After a fallout between Robbie Farah and coach Jason Taylor, the Wests Tigers will be hoping to resolve problems and end the finals hoodoo that has haunted them since 2012.
The merger has undergone several changes with the club getting rid of the old and bringing in the new by relieving Farah of his captaincy duties and replacing him with young prop forward Aaron Woods.
The Tigers have so much young talent just waiting to fulfill their potential and 2016 must be the year they do so.
The struggling franchise need to turn around and get out of their mediocre state and transform that into a club in the hunt for a finals berth.
Rookie watch
Wests have a plethora of exciting players coming through the grades with a total of 12 on first and second tier contracts yet to make their NRL debut.
The most hyped rookie is rugby sevens convert Jesse Parahi. The Central Coast junior is set to take the rugby league world by storm and convert his star power to rugby league, having scored 25 tries from 33 games for the Australian men’s sevens team.
Parahi however is not yet tested and may prove to be a flop. The pros of the powerful ball carrier though far outweigh the risks associated with his conversion.
Rod Griffin is one player that has been proven and knows how to play at the top level despite having yet made his first grade debut in either the NRL or Super League.
One of Papua New Guinea’s best players, Griffin has represented his country on nine occasions with the 29-year old having spent the majority of his career in the Intrust Super Cup.
After the Ipswich Jets’ successful 2015 season however, the North Queensland Cowboys junior has finally earned an NRL contract and will without doubt show just how grateful he is by showing Australia and New Zealand why he is considered to be one of the Kumuls’ finest talents.
One of Griffin’s teammates Billy McConnachie has also been hiding behind the curtains and is set to burst onto the scene in 2016. McConnachie was a shining light in last year’s State Championship and is a proven hard worker as well as being great at exploiting the defensive line and going on barnstorming hit ups.
Yet another standout is Eels recruit Josh Aloiai. He has been one of the stars of the Holden Cup in recent years and all but carried Parramatta’s struggling NYC side on his shoulders.
Aloiai is bound to be a star of the future and once he has fully developed will be considered to be among the game’s best backrowers.
Josh Addo-Carr also joins the club having graduated from the Sharks’ NYC system. He scored a total of 28 tries in 44 games of his U20s career and should make his debut in the Wests Tigers backline in 2016.
All of the above players are sure to make their debut in 2016 while other players also vying for their first appearance in the NRL include Wests Tigers NYC graduates Watson Heleta, Marion Seve, Bayley Sironen and Tyler Cassel as well as NSW Cup players Chance Peni, Dallas Graham and prop forward Jordan Grant.
Under pressure
Wests Tigers head coach Jason Taylor is under immense pressure to get the best out of his team.
After failing to get the Wests Tigers out of the bottom four in 2015 and only worsening the environment at Concord, Taylor faces a serious risk of being replaced by former Warriors and Panthers mentor Ivan Cleary.
If Taylor cannot get the best out of his halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks, and properly manage the hooking crisis at the club, he will be in real danger of losing his job.
Ladder position will not be a major factor in the original JT’s job safety with the pass mark being to help his halves and find the best way to utilise his three quality hookers as mentioned above.
Will 2016 be the year that Moses and Brooks finally click?
Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks have come under fire for failing to show their talent and lead the Tigers from the front.
With so much potential ahead of them, 2016 appears to be do or die for the pair. Moses and Brooks must finally lead from the front and show why they were touted as the best up and coming halves back in 2013.
Both need to stop playing safe and start playing with risk and creating match-winning plays and utilising their forward pack to create holes and get the Wests Tigers back to their form of 2010 and 2011.
If the merger are going to succeed, it all depends on Moses and Brooks and the Tigers need the pair to step up to the challenge more than ever.
2016 must by the year that the Tiger cubs finally mature.
Where does Matt Ballin fit in?
The recruitment of Matt Ballin from the Sea Eagles has many fans scratching their heads with coach Jason Taylor anointing incumbent Robbie Farah to wear the No.9 jersey in Round 1.
Farah is highly unlikely to play reserve grade in 2016 now that he has partially repaired his relationship with Taylor however with so few big minute forwards at Concord it is hard to see the Wests Tigers playing with two hookers.
Someone has to step aside and it appears as though Ballin is the man who will be playing in the NSW Cup.
To make the situation even more complicated, young prospect Manaia Cherrington is the third man in contention for the hooker spot and reserve grade coach Paul Stringer will not be wanting to hold him back.
Expect Ballin to either come off the bench and play ten to 20 minutes a game in the NRL or share the duties with Manaia Cherrington in the NSW Cup.
Is Aaron Woods the right man to lead the Wests Tigers?
Out with the old, in with the new. Aaron Woods comes in as the new captain of the Wests Tigers replacing Robbie Farah to create a better player environment at Concord after controversy between Farah and current head coach Jason Taylor as well as with predecessor Michael Potter.
