2024 - Season Expectations / Hopes

I expect to be singing the club song on Grand Final day with a bottle of Kinnie in my hand.

 
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Which of our players are of NRL Top 8 standard ?
Bula - No at the moment, but has the scope to improve enough to be a Yes in 2024.
Staines - Yes in my opinion.
Tupou - No, but potentially Yes. Hoping he’s motivated enough to be the best version of himself in 2024.
Alaimalo - Obviously No at this stage, but has the scope to become a real x-factor and potentially a top 8 quality player in 2024.
To’a and Naden - No, but both have the talent to be a Yes if they play to their ability on a regular basis.
Olam - No on last seasons form, but a definite Yes if he gets back close to his best.
Sezer - No from me, but hoping he proves me wrong.
Sullivan - No on exposed form, but a definite Yes on talent. Let’s hope he fulfils his talent in 2024.
Latu Fainu and Galvin - Obviously both No at this stage due to their young age and inexperience. Both have the talent to really explode onto the NRL scene at any time and become a top 8 quality halve that we require.
Seyfarth - No, but I believe he’s extremely under rated, under valued and hopeful that 2024 will be his breakout season. Potentially a Yes.
Pole - No, but not far off being a Yes with natural improvement in 2024.
Twal - Yes in my opinion. Never lets us down and I believe he would easily slot onto the bench in most top 8 teams.
Samuela Fainu - No, but could become a Yes quickly with the talent he possesses.
Klemmer - Yes from me if he can replicate his form throughout the first three quarters of season 2023.
Utoikamanu - Yes from me based on his size, mobility and talent. No doubt he needs to show it on a more regular basis.
Keparoa - No, hoping for a big improvement from him in 2024.
Bateman - No from me based on his disappointing second half of 2023, but he no doubt has the talent to be a Yes if he plays tough and displays what he’s capable of on a regular basis.
Papali’i - Yes from me. I thought he showed some very good signs in stages throughout 2023.
Korisau - Yes
Simpkin - No, but under rated and still improving.
Da Silva - No due to his age and inexperience. Could become a Yes very quickly.
 
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innsaneink said:
How can you rate a player in relation to a ladder position finish?
I've never seen the question asked
Click to expand...
I’m stating whether or not I believe each of our players are of top 8 standard based on their individual ability.
The point of it is, we should obviously be making the top 8 if we have a team consisting of players that are mostly top 8 standard in way of their own individual ability.
Alternatively it’s a big ask to make the top 8 if we have less than half our players with top 8 ability individually.
 
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Vicious said:
I’m stating whether or not each of our players are of top 8 standard based in their individual ability.
The point of it is, we should obviously be making the top 8 if we have a team consisting of players that are mostly top 8 standard in way of their own individual ability.
Alternatively it’s a big ask to make the top 8 if we have less than half our players with top 8 ability individually.
Click to expand...
You can’t rate players that way, cos individually, any of them could go to another club and be a revelation.
 
GNR4LIFE said:
You can’t rate players that way, cos individually, any of them could go to another club and be a revelation.
Click to expand...
It’s simply how I see them in terms of their ability while playing for Wests Tigers.
Obviously not everyone will agree with my ratings, but as you can see I only rate 6 of our current squad as currently having top 8 standard ability individually, however believe almost all of them have ability to make the necessary improvements to become top 8 standard players in 2024 should things go to plan.
To put it simply, if only 6 of our players remain to be playing a top 8 standard in 2024, we will run last again.
Alternatively if plenty of the others step up and maximise their ability, we should be making the top 8.
 
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My main wish is that this squad can demonstrate "sustained improvement" to our fan base over the entire season. Beating the Cowboys last year may have been a season highlight but, in my view it did not translate into "sustained improvement" by the club over the following weeks and eventually rebounded into our biggest thrashing next time we played them. That really was a false dawn.
If we can improve on set completions, unforced errors and other key performance stats the wins surely will start to come our way.
The other concern is getting a fair go from the referees, not suggesting it's deliberate but, I think some whistle blowers have a subliminal fear of presiding over upsets.
 

Article: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild.​


Mark St John from Fox Sports
March 5th, 2024 8:06 am

Api Koroisau admits the captaincy was a steep learning curve in his first season at the Tigers, but he remains driven to bring the success of his years at Penrith to the reigning wooden spooners.

