After Robbie Farah’s announcement that he will retire at season’s end, Brendan Wood looks at some defining moments that helped cement Farah’s status as a club legend for the Wests Tigers.
Robbie’s 300th game
Let’s start with the most recent achievement. Two weeks ago against the Knights in Newcastle, Robbie Farah became the 39th player in NRL history to play 300 games. The only other prominent Wests Tigers players to do this before him are Chris Heighington, Benji Marshall and Scott Prince. Add to this the fact no other player has played more games for the Wests Tigers than Farah (currently at 274 games played for the club) it’s hard to argue how he does not fit into club legend status.
Dual International representation
Another rare feat which Farah has accomplished is becoming one of the very few players to represent two separate countries at international level. He achieved the highest honour in rugby league when he was named to make his test debut for Australia in 2009. Not only did he go on to play eight tests for Australia, he was also awarded the privilege of captaining Lebanon in the World Cup of 2017. This is something we may not ever see again in rugby league, and certainly not in the NRL again anytime soon.
State of Origin pain and glory
In 2009, Farah made his State of Origin debut for New South-Wales at hooker opposite arguably the greatest player the game has ever known, Cameron Smith. A lot of people will look at the period he played for NSW and say he wasn’t successful in the Origin arena, purely because of the several series losses he was a part of. But when we look back at those years, the one that really stands out is the 2014 series victory which ended an eight-year period of dominance for Queensland. He was an integral part of the team that was able to finally restore some pride to the NSW jersey after nearly a decade in the dirt.
2005 Grand Final win
In all the highlights of Farah’s career, winning the Grand Final in 2005 is one of the moments that stands out the most when talking about what Farah has brought to the Tigers. The first premiership in Wests Tigers history has a nice ring to it. At just 21 years old, he helped bring a famous premiership to the club he would eventually go on to retire with 14 years later. At the time he was a kid full of potential, having already reached the pinnacle of club footy with his entire career ahead of him.
Legend status confirmed
Now as he announces his retirement, we can look back on his career and say without doubt that Robbie Farah has indeed lived up to his potential, cementing himself as one of the greatest Wests Tigers players of all time. He leaves behind a lasting legacy for future Wests Tigers to follow in his footsteps in one day representing their state, country, and wearing the Tigers jersey with passion and pride in every game.
