Wests Tigers Podcast

Dec 8

It's been a sad day for Wests Tigers with highly-regarded CEO Shane Richardson walking away from the club. The man they call 'Richo' had been doing a sterling job in getting Wests Tigers back on track and things we're genuinely looking up for 2026. But then that selfish bunch at the Holman Barnes Group decided to pull the rug out from all Wests Tigers fans. We now have no CEO and no Chair. Fans are walking away and memberships are being cancelled. On this bleak day, Nick and Declan take the reins of the Wests Tigers Podcast and have their say on this raw edition of the pod. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Dec 1

Well, they've done it again! Just when it felt like the Wests Tigers had turned the corner, here comes the HBG hatchet men! That's right, our old "friends" from the Holman Barnes Group (HBG) have orchestrated their latest power play to again make the Wests Tigers the NRL laughing stocks. After we fought so hard to initiate change at Wests Tigers board level, and based on the advice of an independent governance review, the four independent Wests Tigers board members have been sacked. This includes our chairman, Barry O'Farrell. The HBG, the majority shareholders of Wests Tigers, say their knives were sharpened after the Wests Tigers board didn't adequately communicate with the HBG board, and there was a misalignment between the organisations. We fear, but strongly suspect, the majority orange home jersey selected by Wests Tigers for 2026 and beyond was the tipping point. What a mess! On this emergency edition of the podcast, Joel Helmes is joined by Zac Kels from Tiger Town, and Joe McCord from Wests Tigers Faithful. The boys are showing cross-podcast unity in the face of a really disappointing situation. Topics up for discussion include: Will Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson now resign? How will this latest storm affect player negotiations? What actions can fans take to convey their dissatisfaction? Should, or will, the NRL get involved? Are the HBG moves about deeper issues? We hope you enjoy this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast, and we welcome your comments on this topic on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Nov 23

The Wests Tigers need to play finals football in 2026; it's as simple as that. But what does the club need to do on the field to make that happen? How do we do something that we haven't done in 15 years? On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast , we identify our areas of improvement that the club and team need to make. Joel Helmes and Nick Hayes suggest improvements that should and could be made in important aspects, such as bench rotations and impact. We also identify consistency in the halves and arrest a worrying trend that has crept into many failed or frustrating Wests Tigers seasons, a long mid-season run of outs! Watch or listen to this edition to see what else the club needs to do to see finals footy once again, finally! What has us worried heading into the 2026 NRL season? Joel and Nick also list a few factors that have them concerned at this point in the Wests Tigers' preseason . These concerns include positional question marks, key contract discussions, and a reliance on some inexperienced and untested young players. As always, feel free to agree or disagree with the boys on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum . Other topics up for discussion on this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast included: Is Royce Hunt ready to turn the corner and hit a new high? Why aren't a couple of key 2026 recruits listed on the 'Teams' page of the official Wests Tigers website ? And the brand-new Wests Tigers jersey design also comes up for discussion, with a Wests Tigers legend also being mentioned in that discussion. It's the latest big edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast. We hope you enjoy it and that you're surviving another long Wests Tigers off-season! We hope to be back again with another podcast edition soon. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Nov 4

The 2025-26 Wests Tigers pre-season is just commencing, with players starting to return to training this week. One of the players set to sweat it out at Concord over the summer months is young fullback Jack Attard. Considered the heir apparent to champion Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards, Attard has ditched the Panthers and come across to our club on a three-year deal. On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast , we dive into what this means for our current fullback Jahream Bula. Bula, managed by Isaac Moses (who has a rocky history with the Wests Tigers), is in the midst of contract negotiations, and there are concerns that he may be heading elsewhere. So, is Attard a contingency? An insurance plan? We take a deep dive into that issue on this edition. Joining Joel on this podcast are the boys from Tiger Town , Zac and Toby, as well as Jordan, Declan, and Nick. Other topics up for debate include the new gear supply deal with Canterbury Sportswear . With Steeden moving on, Canterbury will soon have a new-look Wests Tigers jersey for us, and we've already seen a fresh training shirt look as well. The boys discuss expectations and hopes for the new-look Wests Tigers jersey. Nathan Brown also pops up for a bit of a discussion with reports continuing to link the veteran prop to a farewell season or two with the Tigers. And then we get into the meat and potatoes topic of this podcast - the 2026 Wests Tigers team. With a full house of contributors on board, we look at the contentious selection areas for round one and beyond, including Wing, Lock, Prop, and Bench Utility. There are also a couple of bold predictions, including the potential inclusion of highly touted young Wests Tigers stars, such as Ethan Roberts, Javon Andrews, Phoenix Godinet, and Heamasi Makasini. It's an exciting time to be a Wests Tigers fan! Don't forget to join in the discussion today on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum ! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Oct 12

