Wests Tigers lock Elijah Taylor is adamant veteran teammate Robbie Farah's spell in the Intrust Super Premiership is only temporary, and he'll return to help the club's finals tilt in due time.
The 10th-placed Tigers' final hopes are fleeting but the beauty of their run home is that they'll face the Titans, Panthers and the Warriors who are stuck in and around eighth spot on the NRL Telstra Premiership ladder.
That reason alone has Taylor confident the Wests Tigers life member Farah will be back playing in the NRL in the coming weeks, in a timely boost for the relatively inexperienced club.
"We’ve got some big games coming up, big games we must win. The experience that [Farah] has in controlling football games and controlling the tempo, especially in his position, he’s a master at it," Taylor said.
"That’s why I’m confident he will play again. We don’t have much experience games-wise as a team and Robbie can bring that out. That’s why I’m confident he'll be back.
"He’s the kind of player, when I’m warming up next to him before a game, he gives me confidence because I know how much experience he has," he added.
It was only three months ago where Taylor found himself in a similar position to Farah at the Penrith Panthers.
While the New Zealand international has found a new home in the Tigers in the time since, it's a tough ask for Farah – who is three games short of 250 NRL appearances at the club – to get up and leave.
"At that time, mentally it’s very tough to get up for games and play good footy for the reserve team," Taylor said.
"I’ve been in those shoes and it really tests your character. All you can do is work hard with what you can control and that’s what I did.
"Then the opportunity at the Tigers came up and I took it."
Ultimately Taylor was confident Farah will understand coach Jason Taylor's rationale when it came to dropping the New South Wales Origin veteran to reserve grade.
Coach Taylor's main gripes with Farah remain around his stifling of the Tigers' young halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks from reaching their attacking potential in games.
"Robbie's an experienced campaigner and he knows what he needs to do. The coach has told him what he needs to do and he’ll do it," Taylor said.
"He wants to play first grade, he’s a club great and I think we need him in the team.
"I’ve come in with a fresh set of eyes recently and you can tell he has the leadership qualities, he’s an Origin player and he has the experience. He knows the game inside out."