In a wide-ranging interview with foxsports.com.au, Koroisau opened up on the challenges of being Tigers skipper, the hurt of winning the wooden spoon and his plans for the future of the club.

The veteran hooker also lifted the lid on the Tigers’ exciting recruits and arguably their greatest signing in Jarome Luai, who will join the club in 2025, as well as a freak of nature that is already on their books.

CAPTAINCY
Koroisau admits he was naive about how much goes into being an NRL captain before taking over the job in 2023.

“I didn’t realise that there is a bit more responsibility that comes with being a captain than just playing football and trying to lead on the field,” Koroisau told foxsports.com.au.

“But it was actually a great learning curve. I love the responsibility that came with being captain and you find out so much more about yourself and other people.

“It was cool and I can definitely take a lot out of that first year.”

Of all the challenges of the captaincy, Koroisau counts knowing when to be one of the boys and when to lay down the law as the toughest.

“The most challenging thing for me is being on all the time when you are around the boys,” Koroisau said.

“I am a larrikin. I’m actually a piss taker, so having to find that fine line of when to be professional and when to play around a bit too much.

“It has been pretty good this year, but that is the biggest challenge.”

But with the challenges comes the rewards and seeing the club improve across a wide range of areas under his leadership is an amazing feeling to him.

“It is definitely implementing changes around the place,” Koroisau said.
Api Koroisau took time to understand his role as Tigers captain.
Api Koroisau took time to understand his role as Tigers captain. Source: Getty Images

“Having a voice to say something and everyone listens and then changes actually happen around the place, so that is the most rewarding thing.”

Finding the balance between leading the Tigers and being a family man was the hardest part of being captain, after the club picked up their second straight wooden spoon.

“I wouldn’t say it has been harder than I expected, but I guess there is just more on your plate,” Koroisau said.

“It is just about trying to balance everything because obviously you have got a family life at home and a lot of times you take your work home with you.

“I think because last year was so hard in terms of footy that you go home thinking about what you can do better and trying to help people, so it is just trying to find that fine line.”

Koroisau admits he tried to do too much in his first year as captain and now is focused on playing his role and empowering his players to do theirs.

“I was still stuck in that stage of how do I help everyone,” Koroisau said.

“I think I got caught up in that a bit too much. I was just trying too much and trying too hard trying to figure things out when maybe it is easier to simplify things and just remember that I have got to do my job first and stop trying to do everyone else’s as well.”

WOODEN SPOON

In a team sport there is no greater disappointment than winning the wooden spoon in the NRL and Koroisau admits he struggles to think about last season.

“You can put an emoji on my face, a vomit one,” Koroisau joked.

“It is hard to put into words because it was very disappointing, but it is what it is and we will just try and move forward from now on. You have to just dump it and move on.”

Koroisau struggles to put his finger on his emotions after coming last, but is excited that by what he has seen from his team in the pre-season.

“It is a strange feeling to be honest,” Koroisau said.

“I think everyone is really keen on playing their first game. You talk about hunger and I think we have just started from the beginning again.

“It is such a good feeling at the moment that everyone only cares about doing the simple things and knowing that the process is going to get us where we want to go.

“We don’t have to worry about where we are going to finish or all that kind of stuff, so it is pretty cool that everyone understands their role.

“This is our jobs and everyone is buying in, which is the most impressive thing.”

Koroisau wants the Tigers to focus on the first game and that first win and not look too far ahead.

“Yeah 100 per cent we want to start off well,” Koroisau said.

“It is really important to get some wins, but our focus is going to be on the first game and then and go from there.”
Koroisau is driven to reverse the club’s wooden spoon seasons.
Koroisau is driven to reverse the club’s wooden spoon seasons.Source: Supplied

NEW COACH BENJI
Koroisau is excited by the coaching change that has seen Benji Marshall take the reins and revealed the Tigers boss is not always easy to read.

“He is great and his personality is actually quite hard to pick,” Koroisau said.

“He is actually quite funny and makes a lot of jokes, but when he is serious he is serious.

“But the hard thing to pick is sometimes when he is joking around he does the fake serious, so it is hard because you don’t know if he is serious or not, but it makes things lighter around here, which is good.”

He may now have the whistle, but Koroisau revealed Marshall has lost none of his footwork from his playing days.

“He stepped the hell out of my like two days ago,” Koroisau said.

“Right foot, I was coming over in cover and he just went bang, cya later.

