In a special edition of Behind The Roar, Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson sets the record straight about some key issues at the club ahead of Friday’s sold-out match against the Eels at Campbelltown.

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. He is from the same Indigenous community as current Tigers half, Jayden Sullivan, who quickly suggested that his Uncle Richard should design the jersey. He is also the cousin of former Balmain Tigers player Paul Davis. Richard talks about the significance of NRL Indigenous Round, the important role that rugby league plays in helping Indigenous youth, and his sheer delight in being involved with the club he supported as a child.

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.

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.