Behind The Roar

Wests Tigers
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Behind The Roar

Behind The Roar Wests Tigers Podcast : The official podcast of the Wests Tigers

  1. 64. Football Review | Matthew Betsey | Behind The Roar

    11 SEPT

    64. Football Review | Matthew Betsey | Behind The Roar

    On the final episode of the 2024 season, we speak to Head Of Football Matthew Betsey.

    41 min
  2. CEO Update | Shane Richardson | Behind The Roar

    2 SEPT

    CEO Update | Shane Richardson | Behind The Roar

    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.

    8 min
  3. 63. Wayne Pearce | The First Coach | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    21 AUG

    63. Wayne Pearce | The First Coach | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    On this week’s episode of BTR, as we celebrate Wests Tigers 25th season in the NRL, we chat to the team’s very first coach and Balmain Tigers legend, Wayne Pearce. Junior’ covers plenty of ground as our NRL and NRLW teams prepare for big games at Leichhardt Oval over the next few days. We chat about his days as a 14-year-old selling hotdogs on the very same hill that would eventually be named in his honour. He talks about his time as the inaugural coach of the joint-venture club, revealing how a call from his 7-year-old daughter was the catalyst for his decision to call it quits after that first season. He also reflects on the early days, outlining some of the struggles and the benefits of the joint-venture club, and of course that very first game against a star-studded Broncos team. A fitness fanatic, Pearce tells us how and why he was a pioneer in that space. It was a handful of events, including the death of his father, and contracting Hepatitis B from the ‘magic sponge’, that prompted Junior to complete a science degree and search for a healthier way of life. He recounts the ‘secret meeting’ he had with the late, great Jack Gibson in the early 80s, when Jack was trying to lure Pearce from Leichhardt to Parramatta. We chat about club legends including Benny Elias, the late Keith Barnes, and Benji Marshall, and about the disappointment of losing the ’89 Grand Final. Pearce also talks about the resilience and loyalty of Tigers’ fans; confident the club has put the building blocks in place to ‘turn the Titanic around’. All that and more on this week’s episode of Behind the Roar.

    1h 4m
  4. 62. Reuben Porter | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    15 AUG

    62. Reuben Porter | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    On this week’s episode of BTR we chat to Wests Tigers Player #287 Reuben Porter, who made his NRL debut this season at the age of 27. After eight seasons in the NSW Cup, Reuben had almost given up on his dream to play NRL, before a call from Benji changed all that. This is a story about a perseverance and patience, about belief and self-doubt, about a guy who put ambition on the backburner only to fall back in love with the game. After uprooting and moving from New Zealand to Sydney as a 17-year-old, it didn’t quite go according to plan for Reuben.   Recruited by the Roosters, and then the Raiders, he found himself stuck behind some very good players.  Then a snapped Achilles, then a thing called Covid, and then a rethink about how he would pay the bills. He talks about rediscovering his love of footy when playing with his mates at North Sydney last year, and about the biggest challenges he’s faced in stepping up from NSW Cup to NRL. Reuben explains how important ‘attention to detail’ is at NRL level, and the ‘domino effect’ on your team if you happen to ‘miss your assignment’.   He talks about the pride he felt when making his long-awaited NRL debut, and offers great advice to others who, like him, may think their big opportunity has passed them by. Reuben also details what it means to him and his family to represent the Cook Islands, saying he’d love to again play in the Pacific Championships at the end of the season. Away from footy, we chat about the perfect steak, the LA Clippers, and a whole lot more.

    33 min
  5. 61. Tim Johannssen | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    8 AUG

    61. Tim Johannssen | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    On this week’s episode of BTR we chat to Wests Tigers Player #291 Tim Johannssen, who made his NRL debut last week against the Cowboys. BTR is proudly sponsored by Pro Wrestling Australia. This is a story about a young fella who walked away from rugby league, giving up on a childhood dream, who was then called back to give it another crack. A young man of strong faith, Tim reveals how he wandered down a wayward path, making poor choices, and taking wrong turns. A strong and talented athlete, the Swiss-born 22-year-old had attracted plenty of interest from NRL scouts, but the hunger had gone. Tim talks openly about his struggles, his faith, his family, and the tumultuous journey that landed him at Leichhardt for his NRL debut in Round 22. It’s a captivating story about belief, self-knowledge, resilience, and hard work.

    40 min
  6. 60. The War Chest | Shane Richardson | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    30 JULY

    60. The War Chest | Shane Richardson | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    In episode 60 of Behind The Roar we speak to Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson.

    35 min
  7. 59. Fainu Brothers | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    25 JULY

    59. Fainu Brothers | Behind The Roar | Official Wests Tigers Podcast

    On this week’s episode of Behind the Roar we chat to the Fainu brothers who last weekend became the first trio of brothers to play NRL together for Wests Tigers. It’s not often three brothers all get to play NRL, yet alone at the same time, and in the same team. So rare in fact, only ten times have three or more brothers played together in the same team in the past 100 years.Last weekend Latu, Samuela and Sione Fainu created a slice of history when they suited up together against the Rabbitohs in Gosford, and they’ll be at it again on Friday against the Warriors in Auckland. Two of them made their NRL debut with Wests Tigers this season, while the other made his NRL debut against Wests Tigers last season.In an odd twist of fate, Latu and Sione played their very first NRL game against the same opposition, at the very same venue, yet some seven weeks apart. We talk footy, family, and a whole lot more. Three good young men who differ in shape, size and personality, but who share the strongest of bonds as brothers.

    37 min
  8. 58. State Of Origin | Tim Grant & Brett Kimmorley | The Decider

    16 JULY

    58. State Of Origin | Tim Grant & Brett Kimmorley | The Decider

    This week’s episode of Behind The Roar is a special State of Origin preview as we count down to Wednesday’s series decider at Suncorp Stadium. We chat to a couple of fellas who know a thing or two about Origin deciders at Suncorp having experienced all that the Queensland cauldron has to offer. We are joined by Wests Tigers current NRLW Coach Brett Kimmorley, who played 10 Origins for NSW over a ten-year period, and current Head of Wellbeing, Tim Grant. Noddy talks about his highs and lows in Origin, including a victorious clean sweep in his debut series, and that costly, ill directed cut-out pass in game one, 2005. Grant was a part of the NSW team that headed to Suncorp for the 2012 series decider, after making his Origin debut just a few weeks earlier. He talks about the hostility of the Queensland crowd and the star-studded lineup he faced that night which included the likes of Inglis, Smith, Cronk and Thurston. Both give their views on the series so far, the changes made to each team, and how the game will unfold.

    40 min
See All (66)

4.5
out of 5
46 Ratings

About

Behind The Roar Wests Tigers Podcast : The official podcast of the Wests Tigers

Information

  • Creator
    Wests Tigers
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Wests Tigers
  • Show Website
    Behind The Roar

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