If I was in a position to pick 17 Robbie Farahs in the Wests Tigers team on game day I would consider it.
Not because he would be a fast and elusive centre or a damaging prop forward. To be honest at 35 he’s not even up there with the best hookers in the competition anymore. The glory days are definitely behind him.
What you get with Robbie is a fierce competitive spirit and ‘win at all costs’ attitude that has accompanied his 300 club, 22 Origin and 13 Test (eight Australia and five Lebanon) matches.
Wests Tigers fans are a divided lot. By their very nature joint ventures are always going to have historic allegiances that are hard to shake off. Balmain and Western Suburbs fans are no exception. Finances, home grounds, training base and jersey colours are topics of passionate and relentless debate.
The fan divide around Robbie Farah as a player and a person is not based on foundation club grounds. Farah has always spoken of being a proud Balmain junior after playing for Leichhardt Wanderers and representing the district as a teenager.
His first junior club was the Enfield Federals that has been a part of both the Western Suburbs and Canterbury Bankstown junior competitions.
His love for Leichhardt Oval is unmatched, prompting him to spend his last moments in 2016 as a West Tiger sitting on the ground’s iconic old scoreboard.
Robbie Farah of the Tigers sits on the scoreboard (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
The sour relationship Farah had with then Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor and his subsequent departure to the Rabbitohs sent fans scrambling to take sides and lead to heated pro/anti Farah social media scuffles.
The Robbie Farah detractors will tell you he is selfish on the field, while his off field behaviour often provokes more words starting with the letter S.
Certain supporters see Farah’s behaviour after a losing game as sullen, sulky and sooky. He is an individual that wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t hide hurt and disappointment.
Stories have been circulated that he will occasionally leave a dressing room and ground without stopping to talk to supporters or sign autographs. If this is true then the complaints are somewhat valid. Fan engagement is an important part of the role of a professional rugby league player.
To be fair there are plenty of photos and images of Robbie mixing happily with fans at games and club functions.
Having met the Tigers hooker a couple of times through work duties I found him to be friendly, polite and responsive while also quite reserved. The passion for his footy career is obvious.
His pride and passion as a player are what lead to the failing out with Jason Taylor being played out publicly. Plenty of players find themselves in the same situation at the back end of their career but for Robbie it became personal and it was poorly handled by Taylor and Wests Tigers staff.
In hindsight it would have been wiser for Farah not to mention JT and the reserve grade comment in the lead up to his 300th game against Newcastle on the weekend. It is obvious his pride has taken a beating.
Robbie Farah of the Tigers. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
By the same token Rod Reddy who was a member of Taylor’s staff, a great rugby league player of his era, and supposedly the man who told Farah he would be playing reserve grade if he continued at Wests Tigers should have left the issue alone and in the past.
Reddy was a tough player. Diplomacy and turning the other cheek are not his strongest assets.
By implying that Farah is still a reserve grader and that the Wests Tigers were in fact a reserve grade team bar four to five players Reddy came across as insulting and bitter in the lead up to the milestone match.
Words of praise for Robbie’s career from former greats Peter Sterling and Royce Simmons as well as Tiger teammates Benji Marshall and Chris Lawrence restored the positive narrative around his milestone.
Current Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire, who after the previous round’s loss against the Raiders publicly slammed his team for their performance and made changes, asked Farah for an 80-minute effort against Newcastle, dropping his heir apparent Jacob Liddle off the bench.
Farah responded in typical style helping the team to a narrow victory, topping the tackle count with 53 and scoring one his trademark tries from dummy half.
Age and chronic back injury are quickly catching up with the veteran and it may be the perfect time at the end of this season to hang up the boots and hand the dummy half duties to the talented Liddle.
Liddle has been quietly developing his physical and mental resilience in the lower grades and coming off the bench in first grade.
A media conference has been set for this morning and Farah who won a premiership in 2005 is expected to announce his retirement.
It would be a perfect lead up to the game against the Cowboys at Leichhardt on Thursday night.
I want players that will give their utmost for my club. Sometimes that comes without a smile and a chat.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Will never forgive him for talking Tedesco out of joining the Raiders. Also destroyed Terry Campese origin career by ball hogging in Terry's only appearance for the Blues. Pretty decent player but completely unlikeable as a bloke.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"Dropped? Mate we have mozzies landing harder blows up here." Then how does Nate Myles ever survive a QLD summer? Besides, if ever anyone had a head that designed for impact I would have thought THAT would have been Nate Myles! Bahahahahahahaha
Nat
Roar Guru
Dropped? Mate we have mozzies landing harder blows up here. If he knew that was going to be the 'last straw' for fighting in the NRL, maybe he should've got his misses to throw one and make it worth it. ;)
Stuart McLennan
Expert
Cook has credited him for playing a mentor role when he was at Souths which goes against the selfish player perception that is in some people’s minds.
