Pressure mounts on Wests Tigers and Souths as loyal fans 'conned' by NRL club's promises

The Wests Tigers and South Sydney are under immense pressure. Image: Getty

😃 The good: Damien Cook's defence of Kyle and Shane Flanagan

😔 The bad: Have the Wests Tigers conned their loyal fans?

😡 The ugly: Pressure mounts on Wayne Bennett and South Sydney

You could totally understand Ricky Stuart's initial hesitancy in picking son Jed in first grade despite everything pointing to him being of NRL standard. The Raiders coach never doubted his lad's ability but knew that wasn't going to be the major issue.

In this age of toxic social media platforms, no longer is a player's game just dissected over the Monday morning smoko at work or at the pub with mates. If he has a stinker – in the eyes of the keyboard warriors – the venom starts flowing before the teams have hit the sheds.

Doubly so if you're the son of the coach or have some sort of family connection. For every Nathan Cleary, there's a Jake Arthur or Billy Walters. Kyle Flanagan is another.

Kyle Flanagan was superb as the Dragons beat the Eels. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

He has copped it more than most ever since father Shane gave him his start – reluctantly at the time due to the pressure – at Cronulla in 2018. The No.7 has been a lightning rod for criticism at the Roosters, Bulldogs and Dragons but keeps chipping away at his craft despite the outside noise.

He may not be the NRL's most gifted play-maker, but he's certainly up there for resilience and mental fortitude. Good on Dragons hooker Damien Cook for calling out the abuse as he sat next to Shane in the post-match presser following St George Illawarra's win over Parramatta.

"I'm going to jump in here. Fans can all have their opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that," Cook said. "But to bash someone online and non-stop going at it … online bullying is a different thing. That's something we can't have and we’re not going to support it."

Wests Tigers fans must feel like they've been conned – again. Despite the promise of better days ahead and a new era under Benji Marshall, it's a familiar tale of woe at Concord.

The Tigers' loss to a fairly average Manly side on Friday night was their sixth defeat in a row, leaving them in 14th and just two points off the competition basement. If the Titans weren't such flops, the Tigers could well be alongside them at the bottom and staring at a fourth-straight wooden spoon. They still might.

Where's this massive improvement they've been talking about? They may have been competitive at different stages this year but consistently putting it together for a full 80 minutes remains beyond them.

At the same time last year, the Tigers had a 4-11 record and were 17th. Twelve months on and they are one win and three positions better off.

With games against the Roosters, Warriors, Panthers and Bulldogs looming over the next month – three of them away from home – it's hard to see that position improving. Despite showing plenty of fight in most games, the joint venture club is set to miss the finals for a 14th straight year.

Young gun Lachlan Galvin has departed and boom rookie Tallyn Da Silva has the Uber booked to Parramatta. Off field, Wests Tigers are ranked last for corporate support and have an ongoing court battle with former player Jordan Miller over an unfair dismissal case as well as separate legal action at board level. There's never a dull moment in Tiger Town.

Tallyn Da Silva is set to move to Parramatta before June 30. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The return of Wayne Bennett to South Sydney hasn’t exactly been the sweet homecoming both parties expected. The Rabbitohs have slumped to 16th after conceding 50 points in the loss to the Dolphins on Saturday night. That made it five losses in a row. You can now kiss a late run to the finals goodbye.

While injuries could be used as an excuse in some of those defeats, the Bunnies were close enough to full strength against the Phins and hardly fired a shot. Cody Walker's return from injury promised much and he did deliver two try assists before again going down hurt.

Latrell Mitchell was largely ineffective, NSW hopeful Keaon Koloamatangi had a forgettable night and young halfback Jamie Humphreys looked a little lost. Souths' performance was in stark contrast to the previous week's gutsy display against favourites Melbourne, where they pushed the competition favourites to golden point.

Souths conceded 50 points to the high-flying Dolphins. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Rabbitohs bosses clearly believe there's still magic left in Bennett's wand and his second coming will ultimately prove successful. They want him to coach beyond his current deal when he will be well into his late 70s.

"If Wayne wants to continue coaching, we hope it's with us at Souths," CEO Blake Solly said last week. "Wayne has got another two years at the end of this season, so we’ll sit down at the end of this year and see what he wants to do. We'd love to keep him."

Souths' loyal but demanding fans don’t care what's happening in 2028. They want to see a few more wins on the board this year.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo Sport Australia at https://au.news.yahoo.com/pressure-mounts-on-wests-tigers-and-souths-as-loyal-fans-conned-by-nrl-clubs-promises-225310437.html

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