Brent Read believes the Tigers are in desperate need of a chief playmaker to turn close losses into wins.
“It showed to me again that they desperately need a chief playmaker,” Read said.
“It is why they went so hard for Mitchell Moses. It is why they made a play at Mitchell Pearce. They need a General. It is so obvious.
“If Daly Cherry-Evans plays for the Tigers yesterday they win that game.
“That is the issue for them. They don’t have somebody who can take control of that team and get them over the line when the game is close.”
Kent believes the Tigers only got close to Manly because the Sea Eagles played with a different mindset than what they showed against the Storm because they thought a win was a given.
“They brought Manly down to their level yesterday,” Kent said.
“Manly I think were guilty of showing the Tigers no respect. I don’t mean that as a personal thing, but just as a football team.
“They just thought they could push passes and score easily. Manly played real low percentage football.
“If they were playing a top eight side like Melbourne last week, a lot of their decisions would have been different.
“They were complacent and pushing passes and going for risky kicks. They thought, it’s the Tigers we are going to win and it nearly bit them because the Tigers stayed in the contest.
“But if the Tigers actually knew how to generate points I think they could have had a real crack at it.”
Anasta questioned if the Tigers’ on-field struggles are related to what goes on off the field at the club.
“Does it go deeper than just on the field?” Anasta asked.
“The club is a shambles,” Kent replied
“I wrote in the paper that the club has lost the plot.
“The problem with the Tigers if you want to start and really boil it down is there is a lack of accountability that starts at the top of the club and works its way down.
“What we have seen with the spin in the last couple of weeks in a couple if game performances is the spin that has dominated and infected the club for so long and it is now starting to reach itself into the football program.
“Now Tim Sheens is saying a few weeks ago, we won the second half. How many competition points do you get for that?”
Phil Rothfield believes the time has come for Tim Sheens to take a back seat in the coach’s box.
“Who is putting spin on their performances?” Rothfield asked.
“Tim Sheens is the one who fronts up every week.
“My thoughts are Tim Sheens has had eight weeks to get this roster together and they play Penrith this week, which could get really ugly.
“I’m wondering if it is time now for Tim Sheens not to hand over to Benji, but to just pull back a little bit and give Benji a little bit more control of game plans and tactics.”
However, Read believes Justin Pascoe has had ample time to turn the club around and has failed in his duty.
“Buzz, you said Tim Sheens has had eight weeks to turn that team around, well Justin Pascoe has had eight years to turn that football club around” Read said.
“They haven’t made the finals in those eight years. It is easy to point the finger at Tim.
“If you are pointing the finger at Tim after eight weeks, what about the bloke who has been there for eight years.”
But Kent believes Sheens is the only person at the Tigers willing to face the music and called for accountability from the front office.
“The Tigers put Tim Sheens in as General Manager of Football and when someone proposed that he should maybe take over as head coach, they should have said no Tim you are staying where you are,” Kent said.
“One of the real hidden truths in the game at the moment is you need a strong General Manager of Football who can actually set the club up.
“This club I believe they put Sheens in as a buffer between the football program and the decisions made at head office.
“You couldn’t get them out of the papers after that and they all withdrew and put it all on Sheens.
“Sheens came in and finally sacked Michael Maguire. You know how many times the Tigers have won since they sacked Michael Maguire? one. Maguire was sacked for losing three games and they have won one since and apparently it is OK now.
“I’m not nullifying Tim Sheens from blame it is all hands on deck there, but what I am sick of is the buck passing.
“These guys that say, it ain’t my fault talk to them. Then the next guy goes, it’s not my fault talk to them. The next guy says, we had a pretty good go on the weekend and won the second half. You don’t get competition points for having a go.”
Bulldogs young gun Karl Oloapu says season-ending neck injury could turn out to be a “blessing in disguise”, with the talented half scoffing at suggestions that he’ll be forced into early retirement.
The 19-year-old battled through a bulging disc for much of his rookie season and was ruled out for the entire 2024 campaign after he went under the knife late last year.
“It was definitely a shock,” he said.
“Having my faith and everything like that, I do believe that everything happens for a reason. This is just another obstacle that God sent me to overcome. I think it’s part of the journey and the game
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