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Unwanted Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah admits he has taken a back seat in attack this year in preparation for handing over the baton to the NRL club’s rising halves.
Speaking on Thursday, Farah declined to answer questions on his long-term future at the club.
However, the 31-year-old did concede his game had to undergo major adjustments under first-year coach Jason Taylor to ensure more touches for halves Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses.
“Obviously, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be there, but there needs to be a time when they need to take control of the team. And I’ve been trying to help them do that,” Farah said ahead of the side’s final game of the year on Saturday against St George-Illawarra.
“It’s been a work in progress. Obviously, it’s been a bit different for me because of what I’ve been used to for my whole career, but it’s something I’ve been trying to adjust to,” said Farah at ANZ Stadium where he was promoting awareness of pancreatic cancer after the loss of his mother Sonia in 2012.
Dragons halfback Benji Marshall, who lost his dad to the cancer six years ago, rated his former teammate the best attacking hooker in the competition and said it would be silly for the Tigers to let Farah walk away from the final two years of his contract.
“He’s really taken a back seat in terms of unselfishness and letting those two young guys control that team,” Marshall said.
“I know when Robbie’s at his best, like on the weekend, when he’s running the football and moving players onto the ball, players in motion.
“I still think he’s the best attacking dummy-half in the game. He needs to play like that to have success.
“I think they’d be silly not to have him there doing that, helping those young guns out.”
Both sides will wear alternate purple and white socks to promote the ‘Purple Our World’ initiative during the clash on Saturday, with Farah explaining that the cause put his predicament in perspective.
“The problems I’ve got at the moment are first-world problems, to be honest,” he said.
“I’m sure there’d be a million people wanting to swap shoes with me right now. There’s always someone a lot worse off.
“Coming here, standing here today, talking about this, is definitely a massive reminder of that.”
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