Higgo
Roar Rookie
As a Souths fan, I have the utmost respect for Farah. It would have been hard for him watching Damien Cook shine at hooker. But every time he got his rare minutes on the field,I thought he tried his heart out for Souths. Congratulations on everything you achieved in rugby league. A premiership and over 300 games. Wow!
Rob
Guest
A smart, tough and extremely competitive footballer. Very loyal club man. Congratulations Robbie on a great career. I hate the way you have consistently led the Tigers to victories over my team during your time over the last 14 years especially the 2005 GF. Much respect for what you have achieved but I hope my boys get one back this weekend.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
He's a leader greg isn't he. Not all leadership styles resinate with everyone, that's fine. But plenty of players seem to get along with him pretty well. When the JT saga was going on it was alledged he didn't fit in with the young playing group. That was 2016. Lets have a look at the other players that left from that squad after Farah had left; Tedesco Addo Carr Moses Woods Sironen Suli Sue All regular first graders and plenty of rep games among them. Nofoluma has been in and out for disciplinary reasons, Simona we all know about. Halatau and Grant have retired and they finally managed to offload Naiqama to the UK and what is Mcilwrick up to these days? Bascially Brooks, Chee Kam, Lawrence and Taylor hung around (and lets be honest, Lawrence wasn't going anywhere and there isn't a big market for Taylor). Liddle hasn't developed with Twal and Eisenhuth having been young fringe players in that squad. That is pretty much it. Seems there were bigger problems than the loyal, passionate club captain...
Fred
Guest
Benji's on minimum wage. You won't get anyone better than Benji for the money he's on, which is especially good for the Tigers with their salary cap issues (a fortune wrapped up in players who aren't playing first grade, or at all - Russell Packer, Josh Reynolds, Ben Matulino...)
The Barry
Roar Guru
Yeah, fair. I still think a better / smarter response is along the lines of “it’s not the day for that” Instead of it being about his 300th, it was about a silly feud...and I get that’s the media milking an angle but he still gave it oxygen when he didn’t need to.
gregjm
Guest
Great story and well said. To me he has never come across as selfish, just passionate and honest. Ask any of his teammates what they think about him, including Damian Cook who openly acknowledges the role Farrah played in developing his game when competing for the same starting spot, and imo that tells you all you need to know about his 'selfishness' as a player.
Soda
Roar Rookie
Fair enough with the Luke call, he is a penalty waiting to happen, Those stats are surprising. Yes Robbie is fine, and I believe this year he has played career best form. I must have a strong confirmation bias based on the many times he had taken the load completely on his shoulders with low percentage plays which didn't pay off. My opinion on him has softened since his return to Wests
Stuart McLennan
Expert
A lot of emotion seems to come into play for some when assessing Robbie’s playing ability. These stats are interesting
Over here
Roar Rookie
still is a grub
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Ah, the good old days. When life was simple and square ups were guaranteed. I haven't seen anything that good since Paul Gallen dropped serial pest Nate Myles in Origin!
BA Sports
Roar Guru
You are entitled to your opinion. I would take him over Luke who is more ill-disciplined, makes more errors and misses more tackles. For the record; In 100 fewer games, Robbie Farah - 34 more try assists (plenty from kicks) and the same number of forced line drop outs as Cameron Smith, and Cameron Smith is the best hooker of all time. Smith obviously played with better halves but Farah must have been doing something right on the football field.
Soda
Roar Rookie
Do you have a stat for how many times Robbie put in a nothing kick or got held up on the last? His games and tries are an achievement no doubt but I think I would have every other hooker on that list ahead of him when it comes to decision making.
Doug Graves
Guest
"Bringing up Jason Taylor in the lead up to his 300th is a great example of this. Why would you do that in the lead up to such a milestone event?" In fairness he didn't actually bring up Jason Taylor, he was asked a question about him and he responded to it with honesty and truth.
The Barry
Roar Guru
That was a great get square... Watts was a grub of the highest order
Stuart McLennan
Expert
Like that day at Leichhardt with Anthony Watts it consumes him.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Yeah for sure....timing’s just not his great suit. That’s twice in a month he’s ambushed his own big event to “settle” scores that no one else gives a stuff about.