Bombshell report claims fitness issues
Wednesday morning started with a bang thanks to a bombshell report from Code Sports.
The Aussie sports outlet claims that at least two players have been asked to report to the board of directors over their lack of fitness. Reportedly, another three have been handed a breach notice for violating the same club rules.
No one knows yet who faces a potential sacking, but other NRL outlets have confirmed Code Sports’ initial reporting on Wests players being handed breach notices.
If all these reports are true, the club could be set to offload a significant chunk of their squad just months before players are supposed to report for preseason ahead of Tigers’ 2025 NRL campaign.
Tigers “aren’t mucking around”
It is not unusual that NRL clubs will ask their players to stay fit during the offseason. Many even have fitness plans and diets they suggest to their players. However, Tigers have taken things to the next level due to their poor performances in recent seasons.
Wests have won three straight Wooden Spoons. The betting sites have them as strong contenders to win the spoon for a fourth time next season. NRL betting odds are not always right, but it is clear that things need to change for the Tigers.
Reports now claim the club are willing to do whatever it takes to change the losing atmosphere in the club before the start of the 2025 season. This fitness plan is an example of the Tigers’ commitment to being better next season.
As Brent Read of News Corp said on Twitter on Wednesday: “The Wests Tigers aren’t mucking around as they demand a high standard in the preseason.”
Roosters star slams Tigers’ “disrespectful” players
The news that Wests Tigers had handed breach notices to five players spread like wildfire on Wednesday. One of the people who commented on the breaking news story was Sydney Roosters star Brandon Smith.
Speaking on The Bye Round podcast with James Graham, the lock said: “If I’m Benji Marshall, I find it disrespectful on the players’ behalf. Three wooden spoons in a row, a new coach and you’re going to come back out of condition?
“It begs the question, do you really want to play this game and what do you want to play for?
“Do you want to play it because it looks cool and you want to make money, or do you want to play it because this means something to you and you want to win championships and you want to do great things in this game.”
Smith also wondered what impact this story would have on the rest of the Tigers squad.
“Senior players like Jarome Luai, Api Koroisau, what are they thinking as well? Are they thinking ‘are these players that we need around? Are these players that are going to help me win games and not be Wooden Spooners?’”
It is too early to say whether Smith is right about this Tigers team being “Wooden Spooners” again in 2025. If this story is anything to go by though, it may be worth throwing a couple of dollars on the Tigers to win the spoon again this season.
