On this week’s episode of Behind the Roar turn back the clock with two of Wests Tigers ‘Originals’ who played in the club’s first season in the NRL, and in the very first match against the Broncos at Campbelltown. We chat to WT Player #8 Shane Walker – who zooms in from his worksite – and WT Player #15 John Skandalis – who strolls in from his worksite, the corporate sales suite at the Zurich Centre. Both players reminisce about the good old days, excited about Saturday’s past players get together at Campbelltown, when suddenly informed mid-recording that former teammate, WT Player #4, had passed away. We talk about Terry - the footballer and the larrikin, we look at a couple of key battles that will take place on Saturday evening, including the match-up between two of the game’s best props, Stefano Utoikamanu and Payne Haas. We also discuss the move of John Bateman to lock, the impending NRL debut of former Super Rugby star Solomon Alaimalo, and the rising stars involved in junior rep Grand Finals on Saturday at CommBank Stadium. All that and more on episode 48 of Behind the Roar!

 This week’s guest on BTR is former Panthers, Wests Tigers and NSW prop, Tim Grant. Much of the chat with Tim is about his role at the Wests Tigers as head of wellbeing, and we take a deeper dive into the link between mental wellbeing and player performance. He talks openly about his own battles post-retirement, and the struggles of others who failed to cope when all they knew was suddenly taken away. These days he’s helping players in many ways, whether just there as a friend who’ll listen, or helping them form a ‘plan p’ for the transition post-retirement. He also talks about his penchant for pruning hedges, and his football-loving grandma who was a nurse, who would stich up the wounds of his fathers’ bush-footy teammates, without anaesthetic! All that and more in episode 47 of Behind the Roar.

In this week’s episode of Behind the Roar we chat to Wests Tigers very first captain, Darren Senter. Senter played 226 NRL games in total over 13 seasons. He made his debut with Canterbury Bulldogs in 1992, playing three seasons at Belmore before joining Balmain in 1995, where he played five seasons there. He played another five seasons at West Tigers but decided to hang up the boots in 2004. Despite missing out on the club’s maiden premiership in 2005, he’s got no regrets about making that tough decision. Senter was one of the more experienced heads in the side during an era that saw the emergence of future Wests Tigers greats, like Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and Chris Heighington. He talks fondly of all three men. A hard-nosed hooker who was fitter than a fiddle, Senter draws some comparisons between the team from the early 2000s and the current squad. “We had a few really experienced guys like Terry Hill, Jarrod McCracken, Shane Walker and me, and then there was this batch of young guys coming through like Benji and Robbie.” Ahead of our first home game in Campbelltown this season, Darren recalls the buzz around the place ahead of the team’s very first game at the same venue against the Broncos in 2000. He says it was also at Campbelltown where he played perhaps the best game of his career. We also chat about life after footy, the importance of staying connected with former teammates, why family matters so much, and the origins of his nickname ‘Hollywood’.

Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson joins us on this week’s episode of Behind the Roar to talk through some key elements of the club’s new strategic plan, and a whole lot more. We talk about the importance of increasing Wests Tigers’ focus on the southwest corridor, our plan to be the number one development club in Sydney, and with Leichhardt Oval facing an uncertain future, we discuss the factors shaping the club’s stadia policy over the next few years. We also reflect on Easter Monday’s marvellous win over Parramatta Eels, take look at this weekend’s game against the Dolphins, and we have an expanded segment of Questions from The Crowd. All that and more on episode 45 of BTR.

In episode 44 of Behind the Roar we chat to veteran half Aidan Sezer ahead of Easter Monday’s match against the Eels. Aidan has played more than 150 NRL games and made his first starting appearance for Wests Tigers in Saturday night’s glorious win over the Sharks at Leichhardt Oval. He’s a wonderful character with a great sense of humour who is grateful for the opportunity he’s been given at Wests Tigers after spending four years in England. Sezer, or ‘salad’ as he’s affectionately known, covers plenty of ground in this 40-minute episode, dishing the dirt on one of his ‘coffee snob’ teammates, and reliving the time in England when he fell victim to Johnny Bateman. He tells us how he’s loving life at Wests Tigers under the coaching of Benji Marshall, showering praise on Api Koroisau after his ‘masterclass’ last weekend. Sezer also explains why it’s such a thrill to be playing alongside a rookie five-eighth, what the sheer presence of Justin Olam means to the team, why Bateman is such the good leader he is, and the backstory to Wests Tigers new team song. You’ll hear about the improvements made against the Sharks following the loss in Canberra, and ‘the basics’ that the team must get right against the Eels on Monday. All that and more on Behind The Roar.

In Episode 43, we sit down with Wests Tiger number one Joel Caine. Joel takes us on a journey through his career, sharing insights from his time with the inaugural Wests Tigers team and his transition into the world of media. But that's not all - we introduce a brand new segment called Turnbuckle Time, proudly brought to you by Pro Wrestling Australia. All that and much more, on this episode of Behind The Roar

Wests Tigers assistant coach John Morris is our guest on the first episode of Behind The Roar for the 2024 season. We also welcome to our new sponsor of Wests Tigers official podcast, Pro Wrestling Australia. Morris covers plenty of ground on this episode of BTR, talking about the rigours of pre-season, about what is needed this weekend in Canberra, and giving specific detail about his role as defensive coach. Morris also talks glowingly about his ‘boss’ Benji, and how well he has brought the crew together. Specifically, he tells BTR how Marshall has empowered his assistant coaches with very clearly defined roles. All that and a whole lot more on this week’s Behind The Roar.

