Ryan On The Sideline

18/09/2026

There’s been a heap of chat surrounding the Wests Tigers’ urgency to re-sign Samuela and Latu Fainu. If you’ve followed me for a minute, you’d know I unreservedly agree, the Fainu brothers are the future.

But there’s another player who absolutely must be retained, and he isn’t getting anywhere near the same media airtime: Fonua Pole.

His impact off the bench in 2026 was elite. Fonua is rapidly evolving into a genuine, momentum-shifting, damaging middle, and locking him down should be a priority right up there with Samuela and Latu.

I’ve heard a few whispers of late that the Tigers are eyeing his younger brother, Suli Pole. If there’s truth to that, bringing Suli into Concord could be the trump card that gets Fonua’s signature locked in before the November 1 deadline.

Suli showed plenty of promise in his NSW Cup stints for the Storm this year. Personally, I think he’ll follow a similar path to his brother and develop into an impactful NRL middle. He’s probably a touch behind first-grade standard right now, but the pedigree and physical frame are undeniably there. At just 20 years old, standing 6’6” and tipping the scales around 120kg, Suli is exactly the kind of long-term investment the Tigers need to make.

It fits seamlessly with Benji’s family-first mantra, too.

Keep Fonua. Bring Suli in. Keep building the future.

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08/09/2026

08/09/2026

Honestly, someone sign Junior Amone. The game is better with him in it.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Junior picked in the Tongan squad. Once you see him play at that level, it’ll be a timely reminder of just how bloody good this kid is.

08/09/2026

Vaka Aho’s journey is the ultimate story of staying patient and putting in the hard yards. Going through every single pathway grade, SG Ball, Jersey Flegg, Sydney Shield, Ron Massey Cup, and NSW Cup, before finally earning his NRL debut proves he didn't rely on shortcuts. He earned every single minute on that field.

Doing it against Penrith, a pack that has set the benchmark for defense and relentless line speed for years, says everything about him. He was bending the line and getting over the advantage line against the best in the comp, proving his contact and leg drive are already up to first-grade standard. His defense was just as solid, showing that years of grinding through the grades fully prepared him for the speed of the NRL.

Give him a full NRL pre-season to build up his engine and sharpen those combinations, and he’ll be humming next year. He's made a massive case to lock down a permanent spot in that 17.

07/09/2026

Success in the NRL rarely comes down to just stacking talented players together; it’s all about finding genuine symmetry.

The Tigers’ strong early patch in 2026 wasn't driven by the halves, it was built off the back of huge momentum from the middles, which gave blokes like Samuela Fainu and Kai Pearce-Paul the room to dominate on the edges. But as soon as injuries hit and the pack started getting beaten, the focus shifted straight to the halves, and the lack of balance was exposed.

Halves pairings need to complement each other, and that just wasn't happening with Jarome Luai, Adam Doueihi, or Jock Madden. That’s no knock on Doueihi as an individual, he was playing unreal footy on a personal level. But he’s a direct ball-runner, not a game-managing halfback. Throwing two dominant runners together left the team completely rudderless, leading to messy sets and awful fifth-tackle options when the pressure was on.

This is exactly why the strong links connecting the club to Sean O’Sullivan are so exciting. O'Sullivan isn't flashy, but he’s a true, traditional organizer. He knows his role, stays in his lane, and directs a footy team around the park, precisely what this roster is screaming out for.

Landing O'Sullivan and putting him at halfback fixes the rest of the spine in two major ways:

Frees up Doueihi at 13: It allows Doueihi to move into a ball-playing lock role, where his running game and passing through the middle third can actually shine. Sharing those middle minutes with Jayden Brailey keeps him fresh and stops him from getting worn down defensively.

Unlocks Latu Fainu at 6: Fainu showed yesterday just how lethal he is when played in his natural five-eighth spot, rather than being forced to play out of position at 7 or in the middle. Put him next to an organizer like O'Sullivan, and he can just play what's in front of him.

Having two genuine running threats in Fainu and Doueihi gives opposition defenses way too much to think about. That extra hesitation from the defensive line buys O'Sullivan time and space, which is all a good halfback needs to fix those fifth-tackle options that let the Tigers down so often in 2026.

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06/09/2026

Thoughts?

06/09/2026

Well, thank f**k that’s over.

Another hugely successful season under the watchful eye of Holman Barnes Group. 15 years of success from them legends. What an absolute pleasure.

And what a f**king pleasure it was to see off Jarome Luai.

Notable performances tonight:

Latu Fainu. The future. I’ve been saying it for years. Lo and behold, we finally shove him back into his natural role as a left-side half and suddenly we get a glimpse of exactly what he’s capable of. Funny how that works.

Jock Madden was also notable… notably f**king lazy in defence. He was directly involved in conceding three tries, two inside the opening 20 minutes, before playing a role in another later in the game.

He then backed it up with countless poor decisions and once again showed how limited his fifth-tackle options are. No control. No composure. No genuine attacking threat. If any other half conceded three tries in a game through defensive deficiencies, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them dropped indefinitely.

And don’t come at me with Madden’s stats. I don’t care about the numbers. He’s inconsistent, lazy in defence and painfully easy to read. Depth option at best. Let him test his value on the open market.

Vaka Aho showed some real heart and intent on both sides of the ball. Ran with absolute conviction and really put his name in lights.

Anyway, season over. Onto 2027… Not that I’ll be a member until we see new ownership.

06/09/2026

Really glad Luai kicked on the second and handed that ball straight back to Penrith. Because giving Penrith another set was obviously a f**king great idea.

Madden and Luai have been absolutely horrid. Two halves who are offering f**k all when this team needs them most.

19/08/2026

If you are calling for Benji Marshall’s head without looking at the bigger picture, you are missing the point entirely.

Benji was placed in a difficult position from day one, initially paired with a veteran coach whose methods belonged to a different era, rather than receiving modern operational support. Key administrative stability was repeatedly disrupted, and even after an independent review identified systemic organizational issues, its recommendations were never fully implemented. Yet somehow, the head coach is expected to take the fall.

This club has spent a decade and a half cycling through coaches, players, and staff with the same result. At some point, the scapegoating has to stop and the focus must shift to the real common denominator: governance, structure, and top-level leadership.

You don’t fix 15 years of systemic failure by firing another coach; you fix the organization from the top down.

17/08/2026

Heath Mason is one of many players whose versatility has probably been a detriment to his own progression.

With the ability to fill a hole almost anywhere across the backline, halves, ho**er, and lock, he’s constantly been moved around and, as a result, has had limited minutes in any one position.

Personally, I don’t think it’s hindered his career as much as some make out. If anything, I think it’s given Heath a much better appreciation of the expectations and abilities required in each position on the field and at 21 years old, the world’s his oyster.

That said, I think we’ve finally found where he best suits the Wests Tigers’ needs and how he can best be integrated into the NRL, as a dynamic, roaming middle.

Yesterday, he played that Kurt Mann, Ray Stone, Kurtis Morrin, Max Plath type of role, and I absolutely loved what I saw.

It was a really solid run from Heath, followed up by a quick play-the-ball that helped create the momentum for Alex Seyfarth to burst through and put Samuela Fainu over for a try.

There were definitely a few hands-on-hips moments from Heath, but I’m chalking that up to how hard he played and the amount of effort he put in during a relatively short stint.
He was energetic, aggressive, and looked like he belonged in the middle.

I’d love to see the Tigers continue developing him in that role. I reckon there’s something there.

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