Behind The Roar

On this episode of Behind the Roar we speak to debutants, Jordan Miller, Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii.

This week’s guests on Behind The Roar are three rising stars who have recently made their NRL debuts with Wests Tigers, as we celebrate Junior League Appreciation Round. Joining us for episode 54 of BTR is Wests Tigers Player #270 Tallyn Da Silva, WT Player # 275 Kit Laulilii, and WT Player # 277 Lachie Galvin. All three are Macarthur juniors who have played with and against each other for many ye...

This week’s guest on Behind The Roar is Wests Tigers Player #94 Keith Galloway. One of the best props to have pulled on a Wests Tigers jersey, Galloway played 173 games for Wests Tigers over 10 seasons after joining the club from Cronulla Sharks in 2006. A good old-fashioned prop who had a cult following in his heyday, Galloway reflects on the good times and the tough times in his days at the West...

This week’s guest on Behind The Roar is former Dragons’ winger Alex Lobb, who will make his first starting appearance in the NRL on Friday night in Wollongong. Lobb, a 22-year-old Wollongong local, joined Wests Tigers in the off-season looking for an opportunity.  He was unexpectedly called on to make his NRL debut in the team’s most recent match against the Cowboys in Townsville. It was an unlike...

On this week’s episode of BTR we chat to the man behind the design of our 2024 Indigenous Jersey which will be worn on Friday night against the Cowboys. It’s a special bitesize edition of BTR where we recognise and celebrate the immense contribution indigenous players – past and present – have made to our game. Uncle Richard Campbell has very close ties to rugby league and indeed to Wests Tigers....

This week’s guest is a highly regarded sports administrator who was CEO of Central Coast Mariners for nine years and has previously worked in the NRL at both Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs. He was recently appointed to the position of GM Community, Foundation and Affiliates and his work will play a huge role in Wests Tigers Strategic Plan. We talk to Shaun about how his challenging ex...

Joining us this week on our 50th episode of Behind the Roar is former Cowboys hooker, now Wests Magpies NSW Cup Coach, Aaron Payne. Payne joined Wests Tigers in the pre-season, uprooting from Townsville for a sea change in the big smoke, and a fresh challenge. After playing 219 NRL games across 11 seasons with the Cowboys, this fella has plenty of skin in the game, and can tell a yarn or two as we...

On this week’s episode of BTR we learn a lot more about 21-year-old middle forward, Fonua Pole.   We chat about preparations for Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs, how some divine intervention helped him switch from Aussie Rules to Rugby League, and he also tells us about his ‘first true love’.    As debate continues about banning the long kick-off, Fonua says he loves coming off the back fence...

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 Centr...

  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 take...

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.  Des...

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 s...

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 West...

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 o...

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 de...

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...

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...

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...

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’...

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.