“So it was mad. It was actually quite cool and like a dream as he went past me. It was cool.

“It was a humbling experience, but it sort of showed me how great of a player he was.

“I think he is nearly 40 years old and he is still doing that now, so I can’t even imagine what he was doing in his prime.”
Benji Marshall has a funny side as a coach.
Benji Marshall has a funny side as a coach. Source: News Corp Australia

RECRUITS
In a bid to get off the bottom of the ladder, the Tigers have brought in a new halves pairing of Aidan Sezer and Jayden Sullivan to the club in 2024 and Koroisau has liked what he has seen from the pair of playmakers.

“We have got some new guys here like Jayden Sullivan and Aidan Sezer who have been great,” Koroisau said.

“Aidan has got great control and he has got a great kicking game as well.

“He is a leader. He is a lot older than a lot of the boys, so he added a great amount of experience and helped the younger boys.

“Jayden is just electric and he can do anything from anywhere.

“He is actually quite mature when it comes to playing footy. He knows when to bide his time and he has got a great kicking game as well.”

Koroisau admits the challenge for him is to work on combinations with his new halves heading into the season and dveloping it as they go through the competition.

“It is just about trying to get an understanding between us all,” Koroisau said.

“Getting us all connected and relaying purposes of the drill because a lot of times we just play footy, but sometimes the drill is a lot different to what the actual purpose is.”
Koroisau is working on his combinations with Aidan Sezer at the scrumbase.
Koroisau is working on his combinations with Aidan Sezer at the scrumbase. Source: Getty Images

LUAI THE CLUB’S MOST IMPORTANT SIGNING
Arguably one of the biggest recruits in the club’s history and certainly their most expensive is Jarome Luai and Koroisau is excited to reform his old combination with the star half in 2025.

“He is the ultimate competitor even at training,” Koroisau said.

“He is just all about competing and he is going to be a great asset for us, but I am trying not to think about it because it is still 12 months away.”

However, Koroisau believes Luai could be the most important signing in the club’s history in terms of attracting big names to the Tigers.

“I think the boys are starting to come and the Wests Tigers brand itself there has been a lot happening the last couple of months and I think the club is moving in the right direction,” Koroisau said.

“Jarome Luai is a huge signing. If anything I think his signing is going to be the one that shoots us off in terms of being able to attract players.

“There were a lot of clubs trying to get him to sign.

“Obviously Penrith were trying to keep him which means a lot. That is a great team and they have already won three premierships in a row, so that says a lot about him as a player and it says a lot about the people that brought him here as well.”

Jarome Luai could be the Tigers’ most important signing.
Jarome Luai could be the Tigers’ most important signing. Source: Supplied
 
Part 2.

JAHREAM THE DREAM
The brightest spot from the Tigers’ dismal 2023 campaign was unearthing a future superstar in Jahream Bula and Koroisau believes the young gun fullback is just getting started.

“I don’t think anyone expected it,” Koroisau said of Bula’s development.

“We all saw it at training, but he never really went too hard at training, so when he got tossed into the game against Manly in his debut game he was just incredible.

“He hasn’t stopped. He has just gone from strength to strength this pre-season and I know he will go to another level in 2024.”
The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula.
The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula. Source: The Daily Telegraph

PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Tigers have a new look in 2024 with a number of important signings that have impressed Koroisau from day one of pres-season training.

“There has been a few players that have impressed me,” Koroisau said.

“Samuela Fainu is incredible. He has brought real energy. He is a guy in the middle of the forwards, but he does all the little things.

“Jayden Sullivan has been incredible. I have loved everything he has been tossing up so far.


TIGERS’ FUTURE
Despite the slow start to his time at the Tigers, Koroisau has no regrets about committing potentially the rest of his career to the club after re-signing until the end of 2026 when he will be 34.

“I re-signed because I can see success in the future,” Koroisau said.

“We have got some incredible players and some of our stats when it comes to quick play-the-balls and getting out of our own end are good. We never had any issues with that.

“A lot of our issues came from defence or execution of plays, so we have the foundation of what it takes to be a good team.

“Having a new coach and new defensive systems I think that is all going to help us as a team.”

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www.foxsports.com.au

‘Vomit emoji’: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild

‘Vomit emoji’: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au
 
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Spartan117 said:
JAHREAM THE DREAM
The brightest spot from the Tigers’ dismal 2023 campaign was unearthing a future superstar in Jahream Bula and Koroisau believes the young gun fullback is just getting started.