Woods’s appointment comes as a way to stop the pernicious environment at the Wests Tigers however the New South Wales and Australian representative is not yet tested as a captain.
It will be a big step back in terms of experience for the merger but it could come at a good price and result in an outstanding season by young stars James Tedesco, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks, and also see the rise of Robbie Farah as he lessens his responsibility.
Must watch
Round 1 versus Warriors
Saturday, March 5, 5:30pm at Campbelltown Stadium
The Wests Tigers will play their first game for 2016 when they host the Warriors at Campbelltown Stadium.
It will no doubt prove a tough test for the struggling club with the likes of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Manu Vatuvei, Shaun Johnson, Issac Luke, Ben Matulino, Ryan Hoffman and Simon Mannering all on the opposing team.
The merger will be faced with a huge challenge and almost every player on the park will be tested, setting a good benchmark of each player’s abilities for coach Jason Taylor ahead of the remaining 25 seasons.
They will be hoping to get off to a good start with a win over the team that finished in last year’s bottom four which could set the tone for their season.
Round 4 versus Eels
Monday, March 28, 4pm at ANZ Stadium
The Wests Tigers will meet with local rivals Parramatta Eels in their annual Easter Monday clash during round four with the match shaping as a must watch for fans of both teams.
Halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks will be tested when they come up against Kiwi five-eighth Kieran Foran and his partner Corey Norman.
Moses and Brooks will have to lead their team to victory against a monster forward pack and speedy backline.
The odds will be stacked against them but a win will be well worth it with competition points set to be hard to come by in 2016 with so many tough teams.
Predicted best XVII
1. James Tedesco, 2. David Nofoaluma, 3. Chris Lawrence, 4. Tim Simona, 5. Kevin Naiqama, 6. Mitchell Moses, 7. Luke Brooks, 8. Aaron Woods, 9. Robbie Farah, 10. Ava Seumanufagai, 11. Curtis Sironen, 12. Dene Halatau, 13. Sauaso Sue
Interchange: 14. Jack Buchanan, 15. Tim Grant, 16. Kyle Lovett, 17. Joel Edwards
2016 signings
Josh Addo-Carr (Cronulla Sharks), Josh Aloiai (Parramatta Eels), Matt Ballin (Manly Sea Eagles), Michael Chee-Kam (Manly Sea Eagles), Joel Edwards (Canberra Raiders), Tim Grant (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Rod Griffin (Ipswich Jets), Justin Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons), Jack Littlejohn (Manly Sea Eagles), Billy McConnachie (Ipswich Jets), Jesse Parahi (rugby union), Jordan Rankin (Hull FC)
2016 draw (AEST)
Round 1: Wests Tigers versus Warriors (Saturday, March 5, 5:30pm at Campbelltown Stadium)
Round 2: Wests Tigers versus Sea Eagles (Monday, March 14, 7pm at Leichhardt Oval)
Round 3: Titans versus Wests Tigers (Saturday, March 19, 9:30pm at Cbus Super Stadium)
Round 4: Wests Tigers versus Eels (Monday, March 28, 4pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 5: Wests Tigers versus Sharks (Saturday, April 2, 5:30pm at Campbelltown Stadium)
Round 6: Knights versus Wests Tigers (Sunday, April 10, 4pm at Hunter Stadium)
Round 7: Wests Tigers versus Storm (Sunday, April 17, 4pm at Leichhardt Oval)
Round 8: Raiders versus Wests Tigers (Saturday, April 23, 5:30pm at GIO Stadium)
Round 9: Rabbitohs versus Wests Tigers (Thursday, April 28, 7:50pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 10: Wests Tigers versus Bulldogs (Sunday, May 15, 4pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 11: Wests Tigers versus Knights (Saturday, May 21, 3pm at Campbelltown Stadium)
Round 12: Broncos versus Wests Tigers (Friday, May 27, 7:50pm at Suncorp Stadium)
Round 13: Roosters versus Wests Tigers (Sunday, June 5, 4pm at Allianz Stadium)
Round 14: Wests Tigers versus Rabbitohs (Friday, June 10, 7:50pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 15: Bye
Round 16: Storm versus Wests Tigers (Sunday, June 26, 4pm at AAMI Park)
Round 17: Wests Tigers versus Panthers (Saturday, July 2, 5:30pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 18: Bulldogs versus Wests Tigers (Saturday, July 9, 7:30pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 19: Bye
Round 20: Dragons versus Wests Tigers (Sunday, July 24, 4pm at ANZ Stadium)
Round 21: Eels versus Wests Tigers (July 28-August 1 at ANZ Stadium)
Round 22: Wests Tigers versus Cowboys (August 4-August 8 at Leichhardt Oval)
Round 23: Wests Tigers versus Titans (August 11-August 15 at Campbelltown Stadium)
Round 24: Panthers versus Wests Tigers (August 18-August 22 at Pepper Stadium)
Round 25: Warriors versus Wests Tigers (August 25-August 29 at Mt Smart Stadium)
Round 26: Wests Tigers versus Raiders (September 1-September 4 at Leichhardt Oval)
Prediction
The Wests Tigers will be competing for the bottom three spots on the ladder with the Knights and Titans, and end up in the middle finishing at 15th for the second straight season.
