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A sombre edition of The Tip Sheet opens with the boys commiserating the passing of Craig’s father, Leo. It is understandably a hugely difficult time for the bastion of TCT and we are hugely appreciative of him finding it in him to join the show.
On the Parramatta front, it was a rough weekend for the club. The Jersey Flegg bowed out of the finals following an error riddled second half against the Roosters. Our NRLW team got thumped by the Sharks and ended a tumultuous season on a low note.
There was happenings on the signings front with the Eels moving to secure Kelma Tuilagi from the Sea Eagles on the remainder of his current 2-year deal. Tuilagi bolsters the backrow stocks for the club with uncertainty surrounding the future of Andrew Davey following a bad concussion late in the season.
The boys review the results from the NRL finals and run through the latest news and gossip from across the code. The show wraps up with a breakdown of the two grand final qualifiers. Can anyone stop Penrith? Can the Warriors keep the dream alive? Listen and find out!
Another decent review of the 2023 season.
There are a coup”e 9f burg questions that the club should consider and review.
1. My family were so keen to support the NRLW team this year, but after attending the first game against Tigers it was obvious that the team would basically be at the bottom of the league. So, was the NRLW taken seriously compared to other teams, losing so many players is a reflection of the recruitment effort and coaching. Did we invest enough in the team as compared to every other side it was young, inexperienced and at times poorly structured..
2. This attention to detail was reflected in the NRL team as well, obviously short on backs and numbers in the squad. From the off season the shortage of NRL level three quarters was stark, more disconcerting was the inability to search the market to get reinforcements. We have all the measures to be attractive to players, the question then becomes do we have the correct people on the club to sell these points.
This off season will be more than a little interesting, from development contracts to new players to fill the gaping holes in the backline. Watching the Roosters sign who they did for next year to their roster should be noted, big clubs do get things in order quickly.
The big issue with question 1 is that we are the only NRLW team without a second tier affiliate. In fact, we are the only Sydney club without a NSW Women’s Cup team. That is simply unacceptable, it’s the reason we lost Tiana Penitani to the Sharks and Simone Taufa to the Raiders because they signed with their respective NSW Cup teams and so they were required for their NRLW team by extension. No one will answer why the club has never had a NSW Cup team. It’s just sloppy by the club and shows a complete lack of commitment.