The Wests Tigers have signed New Zealand Warriors cult player, Bunty Afoa. Always a strong performer when playing against our club, Afoa is coming across the ditch on a one-year deal with Wests Tigers for season 2026 . But what does the signing of the 29-year-old front-rower mean for the 2026 prop rotation, and in particular, for existing impact prop, Royce Hunt? Joel Helmes is joined by Nick Hayes and Declan McCutcheon on this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast to discuss the signing of Afoa and make some predictions around the impacts in 2026 on Hunt, Pole, Sione Fainu, and Twal. Another "off the back fence" type prop has also been linked to the Wests Tigers in recent times, Nathan Brown . Brown, who debuted with the Wests Tigers way back in 2013, could be heading back to the club as a swap for Jack Bird. Is this a good move? Does the Afoa signing put an end to this deal? And what do we expect from Jack Bird next year if he remains with the club? Also on the agenda of this off-season edition of the podcast is the announcement that Terrell May has won the 2025 Kelly-Barnes Award . The boys discuss the reasons why May was the standout for the award, but a few other potential winners also get a mention. There's also a look at what we might get from the 2025 Rookie of the Year, Tony Sukkar, in 2026. Lastly, the Wests Tigers bus has made a stop and let a few guys off. Staines, Feledy, Matamua, etc, didn't come as a great surprise. However, there was one name on the departing players list that we might not have seen coming: Brent Naden. We take a look at the reasons why Brent was put through the shredder and what that might mean for our backline next year. As the weather starts to heat up and the countdown to the start of pre-season training commences, we hope you enjoy this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast. And don't forget that you are always welcome to join the conversation and engage with other Wests Tigers fans on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum ! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Sep 11

When Wests Tigers achieved success, we had a mix of youngsters and a sprinkling of older heads to guide them. Are we on the cusp of repeating that in 2026? Do we have a new generation of young talent to come through and make a mark on the NRL ? We thought we would reach out to a podcast team that has done an excellent job of covering all that's going on through the lower grades at the Wests Tigers, the Wests Tigers Faithful podcast . On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast , Joel is joined by Joe McCord (aka 'Mac') from Wests Tigers Faithful for a chat. Mac has identified five young players in the Wests Tigers system that he believes are standouts and gives us a rundown on what we might get from names like Phoenix Godinet, Logan Brookes, and Jarod Haywood in the coming years. He even believes at least one of the five players he has named will debut for the club in season 2026. One of the five in particular has Mac really excited, reminding him of a former young Wests Tigers star many of us have fond memories of. It's not just homegrown talent that looks promising. Mac also gives us a rundown on what we might get from Brisbane recruit, Javon Andrews, and the young Rooster coming across to our club, Ethan Roberts. Joel and Mac also discuss the recent announcement that Taylan May has re-signed with the club for two more seasons, and Mac gives his thoughts on how the season ended for the team. While he also makes a really interesting observation around why the Wests Tigers struggled at times this year, and it's a point, and a statistic that hasn't widely been discussed. We hope you enjoy this latest cross-podcast collaboration, and we hope to hear more insights about the young Wests Tigers players from Wests Tigers Faithful in 2026. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Sep 8

What went wrong? That's a question that dominates this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast! The Wests Tigers put in another strong performance on Saturday evening...for about sixty minutes, eventually succumbing to the Titans 36-28 . On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast, Joel is joined by Nick, Declan, and Zac for a deep dive into the highs and lows of the Gold Coast game. There were some positives, including some flashy attacking play and some good individual performances as well. But, just like the Canberra and Cowboys games, the boys just couldn't match it with the opposition when the whips started cracking towards the end of the game. How can we change this next year? How can we make our right edge more reliable in defence? And have we signed enough quality players to turn this around in 2026? How about the young winger? One highlight from the game was the debut of Heamasi Makasini , the young Tiger proved he didn't look out of place in the NRL. We talk about how we fit the youngster into the team next year. There's also a strong list of 'One Word' submissions from the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum . And a big thank you to all the forum members who contributed right through 2025! Joel finishes this podcast with some rapid-fire questions, including: Was the season a success or a failure? And are we better placed than we were a year ago? It's really disappointing that the team didn't manage to put a more enjoyable full stop on the season, but we hope you still enjoy this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast . And stay tuned for more Wests Tigers content in the coming weeks, and right across the NRL off-season as well. As always, thank you for your support, and fingers crossed for a bigger and better 2026 for the Wests Tigers! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .

Sep 4

The final mid-week edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast for season 2025 is warmed up and ready to go! Wests Tigers travel to the Gold Coast tomorrow to face the Titans in a game that could have significant ramifications on both teams' ladder positions. On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast , Eddie and Steve discuss the importance of putting in a respectable effort in the Tigers' last run of the year. A team that we've traditionally had trouble getting on top of, the boys look at what it will take to come away from the holiday strip with the two points. Also on this edition of the podcast, Eddie brings out a strong list of questions for a round of Buy, Sell, Hold, including topics such as the 2026 Wests Tigers coaching team. One recently dumped NRL coach also gets a mention, with Eddie tossing up Adam O'Brien as someone who might be a good addition to the club's coaching ranks. Heamasi Makasini will become Wests Tigers player number 303 when he debuts this weekend against the Titans. The boys look at what he might bring in game number one. Some chat about Wests Tigers' 2025 Player of the Year also features on the pod. And Yioti's Quiz is also ready to go, with our quiz master coming up with a question regarding a very memorable moment in a Wests Tigers v Gold Coast Titans game way back in 2010! He's also found a player who was with our club for an extended period, but only managed a handful of games. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast . The post-Titans game edition will drop on Monday, and we'll keep you updated with everything Wests Tigers over the off-season. And don't forget that you can join the discussion today and right through the next six months on our Wests Tigers Podcast Forum . Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/wests-tigers-podcast--6660380/support .