This is the 25th article in the ongoing series where we remember some of the forgotten players from your favourite club.
Today we look at the Wests Tigers, not to be confused with foundation clubs the Western Suburbs Magpies or the Balmain Tigers, who will both be the subject of separate upcoming articles.
The Wests Tigers entered the NRL competition in 2000 after the merger of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Balmain Tigers. In the 21 seasons since they entered the league 236 players have turned out in first grade for the club, many of them notching up over 150 games, including Benji Marshall, Chris Lawrence, Robbie Farah, Keith Galloway, John Skandalis and Todd Payten.
Many other players came and went through the Tigers ranks, staying at the club only briefly. How many of the following team of forgotten Wests Tigers players do you remember?
1. Lee Murphy
Murphy had four years with the Dragons before joining the Tigers in 2001 and played nine games for the club that year. Murphy had the distinction of playing in both the last game for the St George Dragons and the first game for the St George Illawarra Dragons.
2. Marika Koroibete
Koroibete was one that got away from the Tigers. He made his debut for the club in 2012 and played 16 games in first grade over the next three seasons, scoring 12 tries. He then headed to the Storm in 2015 and the rest is history. He played seven Tests for Fiji before making a successful switch to rugby with the Melbourne Rebels, going on to be selected for the Wallabies on 27 occasions to date.
Marika Koroibete found success post-league. (Photo by Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
3. Shane Elford
A rugged and versatile outside back, Elford got his start with Penrith in 1997 before switching to Wests in 2004, going on to play 59 games for the club over the next three years. He was part of the Tigers’ 2005 premiership-winning team. He headed to England for a couple of seasons in 2007 before rejoining the Panthers in 2009 and eventually retiring in 2010 due to ongoing injuries.
4. Jarrod McCracken
McCracken was one of the most damaging ball runners to play the game. He had played over 170 first-grade games and 22 Tests for New Zealand by the time he joined the Tigers for their inaugural season in 2000. Unfortunately his career came to an abrupt end that year after just eight games following injuries suffered in a spear tackle in a match against Melbourne. He later successfully sued both the Storm and the players involved in the tackle for damages.
5. Gray Viane
A powerful ball runner and tough defender, Viane was a Wests junior and former Australian Schoolboys rugby representative. He made his first-grade debut for the Tigers in 2003 and played just nine games before heading to the UK for the rest of his career. He also played three Tests in the second row for Samoa.
6. Rangi Chase
Chase is an ‘everywhere man’, having played for ten clubs to date in his 230-game career. Just one of those games was with the Tigers in 2006. He has also played eight Tests for England and won the ESL man of steel award in 2011.
7. Matthew Head
A clever player and handy goal kicker, Head had just one season with the Tigers in 2008, playing 11 first-grade games. He is now establishing himself in his coaching career.
8. Ray Cashmere
A big front-rower, Cashmere played 150 games at the top level in his 13-year career after debuting for the Western Suburbs Magpies in their 1999 swansong season. He had two stints with the Wests Tigers, playing three games for the club in 2005 and then playing another ten games in 2012 in what was his final season in the top grade.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
9. Ciriaco Mescia
A clever dummy-half and noted defender, ‘Cherry’ Mescia transitioned from the Western Suburbs Magpies to the merged club in 2000 and played 38 games for them over the next two seasons before a severe back injury brought his career to an early end.
10. Matt Groat
One of the biggest players in the game, Groat liked to play it tough. A former Australian Schoolboys representative, Junior Kangaroo and New South Wales under-20s Origin representative, he looked destined for success when he debuted for the Wests Tigers in 2011 as a 19-year-old but managed to play only 17 games at the top level over the next three seasons. He headed to England for two seasons in 2015.
11. Trent Runciman
After winning two reserve-grade premierships with the Bulldogs, Runciman joined the Wests Tigers in 2001 and went on to play 22 first-grade games for the club over the next two years. He was released by the Tigers at the end of the 2002 season and returned to the family farm in Wellington in country New South Wales to continue his career.
12. Simon Dwyer
A Wests junior, Dwyer was a great prospect from the time he made his debut for the Tigers in 2009. He was famous for the so-called ‘hit of the century’ when he flattened Jared Waerea-Hargreaves with a bellringer in 2010 back when shoulder charges were legal. Dwyer played 35 games for the club over the next three years before injury ended his career midway through the 2011 season at the age of 22.
13. Scott Sattler
Son of Souths legend John Sattler, Scott Sattler had played over 180 first-grade games and won a premiership by the time he joined Wests Tigers at the age of 33 in 2004. Famous for his epic grand final covering tackle for the Panthers in 2003, he went on to play 22 games for the Tigers in 2004, eventually retiring due to a knee injury. He also played one Origin match for Queensland.
14. Lincoln Withers
Withers was a former Australian Schoolboys representative who made his first-grade debut for the Raiders in 2000 the age of 19. Equally at home at either hooker or in the halves, he came to Wests Tigers in 2001 and played 46 games for the club over the next three years. In all he played 267 games at the top level in his 14-year career.
15. Nathan Brown
Brown has always been a firebrand, and there’s some great footage of him running amok in the Wests Tigers national youth competition team if you can find it. He played just the one first-grade game for the Tigers though, and that was his first-grade debut in 2013. He then moved to Souths before joining Parramatta in 2017. He has also played two Origin games for NSW.