“I don’t think anyone expected it,” Koroisau said of Bula’s development.

“We all saw it at training, but he never really went too hard at training, so when he got tossed into the game against Manly in his debut game he was just incredible.

“He hasn’t stopped. He has just gone from strength to strength this pre-season and I know he will go to another level in 2024.”

The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula.
The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula. Source: The Daily Telegraph

PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Tigers have a new look in 2024 with a number of important signings that have impressed Koroisau from day one of pres-season training.

“There has been a few players that have impressed me,” Koroisau said.

“Samuela Fainu is incredible. He has brought real energy. He is a guy in the middle of the forwards, but he does all the little things.

“Jayden Sullivan has been incredible. I have loved everything he has been tossing up so far.

“Getting us all connected and relaying purposes of the drill because a lot of times we just play footy, but sometimes the drill is a lot different to what the actual purpose is.”
Koroisau is working on his combinations with Aidan Sezer at the scrumbase.
Koroisau is working on his combinations with Aidan Sezer at the scrumbase. Source: Getty Images

LUAI THE CLUB’S MOST IMPORTANT SIGNING
Arguably one of the biggest recruits in the club’s history and certainly their most expensive is Jarome Luai and Koroisau is excited to reform his old combination with the star half in 2025.

“He is the ultimate competitor even at training,” Koroisau said.

“He is just all about competing and he is going to be a great asset for us, but I am trying not to think about it because it is still 12 months away.”


However, Koroisau believes Luai could be the most important signing in the club’s history in terms of attracting big names to the Tigers.

“I think the boys are starting to come and the Wests Tigers brand itself there has been a lot happening the last couple of months and I think the club is moving in the right direction,” Koroisau said.

“Jarome Luai is a huge signing. If anything I think his signing is going to be the one that shoots us off in terms of being able to attract players.

“There were a lot of clubs trying to get him to sign.

“Obviously Penrith were trying to keep him which means a lot. That is a great team and they have already won three premierships in a row, so that says a lot about him as a player and it says a lot about the people that brought him here as well.”
Jarome Luai could be the Tigers’ most important signing.
Jarome Luai could be the Tigers’ most important signing. Source: Supplied

JAHREAM THE DREAM
The brightest spot from the Tigers’ dismal 2023 campaign was unearthing a future superstar in Jahream Bula and Koroisau believes the young gun fullback is just getting started.

“I don’t think anyone expected it,” Koroisau said of Bula’s development.

“We all saw it at training, but he never really went too hard at training, so when he got tossed into the game against Manly in his debut game he was just incredible.

“He hasn’t stopped. He has just gone from strength to strength this pre-season and I know he will go to another level in 2024.”
The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula.
The sky is the limit for Jahream Bula. Source: The Daily Telegraph

PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Tigers have a new look in 2024 with a number of important signings that have impressed Koroisau from day one of pres-season training.

“There has been a few players that have impressed me,” Koroisau said.

“Samuela Fainu is incredible. He has brought real energy. He is a guy in the middle of the forwards, but he does all the little things.

“Jayden Sullivan has been incredible. I have loved everything he has been tossing up so far.


TIGERS’ FUTURE
Despite the slow start to his time at the Tigers, Koroisau has no regrets about committing potentially the rest of his career to the club after re-signing until the end of 2026 when he will be 34.

“I re-signed because I can see success in the future,” Koroisau said.

“We have got some incredible players and some of our stats when it comes to quick play-the-balls and getting out of our own end are good. We never had any issues with that.

“A lot of our issues came from defence or execution of plays, so we have the foundation of what it takes to be a good team.

“Having a new coach and new defensive systems I think that is all going to help us as a team.”



www.foxsports.com.au

‘Vomit emoji’: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild

‘Vomit emoji’: Wooden spoon heartache driving captain Koroisau’s Tigers rebuild
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au
Click to expand...

“Samuela Fainu is incredible. He has brought real energy. He is a guy in the middle of the forwards, but he does all the little things.
Needs to play as our lock in my opinion.
 
1. I would like to see our defence improve out of sight
2. I would like to see us be competitive in EACH game we play.
3. I would like to see a happy top 30.

If we do the above, our position on the table will look after itself.
 
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