The ones who got away: Wests Tigers

Club loyalty certainly isn’t what it used to be. And now the salary cap, ineffectual contracts and the lure of the dollar means that players change clubs on a regular basis.

Sometimes fans are happy to see a player go, but losing a top player while in their prime, or a prospect with loads of potential is no fun at all. Particularly when you see that player lining up for the opposition in the following season.

In this, the eleventh article in the series, I’ll pick a team of the best players who got away from Wests since 2000. The only criteria are that the player named must have made his debut for the Tigers, left the club after 2000, and then played with another NRL club, rather than just retired or headed to obscurity in either the ESL or rugby.

Mental health alert for Wests Tigers fans, this list is going to get ugly.

(Details in brackets are the year the player debuted for Wests and the number of games played for the club.)

1. James Tedesco (2012, 90 games)

Tedesco only played one game in his debut season as a 19-year-old before injury ruled him out. But by the following year, he was back and had firmly established himself in the top grade, and even found himself playing centre for Italy in the World Cup, with Anthony Minichiello wearing the number 1 jersey.

He went from strength to strength over the next few years, was selected for NSW, and by 2017, he and the rest of the off-contract ‘big four’ – Aaron Woods, Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks – were firmly in the sights of rival clubs. Tedesco was snapped up by the Roosters and his loss still keeps Tigers fans awake at night.

2. Josh Addo-Carr (2016, 9 games)

Even after just a hand full of first-grade games it was obvious to everyone except Wests’ coach Jason Taylor that JAC was a rare talent.

A player with speed to burn who could score a try from anywhere on the field, the Storm jumped in midway through the 2016 season to sign him to a three-year contract from 2017. Oops!

(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

3. Dean Collis (2003, 80 games)

Collis was a steady and reliable player who never shirked the hard stuff, but it was no big deal when he jumped ship to join the Sharks in 2010.

4. Moses Suli (2017, 16 games)

Suli is a classic case of too much too soon, making his first-grade debut at just 18, and it took some years for his attitude to catch up to his ability. He left the club the following year and now, some five years later, has finally established himself as a first grader.

5. Marika Koroibete (2012, 16 games)

Koroibete announced himself in just his second first-grade game when he ran in 4 tries against Parramatta, but injuries and patchy form limited his opportunities over the next couple of years.

That all changed, however, in 2014 when he headed to the Storm, and he went on to become one of Australia’s best and most reliable players when he switched to rugby union in 2017.

6. Benji Marshall (2002, 201 games)

Marshall is probably Wests’ most famous player, but his declining form in 2013 saw him released from the final two years of his contract to pursue a career in rugby.

That adventure went nowhere fast and after spending the best part of the next four years with Saints and Brisbane, he returned to the Tigers in 2018 at the age of 33. They should never have let him leave.

7. Mitchell Moses (2014, 67 games)

Another of the so-called “big four”, Moses signed with the Eels for the 2018 season and beyond, but was actually released halfway through the 2017 season after having a beer can hurled at him at Leichardt Oval.

He needs to get over himself, at Leichardt Oval, that’s a sign of affection.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

8. Andrew Fifita (2011, 39 games)

After debuting for the Tigers as a 19-year-old, Fifita played nearly every game of the 2010 season, and also played for Tonga at season’s end.

Things didn’t run so smoothly for him in 2011 though, and after a good start to the season, he signed with Cronulla for 2012 and beyond, and almost immediately found himself out of Tim Sheen’s first-grade squad.

Fifita never looked back after joining the Sharks, becoming a club cult hero, and went on to represent both NSW and Australia. What were you thinking Tim?

9. Isaac De Gois (2006, 5 games)

De Gois was never going to get a prolonged run in first grade while ever Robbie Farah was at the club, and did the sensible thing by moving to the Cronulla in 2007, going on to play 225 games in his first-grade career.

10. Aaron Woods (2011, 146 games)

It might be hard to imagine now, but Woods was one of the best forwards in the game during his time at Wests, and by the time he left in 2018 he had notched up 15 games for Australia and 14 games in a row for NSW.

Another of the “big four” coming off contract at the end of 2017, Woods joined the Canterbury in 2018, but lasted only half a season before switching to Cronulla.

There’s no doubt that Woods played his career best football during his time at the Tigers.

(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

11. Anthony Laffranchi (201, 103 games)

Laffranchi was a talented and versatile forward who was one of Wests’ best performers before being lured to the Gold Coast when they entered the competition in 2007. Both NSW and Australian selection came his way while at the Gold Coast and he was certainly one that got away for the Tigers.

12. Ben Te’o (2007, 36 games)

After a solid debut season, he cemented his place in the first-grade squad in 2008 and was selected to represent Samoa in the 2008 World Cup. Unfortunately for the Tigers, he signed with the Broncos for the 2009 season.

13. Chris Heighington (2003, 201 games)

Heighington was a Tiger club legend, part of their 2005 premiership-winning team, and a player who left nothing on the paddock, so it came as a surprise when he found himself unwanted after ten years at the club. He signed with the Sharks in 2013 and never missed a beat, becoming a leader at the club and winning another premiership with them in 2016. One that got away I’m afraid.

Any Tigers supporter reading this will no doubt be feeling a little nauseous and asking the question “who the hell is running the club?” and with good reason.

That’s a pretty serious squad of players right there, and if the Tigers had hung on to just half of the key departures they wouldn’t be in the hole they now find themselves in.