Coming into form at the right time and with a host of players leaving the club at the end of the season, the West Tigers seem to have timed their premiership run to perfection.
An enigmatic side, the Tigers appear to be mirroring their famous advance into the 2005 finals, when a teenage playing group surprised everyone and went all the way to the grand final and won.
Of course, a few things are a lot different six years later.
The players are a lot older, of course, but wiser. There are many different faces in the squad, like English forward Gareth Ellis, and perhaps the competition in this year’s season is tougher than it was in 2005.
But there are also a lot of similarities.
The key players, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah are both still there, fit and firing. The team still plays with the same attacking abandon, the same, flowing ball movement and eye-catching enthusiasm that delights Tigers fans and neutrals alike.
Apart from the Tigers’ big two, the core of the 2005 side is also still there, like wily coach Tim Sheens and forwards Liam Fulton, Chris Heighington and Bryce Gibbs.
You could argue that the 2011 edition is a better side. Today, they boast Ellis – a fantastic back-rower – as well as seasoned internationals like Lote Tuqiri and Matt Utai.
There is also a lot talent in the likes of Keith Galloway, Blake Ayshford, Tim Moltzen, Chris Lawrence, Beau Ryan and Robert Lui.
In recent weeks, they have defeated both Manly and St George, two of the 2011 season’s front-runners, and at the moment have won five in a row.
Their final three games are against the Eels, Titans and Sharks, which should end up as three victories.
Last year, they were a whisker away from making the grand final, and I think, most fair judges would have had them beating the Roosters in the decider, if they had got past the Dragons.
But 2011 may be their year. It is their unpredictability, their refusal to conform and their almost-schizophrenic play that will have opposing coaches worried.
Unlike St George, Melbourne and Manly, they don’t seem to play with a set structure or well-defined game plan. A lot of their play, is off their cuff and instinctive, making them hard to decipher and defend against.
Another factor in the Tigers’ favour this year is the off-field problems they’ve faced.
Rumours of in-fighting and splits within the club. The signing of Adam Blair for next year will see Gibbs and Andrew Fifita departing, while Moltzen is also leaving the joint-venture in 2012.
Speculation surrounds the futures of Ryan and Heighington.
The Tigers have always been a tight-playing group and in recent weeks, these factors seem to have drawn them closer together.
Just like in 2005, when it was already known that the likes of Scott Prince and Pat Richards were leaving the club, the fact than many of their long-time colleagues are leaving now may be some extra motivation.
Either way, it will be fascinating to watch.
None of Melbourne, Manly, Brisbane, North Queensland or whoever finishes above them, will want to play the Tigers in the first round of the finals. And I don’t blame them.
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