Inside Tigers’ upmarket media lunch… and the chairman call that makes no sense: Hoops

The more things change the more they stay the same in Tiger Town.

For those who missed it the Wests Tigers held another friendly media lunch on Wednesday to announce chairman Lee Hagipantelis had been unanimously appointed to a new three-year term.

The venue this time was the upmarket Totti’s in Rozelle where the news was reportedly met with a friendly reception, nothing to see here.

It’s uncertain if the Wests Tigers collecting back-to-back wooden spoons or sacking two head coaches in the past two seasons rated a mention.

Let’s rewind the clock a tick over 12 months earlier where it was a similar media contingent only a different restaurant – this time well-known rugby league hot spot Grappa in Leichhardt.

As we can see when the going gets tough in Tiger Town, the tough get lunching.

The Grappa lunch was the scene of where the prospect of Tim Sheens being appointed as head coach for 2023 was first raised with Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah floated as his assistants.

That decision aged well when Sheens was sacked in August, 12 months after Michael Maguire was sacked.

Are the Wests Tigers serious?

Why are they even bothering with the all-encompassing, no-stone-unturned external review when the chairman has already been declared safe in the protected species koala bear sanctuary enclosure for another three seasons?

It’s pointless.

At the same time as the Totti’s lunch was going on Wednesday the Tigers were also busy working on one of the few positive stories the club has orchestrated over the past two seasons by re-signing young gun fullback Jahream Bula to a four-year extension.

The move took some of the sting out of the bizarre play to guarantee Hagipantelis another three seasons despite presiding over the worst four years in the history of the club.

THROWBACK: THE FIRST FINALS FACE-OFF FOR SJ AND REYNOLDS

They were the baby-faced assassins armed with lightning speed, elusive footwork, a little less ink, 40/20s and even the old school chip and chase.

Now 13 years later champion halfbacks Adam Reynolds and Shaun Johnson have evolved into two of the most complete halfback’s in rugby league with the full array of tricks including when to run, pass short, play long, earn a repeat set of six, build scoreboard pressure or snap a clutch field goal.

At 33 years of age the mercurial No.7s will square off in Saturday’s preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium with a place in the 2023 NRL grand final at stake.

But back in 2010 they were still honing their crafts when they crossed paths in the under 20s grand final when the Warriors beat South Sydney to win the title.

There’s no question the Brisbane Broncos’ recruitment of Reynolds will rank as one of the greatest signing coups in the history of the club dating back to 1988.

In the midst of the club’s longest premiership drought dating back to 2006, if Reynolds can help the Broncos smash a 17-year curse then his signature must surely rank alongside all of the champion Brisbane players bought by the Broncos.

Kevin Walters, Glenn Lazuras, Gorden Tallis, Allan Langer, Darren Lockyer, Wendell Sailor, Justin Hodges, Brad Thorn – Reynolds enters the conversation if he can steer the Broncos to a much-sought title.

On the flip side the way Johnson has re-invented himself this season has been nothing short of incredible at the Warriors.

A red hot chance to win the Dally M Medal as the game’s best player this season there were numerous good judges who thought Johnson’s time had come and gone.

Rewind back to the 2010 Toyota Cup grand final and it was a a baby-faced hot shot Johnson who would lead the Warriors to under 20s glory before bursting into the NRL the following season.

 

In his debut year Johnson caught fire to the point where his free-wheeling style was drawing comparisons with the great Stacey Jones as the Warriors went on a run before being defeated in the NRL grand final by Manly.

But his initial seven-year tenure at the Warriors ended abruptly when the club opted to cut him loose after being beaten by the Panthers in week one of the finals in 2018.

After three seasons at the Sharks including a horror Achilles injury Johnson returned to the Warriors in 2022 when the club was still living aboard due to COVID restrictions.

After finishing 15th last season, there were even conversations about whether Johnson was the best playmaker to take the Warriors forward this season over the course of the summer.

They’re now fish and chip paper as Johnson has become the latest seasoned No.7 to showcase how you can’t put a price on experience when it comes to playing halfback in the NRL.

Rather than Johnson slowing down this season the Warriors halfback has played with a composure that’s slowed the game down for him.

