Wests Tigers fans deserve better

I have been a Wests Tigers supporter since the day I found out what rugby league was.

In 2005 when I was two years of age, they made the grand final. It was a huge opportunity for them as both the Cowboys and Tigers have never been in a grand final before.

The spectacular win against the Cowboys by 30-16 was a great game for all fans of the joint venture. I remember how proud I felt when they won. Being so close to their home stadium I was bound to be a fan for life.

Now when people think of the Wests Tigers they think of them scraping their way to eighth on the ladder with a 12-12 record and even coming as close as the ninth place like last year. We never seem to make the finals.

We had made the finals in 2010 and 2011 but after that it all went downhill. The Tigers came tenth the next year in 2012. In the next couple of years, they started to come last – if not near the bottom of the ladder.

These major losses had affected their fan-base on a large scale, losing this many fans meant the club had officially hit rock bottom.

Many fans will agree that the Tigers have potential, but they always tend to lose and always just miss out on the top eight.

This is caused mainly by their scrappy defensive plays. As a Wests Tigers fan it does hurt to hear that the team I have been supporting all my life is criticised like the this but it’s the truth.

Benji Marshall of the Tigers (C) is patted by team mates after an altercation with Dragons players during the round 23 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Leichhardt Oval on August 18, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall were both were major losses to the club. Both Benji and Robbie were with the Tigers for long periods of time and had a lot of experience, but they reached their breaking point and wanted to win a premiership.

Marshall wasn’t wanted by the coach, which in my opinion was a mistake. Robbie had some conflicts with the coach leading him to leave.

When they left the club it all went downhill from then onwards. At this point in time, the Tigers had many young talented players but no experienced leaders.

Mitchell Moses and James Tedesco were both young and had amazing talent, but they also left. They had potential to lift the club through to the top of the ladder.

The fans are at their breaking point. The 2019 season started on a positive note with a 20-6 win against the Sea Eagles and the grand return of Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah.

Although it looks like a great season ahead, the Wests Tigers are in desperate need of new management or they will continue on their old path.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Tigers, but it’s time for the club to rethink their coaching and management decisions as it leaves a very negative impact on the club, players and supporters.