Psychology.

[Tiger_heart]

First let me state a few points about me and my storied sporting achievements.

1. I played league until the end of high school and was never the go to talent
2. I boxed after footy for few years again, never shooting the lights out
3. I played soccer in basically 27th division for a couple of seasons

As you can see I was never a superstar athlete nor do I claim to be and this post isn't a flame against the players that pull on the Tigers jersey or the club. However I'm not speaking out of my backside. I understand the effect of not respecting your opposition and the galvanising affect it has on you as a competitor.

The Wests Tigers have a huge problem with psychology both theirs and the opposition.
Every team in the NRL when playing the tigers never drop their heads. They always feel like they can win. This leads to 80 mins of 110% effort. Hard running, hard hitting and pushing the pass with confidence that it will work.

On our side it appears the same to me. Our guys always feel like they can/will lose it. So that hard running stops when the other team get on top, no mater what time in the game it happens. The stinging defence stops because why put your body on the line when you are going to lose any way.
The passes if pushed go to ground because 8 out of 10 times as there isn't any support so why even bother.
We get kids and recruits come in where they have spring in their step for 4 or 5 games and then it hits them as well.

This problem is exemplified in our squad game after game where Api is darting everywhere looking for help and they aren't there. This Club in my eyes has a massive battle ahead not just in balancing a roster around a massively paid five eight but changing the Psychology of every signed player in the entire NRL.

When clubs have to spend x% of their salary cap every year and have a roster of 30 players at a club that is historical battlers. We have to pay overs most of the time for just about every body. So we end up with what we have, a top 17 that is mostly filled with what would be bottom 15 players every where else bar the obvious stand outs.

This post I understand is pointless it wont change anything. like a lot of you I am over it but I honestly don't know how it changes when we now have he current crop of new NRL talent having only ever seen the Tigers be awful. The boost to your confidence making your debut against the Tigers as opposed the Melbourne, Brisbane, Easts, Penrith bust be staggering.

Blast me if you think I'm wrong

Well, since this thread is about Psychology...And to quote from many online resources. "There are many examples, and loads of movies, where the work of a sports psychologist has been hailed as being instrumental in both individual and team success. Thus, many, and I guess the OP, are convinced that it has a sound base and will provide athletes with the improvement they crave. On the other hand, others suggest that there is no scientific proof to show that it makes any real difference. Either way, psychology is a qualitative science. No different to players having their our routine and superstitions heading into a game. My point is that sports psychology is not intended to and nor does it replace the physical and technical preparation you need to do to compete at your best. This "best" is a relative measure, based on a player's ability. No amount of phycology would have helped the OP become a better athlete. It may have made him a better (?) person, with a better mental approach to life, but this is of little consequence on the football field. The same applies to our current squad. In the end, I see the game as first and foremost a physical battle. One that we simply don't have the physical presence to compete in, when all it takes is one willing forward from the opposition to cut our defense line to shreds. I can believe I can run through walls, until I actually do.

 

[Tucker]

The last sentence has been said time and time again, but also time and time again we see many of those players in the top 17 of other teams once they’ve made the switch. The players in our team are capable, but they somehow suddenly become incapable once they are in this club. I don’t understand it, it defies all logic, yet this pattern has continued for many years now.

There’s been one constant.
Look at the pathways as a snapshot over the past 3 years.
Wests control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had good results.
Balmain control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had terrible results.
Wests Tigers control teams in Andrew Johns Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Laurie Daley Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Jersey Flegg Cup, KOE Cup and the NRL.
Looking at historical results, it’s clear that Wests are supplying the bulk of the juniors feeding into Jersey Flegg and above.
Their side of the merger practically owns this club.
Exactly how much say are they having in regard to preparing the football players that feed into the NRL top 30?

 

[Tom Shines]

There’s been one constant.
Look at the pathways as a snapshot over the past 3 years.
Wests control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had good results.
Balmain control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had terrible results.
Wests Tigers control teams in Andrew Johns Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Laurie Daley Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Jersey Flegg Cup, KOE Cup and the NRL.
Looking at historical results, it’s clear that Wests are supplying the bulk of the juniors feeding into Jersey Flegg and above.
Their side of the merger practically owns this club.
Exactly how much say are they having in regard to preparing the football players that feed into the NRL top 30?

Is this really a mystery that Wests would have better juniors than Balmain ? They would have multiples the junior playing numbers that Balmain has?

 

[twentyforty]

Is this really a mystery that Wests would have better juniors than Balmain ? They would have multiples the junior playing numbers that Balmain has?

No it’s not a mystery to anyone who reads the annual report and knows where the funding goes. HBG donate more to the Western Suburbs cricket club than to Balmain juniors.

 

[Tucker]

Is this really a mystery that Wests would have better juniors than Balmain ? They would have multiples the junior playing numbers that Balmain has?