It’s been brilliant to watch.

BIG KEVVIE COACHING MYTH BUSTED

The other transformation that’s been brilliant to watch is the way the extremely humble Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has defied the doubters to have the Broncos on the cusp of the club’s first grand final since 2015.

It’s no secret when Kevvie took over from the Broncos collecting the club’s first wooden spoon in history at the end of 2020 there was an array of people lining up to try and put the slipper in.

The Brisbane Broncos old boys had led the campaign to get six-time premiership-winner Walters into the role but that didn’t stop plenty of people still questioning Kevvie’s NRL coaching credentials.

Very swiftly Walters made some tough love decisions including moving on big-money forwards Tevita Pangai Junior and Matt Lodge so he could chase a halfback in Reynolds.

Walters has also had to deal with players talking out of school on podcasts and various other challenges but he’s handled it all with his laidback Ipswich charm.

As Kevvie often likes to say – “there’s no smoke and mirrors in Ipswich”

The other refreshing element of Kevvie’s approach is when he’s asked about success now he’s very quick to ensure it’s the remainder of his coaching staff and the club’s administration who all deserve credit equally.

Assistant coaches John Cartwright, Matt Ballin, Lee Briers and Allan Langer are all included in the Broncos’ success.

Kevvie’s affable demeanour can often be mistaken as lacking in killer instinct and tactical nous but as we’ve seen in the Broncos results this season nothing could be further from the truth.

You can’t win six premierships as a player and cut your teeth as a coach under Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy without knowing precisely what success looks like.

It’s been an awesome achievement from Walters and the Broncos.

SUAALII TO STAY… BUT ANOTHER ROOSTER ON RUGBY’S RADAR

The Sydney Roosters’ end-of-season shake-up looks to have taken on a slightly different twist with young gun Joseph Suaalii now likely to remain at the Tricolours.

While Angus Crichton still remains on the rugby union radar it appears as though Suaalii found enough form over the back half of the season to prove to the Roosters he wants to see out the remaining year of his contract.

With England international Dominic Young also due to arrive at the Tricolours next season it shapes as a stacked backline with captain James Tedesco, Roosters leading try-scorer of all-time Daniel Tupou, Kiwi Test star Joey Manu, Suaalii and Billy Smith.

At the midway point of the season Roosters powerbrokers were so infuriated with Suaalii’s agent it was into a $1.04 he’d be moved on at the end of the year.

Right now it seems like the 20-year-old, who Rugby Australia has invested around the $4.8 million mark in for 2025 until the end of 2027, has shown enough the Roosters will retain him for the final year of his Tricolours contract next year.

Roosters backrower Crichton, on the other hand, is certainly on the rugby union radar.

 

TIGERS LOCK DOWN KEY PART OF FUTURE IN $2.7M BOOST

Finally, some good news for the legion of Wests Tigers members and fans.

The Tigers have landed one of the most significant signatures in the club’s recent history with young gun fullback Jahream Bula agreeing to a new four-year extension.

The untested Wests Tigers rookie might have started the season as an unknown fullback on a development contract worth $60,000 but will now finish it with a $2.7 million four-year deal.

In a huge vote of confidence for what new coach Benji Marshall is aiming to achieve the Tigers rising star is poised to put pen to paper on an upgraded deal until the end of 2027.

Despite the club collecting back-to-back wooden spoons the emergence of Bula was one of the rare victories for the Tigers in season where the club notched only four wins.

Bula, 21, scored five tries in 18 games and along with captain and hooker Api Korisau the fullback was consistently among the club’s best players.

Bula was initially only on a development contract outside of the Wests Tigers top 30 this year before the club opted to upgrade his contract in order for the fullback to make his NRL debut in round eight this year against Manly.

When he was upgraded to the Wests Tigers top 30 the club extended his deal until the end of 2025.

But after announcing himself as a star and given the Wests Tigers have got money to spend under the salary cap it makes sense they upgrade and extend Bula even further.

Bula’s career has followed a similar path to Wests Tigers new head coach Benji Marshall moving from New Zealand as a teenager to attend Keebra Park State High School on the Gold Coast.