windham17
Guest
I disagree. - Jestine
Dan
Guest
yeah because Benji never had a chance to thrive behind a dominate hooker like Farah..
Doug Graves
Guest
Another long season for the Tigers awaits it would appear. Sure they have a few good youngsters and a decent draw (so should avoid the spoon) but their inability to dump Farah will torpedo their season once again. Farah is absolute poison in the locker room. He's directly responsible for the early demise of Sheens and the untimely demise of Potter, plus he can be directly attributed to their disastrous 2015 campaign as he clashed with and undermined Jason Taylor from day 1. Ultimately the Tigers aren't getting out of the bottom 4 until Farah is given the boot, whatever the cost. Taylor realized this and tried to do the right thing but we all saw how the pathetic Tigers board handled that shambles and now the Tigers will be sabotaged by Farah for another 2 years. Tigers fans can look forward to the continued improvement of their youngsters and the fact they only have to endure Farah for another 12 months at the end of this season.
Waley
Guest
Put Ballin in for Farah and give the halves a chance to develop with a good hooker, not a dominant one. Farah off the bench when defences are tired.
Alan
Guest
I think that Jordan Rankin could be a surprise packet for the Tigers. He could be a great buy if given opportunities.
Western fuglie
Guest
Just wondering if chee-cam is quick enough for the centres and if Balin could cover minuets in lock What do you rekon?
eagleJack
Roar Guru
You could be right Will. I'm calling Barrett now and demanding we give him back to the Tigers immediately. We'll still pay his salary. Just don't let him run out in Manly colours!!
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Bloody hell - these figures say that Tapau is error-ridden (three times as many errors as Grant) and misses a lot of tackles! And it doesn't show the meaningless penalties he gives away. This could prove to be the worst signing in the history of organised sport, anywhere in the World.
The Barry
Roar Guru
thanks for that JT
The Barry
Roar Guru
You'd think Grant will be playing more minutes this year but he's not a fraction of the player kapow is...
The Barry
Roar Guru
I wish I could be here talking about how much I've always loved Hopoate and how he's always completely deserved his blues jumpers...
The Barry
Roar Guru
Haha
pete bloor
Guest
Agreed Riley - very good work. Though I notice that according to the comments you've generally got every team 2-4 places too low!
Heich
Guest
IMO tigers will prove us wrong this year. Because the halves have experienced what its like to be in NRL. They will reassess and make adjustments( HALVES) I see them as strong contenders for 2016 top eight
The eye
Guest
As a Tigers sympathizer I see no best case scenario..Tedesco cant carry this sick and sorry roster alone..other than the Ipswich boys the signings are all other clubs cuttings.. Titans wil finish in front of them..nothing but turnstiles outwide and the only deadset goer in the pack is Sue..got a bad feeling about this one..
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Will, I was interested to see how your theory played out based on 2015 stats. On an average per game basis the following applies Taupau v Grant Runs: 11 v 9 Metres: 105m v 74m Tackles: 25.5 (90%) v 18.8 (98%) Tackle busts: 4.4 v 0.7 Offloads: 1.3 v 0 Errors: 0.62 v 0.20 So Grant made less errors per game but is significantly beaten in every other stat. Don't get me wrong I think Grant will be good for the Tigs. But Im very happy with the purchase of Taupau.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Gotta love the pre-season. Kieran who? :)
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
To be fair, I've been saying Tapau is massively over-rated for months. Since the day he signed with Manly, in fact.
The Barry
Roar Guru
If they needed to ease cap pressure then it's not a bad trade. Off the park. On the field it's a massive downgrade. I wouldn't rate their value based on the number of tackles or hit-ups they complete. Tapau is much more effective than Grant. Tapau also started a lot at 13 for the Tigers and was more than an "impact bench forward" in 2015. He was also one of the kiwis best players. I love this time of year when all of a sudden Tigers fans are telling us that Grant is as good as Tapau and Manly fans are coming up with theories on why Dylan Walker is a better 6 than Foran. Roosters fans telling us that Jennings is a bludger, Maloney over rated and the reason they lost last year was they relied too much on RTS.
Birdy
Guest
TB The optimist in me says a lot of things will fall into place this season. Fingers crossed.