Footy bad boy beats rivals from another team for being out of shape and lazy in a stunning blowout
- An NRL star has hit out at rival players over their dedication to training
- According to reports, five players from a Sydney club have been given a warning
Panthers legend Greg Alexander has condemned the attitude of Wests Tigers players who were given official warnings by the club for failing to meet off-season fitness standards, with James Graham describing their actions as ‘disrespectful’.
There are reports that five players have been given warnings by the club for not adhering to the standards they agreed to at the end of last season, with two of those players standing in front of the board to explain their actions.
The Tigers’ tough approach is absolutely justified as the club has won three consecutive wooden spoons, with Benji Marshall demanding much more from his players in 2025.
“If that’s true, what does that say about the attitude toward those Tigers?” Alexander asked on SEN1170.
‘That is a huge problem for the team that was active last year.
Several Tigers players have been hit with official warnings for failing to meet the club’s fitness standards. Photo: Wests Tigers
Panthers legend Greg Alexander has criticized the attitude of Wests Tigers players who were handed official warnings
It comes after the Tigers finished bottom of the NRL for the past three seasons
‘What player nowadays returns to training after a few months’ absence, so unfit that he is asked to stand at the front of the board?
“It’s not the 80s. How disrespectful to their teammates to show up in the state they are in. They turn their noses up in front of thousands of fans.’
The Tigers will welcome several experienced players in the coming weeks, with former Panther Jarome Luai one of the biggest signings in the club’s history.
But Alexander is concerned that this latest issue could lead to more problems for the Tigers next year.
“A few new players aren’t going to solve the problems the Tigers had last year,” he said.
‘Part of the solution to being very good at this game is to be as fit and strong as possible. Where’s the ride?
“As a Tigers fan, when I wake up to this story, I am upset.”
Injured Roosters hooker Brandon Smith applauded the club’s tough attitude and slammed the players for letting their coach and teammates down.
Brandon Smith has flogged the players for letting Benji Marshall and the club down. Photo: NRL Photos
Smith claimed that if he were in Benji Marshall’s shoes, ‘I would find it disrespectful on behalf of the player’
“If I’m Benji Marshall, I think it’s disrespectful on behalf of the players,” Smith said on The Bye Round podcast with James Graham.
‘Three wooden spoons in a row, a new coach and you get out of shape again. 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 do great things in this game?”
Graham was equally disappointed with the players knowing what was expected of them in the offseason.
“It’s disrespectful,” he said.
“It’s a slap in the face to the entire organization to say that we agree on this and that you failed on something, on a variable that is completely and completely within your control.
“It’s just going to be interesting to see the ramifications of this and see where it goes.”
