Act of Squad: Wests Tigers predicted team and 2025 overview
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Wests Tigers have been the biggest movers in the off-season player transfer market and their six big name recruits, headed by Jarome Luai, are set to help lift the club off the bottom of the ladder.
Luai, fellow Panthers premiership winner Sunia Turuva, props Tyrell May (Sydney Roosters) and Royce Hunt, utility Jack Bird (Dragons) and winger Jeral Skelton (Bulldogs) all boast Test or Origin experience.
Anyone who watched Wests Tigers last year would realise the club is brimming with talent but the likes of Lachlan Galvin (21 NRL matches), Jahream Bula (39), Latu Fainu (9), Samuela Fainu (28), Tallyn Da Silva (11), Justin Matamua (14) are still rookies.
Assuming they stay fit, the six new signings will bolster the strength of Benji Marshall's team and ease the pressure on skipper Api Koroisau, five-eighth Galvin and Bula at fullback.
Luai, who won four premierships with Penrith, captained Samoa on last year's tour to England and was a key member of the NSW's triumphant Origin team.
The star playmaker has the potential to be the best signing for Wests Tigers since Scott Prince, who played alongside Marshall as they helped steer the joint venture to their first premiership in 2005.
The star playmaker joined Wests Tigers for the opportunity to become a leader and step out of the shadow of his close friend Nathan Cleary at Penrith and will co-captain the team with Koroisau.
Turuva and Skelton are powerful wingers who Marshall will look for to carry the ball out of their own end, while May and Hunt are hard running and aggressive props who also have skill and athleticism for big men.
Bird has won a premiership with the Sharks in 2016 and is capable of playing a number of positions, although he is likely to play lock or second-row for Wests Tigers.
With so many new faces and the talent coming through, it will be up to the likes of David Klemmer, Alex Twal, Justin Olam, Brent Naden, Adam Doueihi and Charlie Staines to fight for their positions.
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Alex Seyfarth and Fonua Pole are two other highly regarded young forwards coming through the ranks, who along with Samuela Fainu and Justin Matamua will ensure a healthy competition for positions in the forward pack.
The backline looks set with Starford Toa, Olam, Naden and Doueihi to battle it out for the two centre spots.
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Predicted Round 1 team
1. Jahream Bula
2. Sunia Turuva
3. Starford Toa
4. Brent Naden
5. Jeral Skelton
6. Lachlan Galvin
7. Jarome Luai
8. Terrell May
9. Api Koroisau
10. Royce Hunt
11. Alex Seyfarth
12. Samuela Fainu
13. Jack Bird
14. Latu Fainu
15. Fonua Pole
16. Justin Matamua
17. Alex Twal