That’s not the point I was making

 

[Flippedy]

There’s been one constant.
Look at the pathways as a snapshot over the past 3 years.
Wests control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had good results.
Balmain control teams in Harrold Mathew’s Cup, SGBall Cup and has had terrible results.
Wests Tigers control teams in Andrew Johns Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Laurie Daley Cup (MacArthur DJRL & Balmain JRL), Jersey Flegg Cup, KOE Cup and the NRL.
Looking at historical results, it’s clear that Wests are supplying the bulk of the juniors feeding into Jersey Flegg and above.
Their side of the merger practically owns this club.
Exactly how much say are they having in regard to preparing the football players that feed into the NRL top 30?

Sorry I’m a bit slow, I’m missing the point here.

 

[Jolls]

I mentioned a few weeks ago that our games are currently being lost by what's betwwen the ears, not so much by the skill of the players (although we could definitely trade a few). Sports psychology, leadership, preparation or whatever other label you want to put on it, starts with belief.

Despite our run of losses I think we are a club and a team on the up. They are small steps but you can see the buds of something better. Last week there were some shocking individual performances but for periods of time we were on top; we had a little shape about our attack and our defence was solid - not brilliant but solid all round.

Unfortunatley around that performace, as there is week in week out, were some inept play by some of the more experienced in the team. When basics are not being done right it has a compounding effect on the performance of the team, just that same way everyone doing the 1%ers adds up.

Statistically, were performing on par with the last couple of seasons. I would love to be in the position to get to a few training sessions and chat with the players; but unless we are involved in the club at that sort of level we can only speculate on how they are travelling.

Based on last weeks performance you would think that we are a ways off coming good, but what if Naden didn't make that horrific error on Best, what if that one pass stuck, what if the ball bounced for Olam. If one of those things happened we would be celebrating a gritty win and probably lauding their ability to hang on under adversity.

I'm not sure that our growth over the last two years can be measured empirically. However, you can tell that something has changed in the team (and the club). I think the foundations are there; we're not seeing the results yet, and we may not see a great deal more growth this year, but despite it being more of the same it has a different feel.

Maybe, I'm just an optomist by nature - but I still feel we are building to something in 25/26

 

[BAGNF05]

Our pathways are still not united.
Wests side is doing most of the heavy lifting whilst Balmain teams are frankly pathetic.
Are Wests Tigers training protocols and structures taught from junior reps through to senior or are Western Suburbs and Balmain sticking their incompetent noses into it too much?

I’d guess they are mostly volunteer coaches doing their best. Have had some experience in this world.

 

[Tucker]

Sorry I’m a bit slow, I’m missing the point here.

I want Wests and Balmain to get out of the development of football players coming through this club.
Wests Tigers should be running the show from under 16’s right through, installing culture, training methods, expectations and psychologies consistently and identically as they go.

 

[StarswithStripes]

I’d like to see our senior leaders owning their leadership and keeping their heads in the critical moments. I’d also like to never see Bula blindly throwing the ball behind himself on the try line ever again.

 

[westTAHger]

Ï'd like to see opponents of wests tigers, at end of each match leaving the field battered and bruised.
When spoken to by commentators, simply say, that west tigers absolutely battered us.

 

[Winston Churchill]

Ï'd like to see opponents of wests tigers, at end of each match leaving the field battered and bruised.
When spoken to by commentators, simply say, that west tigers absolutely battered us.

Instead we get high fives, hugs and kisses with each other. They still get a pay cheque.

There is no more personalities in the games. Its just bland vanilla. You wanna see some real emotional hatred, Manly vs Wests stuff.

 

[twentyforty]

I’d like to see our senior leaders owning their leadership and keeping their heads in the critical moments. I’d also like to never see Bula blindly throwing the ball behind himself on the try line ever again.

No doubt that will be a topic covered when the team eventually has a focus on offence. For now we’re laser beam focused on defence. There was a yesteryear coach who had this defence focus for the best part of the season..Warren Ryan I think?

 

[Tiger_heart]

Instead we get high fives, hugs and kisses with each other. They still get a pay cheque.

There is no more personalities in the games. Its just bland vanilla. You wanna see some real emotional hatred, Manly vs Wests stuff.

Well...much as people may enjoy the dressing room face slapping exercise from the "good old days"...the reality is that you can't be asking for more than a tough, physical encounter. We can't afford some washed up reserve grader come in and put a cheap shot on a rising star, and I am sure the intent of the post wasn't this. Also, like it or not, times have changed, in ways we all know. RL has to adapt or risk extinction. Kissing a player may not be to everyone's palate, but neither should a tackle that borders on the dangerous.

 

[twentyforty]

 

[Tiger_heart]

View attachment 12124

Too funny!

 

[twentyforty]

I sense a few wins coming, rounds 15, 18 & 25.

 

[hank37w]

Ï'd like to see opponents of wests tigers, at end of each match leaving the field battered and bruised.
When spoken to by commentators, simply say, that west tigers absolutely battered us.

and I also hope I never see another 25-18 scoreline unless it is a glorious West Tigers victory.

 

[Tom Shines]

I sense a few wins coming, rounds 15, 18 & 25.

Yay

 

[kiwitiger]

Clearly Cleary pissed himself off when he saw the shit show

Clearys greatest achievement is not 3 premierships in a row. But 3 wins in a row at the tigers in early 2018