tough to beat, especially at Leichardt. If Brooks in particular starts poorly, the side will obviously struggle as he's a confidence player. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Tigers finish as high as 9th or as low as 15th.
Greg Ambrose
Guest
Woods is a regular choice as front row in the Australian team and although the team is chosen by the selectors I can't imagine that Cameron Smith in particular along with JT and co would have no influence in this selection. If they thought he was as average as the public does in general he wouldn't be there in my opinion.
Fred
Guest
Yep, Packerlino is better than Woods and a nobody
Greg Ambrose
Guest
Last year would have been hard for any 5/8 at the Dogs for sure. I would rate Reynolds number one in the game for a stat that doesn't exist but is along the lines of seeing and acting on chances to attack in broken play that others don't see. At times nothing is happening but Reynolds was holding back and staying deep ready to strike because he could read the play. Thank god Haslers style didn't work because nobody would be watching if that was the way to win.
Nat
Roar Guru
A reasonably fair piece considering they are your team Eddie. It must be hard to acknowledge a 15th place outcome through personal bias. I tend to agree with most but you'll find Woods as big as loss as Tede, insofar as for al of Tede's brilliance, nearly half of the big props meters came post contact then his offloads adds more meters down the park. To date, Packer (or most other big men for that matter, JT13/Gallen aside) has not met his standards. Reynolds is a competitor as is Lolohea. Brooks, I believe, is warming the seat for son to join father but you have Benji there to assist the halves as he did for the Broncos. Good luck to them but 15th is about right.
souvalis
Guest
Ben Matulino is far more skillful and industrious than Packer..Clearys best signing..
The Barry
Roar Guru
I think that’s definitely part of it but it begs the question that if Packer is so much tougher than Woods, playing fresher than Woods and sharing the load rather than being a lone hand, why is his contribution less in pretty much every stat, even on a per minute basis...?
Nat
Roar Guru
Woods does get a lot of flak because of his perceived "softness" but his stats are hard to ignore. I liken him to a 'poor mans Petro'. You couldn't meet a gentler giant and it's hard to think of a time he raised his fists in anger but his meters, PC meters and offloads are noticed by those that matter. Petro, as part of th Broncos shone and I think the Dogs pack/team will be the better for him too.
peeko
Guest
you could argue that Woods was more of a lone hand at the togers and that Dragons shared the load amongst Vaughan, Packer, Sims and Leeson?