16. Jarrod Saffy
A big and powerful forward, Saffy looked destined for a stellar career in rugby union after representing both the Australian Schoolboys rugby team and the Australian under-21s rugby team. Instead he switched to league and made his first-grade debut for the Wests Tigers in 2006, going on to play eight top-level games for the club over the next two seasons. He then transferred to the Dragons and premiership glory before returning to rugby in 2011 with the Melbourne Rebels.
17. Mark Flanagan
Not the biggest back-rower to go around, Flanagan made up for it with his tough, no-nonsense play. He came from England to the Tigers in 2010 and played 27 first-grade games for the club over the next two years. He returned to England in 2012 and announced his retirement at the end of the 2020 season.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Well said.
Tony
Roar Guru
Mad as!
Nat
Roar Rookie
I watched one of dust-ups from Brown in the youth comp. He was chasing Pangai Jnr around for 5mins! Nut case.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
It doesn't matter how good the recruitment is if the best players leave. They've recruited a top four team in recent years but they don't keep them. The Cows have a similar problem.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I'm surprised that you don't mind losing players like Pap , Fox and Ted.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
Have to agree Albo. I don’t think any of the mergers have worked for the benefit of the respective regions, supporters or junior development.
Sammy
Guest
Ciriaco Mescia was highly rated by the Magpies Coaches and on many occasions he was actually selected ahead of the NSW Origin Hooker, Jim Sedaris. At Origin level, Sedaris was also outplayed by Queenland's Wayne Bartrim, who wasn't even a regular Hooker at his Club (St George).
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
2005. Andrew Walker was long gone by then
Albo
Roar Rookie
I just don't think the merger has worked for either Tigers or Magpies. Take the Magpies with their Western Suburbs Leagues Club at Ashield and their home ground 44 km away in Campbelltown ? Whilst their traditional supporter base from around Lidcombe and Concord are asked to travel to either Campbelltown, Leichhardt, Bankwest or ANZ stadium just for their home games ? Then you have the Balmain Tigers who haven't even had their leagues club since 2010 , and for their home games they get 3 a year at their spiritual home at Leichhardt , and the rest at Campbelltown, Bankwest or ANZ . To me both Clubs have lost their traditional rugby league identities and will struggle always in transforming to a new modern day successful NRL identity. There were times when the likes of Tommy Raudonikis & Dallas Donnelly would never dream of leaving Lidcombe or Wayne Pearce & Keith Barnes would never leave Leichhardt. Now it seems the Wests Tigers merger is little more than a transit lounge for players taking a breather whilst cutting a pay cheque before a better Club option comes along .
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Terry Hill was possibly way past his best when he got there but worth a mention
Andrew
Guest
I think Wests have benefited. While the joint venture is not competitive, much better than Wests were for almost all of the previous 30 years. Wests unlikely to have been a premiership contender at any point if continued. Balmain - it is hard to say. They had that fantastic period in the 1980s. But that ended. Could it have come back - hard to know for sure but perhaps not. Tigers still have plenty of supporters. I am not sure the home ground issue impacts their support. They just need to win. If they were successful like Souths have been, their disengaged supporters would return regardless of where they play. Anyone who follows AFL - look at what Richmond have done in last 5 years of extreme success. After decades of uselessness, now the biggest club again. supporters return and new ones join.
mushi
Roar Guru
What about the discarded players? I think that would be a pretty good team of all the Tigers development system players they let go and then maybe a squad list of the players they kept instead? What do you reckon the odds would be for a game between those two teams 6:1? Or is that too painful for the tigers fans
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Didn’t Matt Head kick a last minute Anzac Day conversion to win the game one year? What year was that? I was at the game & recall Andrew Walker having a good match for Easts. Or is my memory unreliable?
Albo
Roar Rookie
"Who do you think has benefitted most from the West’s & Balmain merger? " Neither of the Western Suburbs or Balmain clubs and their supporters have benefited. The NRL has benefited from the forced merger, and other beneficiaries are probably the remaining other western suburbs clubs of Canterbury & Parramatta who have retained their supporters & traditional identities, whilst the Wests Tigers still don't know where they belong , what is their home ground & who is their supporter base ?
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
Lee Murphy shares that distinction with plenty of other players from St George from 1998. Head was a very good halfback at the Dragons but had some bad knees. I always remember his 2005 Anzac Day heroics setting up Matt Cooper then kicking the goal from the sideline
Greg
Roar Pro
Injuries are annoying but unfortunately part of the game. I also don't get to upset by the talent leaving the club as in most incidents it isn't so much Tigers letting them go as much as other clubs making better offers. It is the poor recruitment that is really frustrating.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
Taniela Tuiaki?
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Years ago, there was a stigma associated with divorce. Let me explain. Some cultures to this day conduct arranged marriages. In Australia, we have seen the union between St George & Illawarra wherein St George has been the dominant partner. Who do you think has benefitted most from the West’s & Balmain merger? Meanwhile the Manly & Norths marriage was always doomed to fail. I’m sure they spent their wedding night arguing!
Tony
Roar Guru
Interesting observation 40/20. They certainly have let some talent go over the years and their recruitment over the last 5 years or so has been below par. I think one of their main problems in terms of success and support is the fact that they are a merged club, and I'm not so sure that the Wests and Balmain sides of the club have ever got on.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure if the club is the hardest to support in the NRL or not because of the talent they let go and injuries but they must be high on the list.