- NRL star lashes out at rival players for their commitment to training
- Reports claim five players from a Sydney club have been given warnings.
Panthers legend Greg Alexander criticized the attitude of Wests Tigers players who received official warnings from the club for failing to meet fitness standards in the off-season, while James Graham described their actions as “disrespectful”.
There are reports that five players have received warnings from the club for failing to meet the standards they agreed to at the end of last season, and two of those players will be facing the board to explain their actions.
The Tigers’ tough approach is absolutely justified given the club has won three consecutive wooden spoons, and Benji Marshall demands much more from his players in 2025.
‘If that’s true, what does that say about the attitude towards those Tigers?’ Alexander asked on SEN1170.
‘That’s a huge problem for the team that showed up last year.
Several Tigers players have received official warnings for failing to meet the club’s fitness standards. Photo: Tigres del Oeste
Panthers legend Greg Alexander criticized the attitude of Wests Tigers players who received official warnings.
It comes after the Tigers finished last in the NRL for the past three seasons.
“What player today returns to training after a couple of months without being fit and to the point that they ask him to be in charge of the board?
‘It’s not the 80s. What a lack of respect for your teammates to show up in the state they are in. They are snubbing thousands of fans.
The Tigers will welcome several experienced players in the coming weeks, with former Panther Jarome Luai being one of the biggest signings in the club’s history.
But Alexander worries this latest issue could lead to more problems for the Tigers next year.
“A couple of new players are not going to solve the problems the Tigers had last year,” he said.
‘Part of the answer to being very good at this game is to be as strong and fit as possible. Where is the way?
“If I’m a Tigers fan and I wake up to this story, I’m devastated.”
Injured Roosters hooker Brandon Smith applauded the tough stance taken by the club and slammed the players for letting their coach and teammates down.
Brandon Smith has criticized the players for letting Benji Marshall and the club down. Image: NRL Photos
Smith stated that if he were in Benji Marshall’s place, “I would consider it disrespectful on the part of the player.”
“If I’m Benji Marshall, I find it disrespectful on the part of the players,” Smith said on The Bye Round podcast with James Graham.
‘Three wooden spoons in a row, a new coach and you’re going to come back in bad condition. The question arises: do you really want to play this game and what do you want to play it 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 it means something to you and you want to win championships and you want to do great things in this game?”
Graham was equally disappointed in players who knew what was expected of them during the offseason.
“It’s disrespectful,” he said.
‘It is a slap in the face to the entire organization to say that we agreed on this and you failed in something, in a variable, that is totally and absolutely under your control.
“It will be interesting to see the consequences of this and see where it goes.”