Robbie Farah will play his football in 2016 at… the Wests Tigers.
After months of bickering, politicking, manoeuvring and rumours, the Tigers legend will see out the season with his beloved club.
What’s more, he is again part of the Tigers leadership group, which also consists of Matt Ballin, Dene Halatau, Chris Lawrence, Sauaso Sue, James Tedesco and Aaron Woods. The captain has not yet been named.
Whether Farah is a contender to have the little ‘C’ in 2016 isn’t known.
There have been reports that Farah and club coach Jason Taylor don’t see eye-to-eye, but both Taylor and Farah were complimentary of each other in the press.
Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe congratulated Farah and the other six in a statement.
“On behalf of everyone at Wests Tigers I would like to congratulate the seven players on their appointment to our leadership group,” said Pascoe.
“It’s great to have a mix of youth and experience in our leadership group and I look forward to working closely with this group over the coming year.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to address the considerable speculation and discussion about Robbie Farah’s future with Wests Tigers.
“I am pleased to confirm that Robbie Farah and head coach Jason Taylor have committed to working together to drive greater success for Wests Tigers in 2016.
“On behalf of the club I want to apologise to our loyal Wests Tigers Members and supporters for allowing this to be played out publicly.
“I am proud of the way that Jason, Robbie and the whole playing group have now embraced a new leadership approach that our new appointee Shane McCurry has introduced.”
Taylor did mention his relationship with Farah in the statement, saying that the two have worked through their issues.
“All seven players exhibit great qualities that are an asset to Wests Tigers,” said Taylor.
“I look forward to seeing them develop as a leadership group over the coming year as we look to build a successful Wests Tigers for the future.
“In regards to my relationship with Robbie we both have a commitment to this club and helping Wests Tigers be a power in the NRL. Both Robbie and I have had some really positive private conversations and we’re both committed to the success of the club in 2016 and beyond and we are also clear as to what we need to do to drive that success.”
“I also want to acknowledge that the public nature of the contractual discussions have exposed Robbie to unwanted publicity,” Pascoe said.
Farah said that he was looking forward to putting the speculation about his club future behind him.
“I am now simply just wanting to continue doing what I have always done, training as hard as I can so that I can perform to the best of my ability for the fans, members, teammates and club,” said Farah.
“This club, the playing group and fans mean everything to me and I want to be around for what I think is going to be an exciting time for Wests Tigers.
“I’m also keen to work closely with Matt, Dene, Chris, Sauaso, James and Aaron as a part of the leadership group over the coming year.
“We all bring unique experiences to the group and will be able to have a positive impact on our teammates and the club as a whole,” he said.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
The NRL's match officials announcement on Tuesday lunchtime is usually cause for little fanfare, but sparked debate this week with top ref Ashley Klein…
Paul Gallen on 100% Footy has questioned how the bunker, touch judge and referee all missed what should've been a sin-bin after a Wests…
1. Tigers earning their stripes The Tigers played Souths last year when the Bunnies were at their very highest point. Tim Sheens coached them…
Jack Hetherington has been slapped with a one match ban for his post-match carry on with Bulldogs hooker Reed Mahoney. The Newcastle forward was…
Penrith have cruised to a 22-6 win over the Wests Tigers in Bathurst - but Benji Marshall was left bemused by a potentially match-changing…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