In our final episode of Behind The Roar’s pre-season series we chat with rising star and former development player, Josh Feledy. Josh talks about his hopes and dreams for 2024, his pre-season goals and achievements, and how important it was to him making his NRL debut at the end of last season. A powerful centre, and one of the shorter players in the team, Feledy explains how dropping a few kilos over summer has made a sizeable difference.

On Episode 40 of Behind The Roar, we speak to Shane Richardson Recently appointed CEO Shane Richardson wants to make Wests Tigers the best sporting club in Sydney, outlining here some key changes that will form part of a new business strategy for the club. He also issues a challenge to Wests Tigers supporters who have not yet 'joined the family' as a member.

This week we chat to Solomona Faataape, a 23-year-old centre from Brisbane who was a standout in the Queensland Cup last year, helping Brisbane Tigers win their first premiership in more than 30 years. He talks about what it means to be given this opportunity, the benefits of being able to train full time, how he was off the pace when he first joined the club, and how something as simple as a free bottle of Powerade can mean so much.

This week we chat to Solomone Saukuru, a 19-year-old centre who has played the past few seasons in Wests Tigers pathways teams, and well on the mend after post-season shoulder surgery. He talks about the challenges he faced when entering pre-season but unable to train with the main squad, his goals and aspirations over the next 12 months and beyond, his father’s influence on him as a person and a player, and how he’s enjoying training alongside the team’s most recent recruit, Justin Olam.

This week we chat to Tony Sukkar, a local junior and edge forward who has climbed his way through Wests Tigers pathways teams, and is now patiently for that next big opportunity. Tony talks about his junior footy where he played for three clubs in the Balmain district, the influence his father has had on his young career, the greatest challenges of pre-season training, and why ‘finding his voice’ is a work in progress.

This week we chat to Kit Laulilii, an exciting young lock who made his NRL debut for Wests Tigers in the final round of the 2023 season against Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval. Captain of the premiership-winning Wests Magpies Harold Matthews team, Laulilii explains how leadership has been instilled in him from a young age.

This week on BTR we chat to Alex Lobb, a goal-kicking winger who joined Wests Tigers from the Dragons at the start of pre-season. Still living in Wollongong, Lobb wakes most mornings at 4:30 ahead of his trip to Concord. The early riser talks about his transition to his new club, how playing soccer as a kid has helped his kicking game, his burning desire to make his NRL debut, and a whole lot more.

Episode 34 of BTR is with Jordan Miller, another player who has emerged from the Western Suburbs premiership winning Harold Matthews team from 2022. Jordan talks about pre-season and his goals for 2024.

This week we chat to ball-playing forward, Justin Matamua who is preparing to enter his third season in the NRL. He talks about the growing number of pathways players in our top-30 squad, how he's handling pre-season training, his expectations for next season, and a whole lot more.

Episode 32 of BTR is with Lachlan Galvin, another player who has emerged from the Western Suburbs premiership-winning Harold Matthews team from 2022, to a top-30 contract in 2024. He talks openly about the challenges faced by an 18-year-old in his first NRL pre-season, how he loves learning off Benji, his pathways journey where he was overlooked by a rival club, and a whole lot more.

This week we chat to teenage hooker, Tallyn Da Silva who is preparing for his first full season of NRL after making his first-grade debut in 2023. It was a meteoric rise for the Campbelltown junior who went from playing park footy with his father, to playing NRL with Wests Tigers in the space of 12 months. With five NRL games under his belt the East Campbelltown Eagles junior is now part of Wests Tigers top-30 roster and throwing himself into pre-season training. Tallyn also talks about the wealth of dummy half experience at the club and how much he’s learning off the likes of Api Koroisau and Robbie Farah. All that and more, on this weeks episode of Behind The Roar.

Wests Tigers official podcast Behind The Roar is shining the light on some of the club’s younger players over the summer, as preparations continue ahead of the 2024 NRL season. The 10-episode pre-season series includes five players who are on NRL Development contract and five who are part of the club’s top-30 roster. Six of these players are yet to make their NRL debut, and all but one has played in Wests Tigers pathways teams. First cab off the rank is young Queensland forward CHRIS FAAGUTU, a middle forward who this year played Origin Under 19s for Queensland. He admits week-one of pre-season was ‘a bit out there’, in layman’s terms, it was tough.

The final episode of Behind The Roar for 2023 features this year’s Kelly-Barnes Medallist, Jahream Bula. We cover plenty of ground and reflect on a remarkable debut season which saw the 21-year-old collect the Player of the Year, Players’ Player, and Rookie of the Year awards. He talks openly about his strong Christian faith, the influence of Benji Marshall, and his desire to remain at Wests Tigers for many years to come. Jahream’s journey to Wests Tigers is not dissimilar to that of his new head coach. Like Benji, he moved from New Zealand to Queensland in his teens to attend renown rugby league school, Keebra Park State High. All that and more on this week’s Behind The Roar.