12 months ago writing this article would have been a piece of satire. But, in 2025 the Wests Tigers appear to be a different side entirely, with the Benji Marshall era in full swing. Front and centre to the culture that Benji has been trying to build is a team that competes in all the effort areas of the game, is well disciplined and works together as a cohesive defensive unit. After three rounds, the results are clear to see, the Tigers are no longer conceding easy points and currently hold the best record in the league.

Even compared to teams that have played one less game, like the Melbourne Storm, the Wests Tigers have had less points scored against them. Across their three games the Tigers have only let 34 points be scored against them. The likes of Terrell May have added a steeliness and toughness to their middle which has been lacking in recent years. Their edge defensive also seems to have made huge improvements with recruits Turuva and Skelton playing a key part in organising and following the lead of their inside defender. Just from watching the Tigers this year it’s clear that they are all working hard for each other and it’s exactly what the fans deserve.

Although the Tigers have conceded the most penalties in the NRL so far, they haven’t let other teams convert those chances into points. They’ve also managed to hold the majority of possession throughout each of their games so far and are sitting at an 83% set competition rate, which is second best in the NRL this season. Whilst the stats and the eye test both support the fact that the Tigers are a rejuvenated and defensively solid team, there is also a general buzz which is encouraging for Wests Tigers fans. The fact that each of the try scorers are all getting on board with the ‘claws out’ try celebration is a great sign to see, demonstrating the charisma, camaraderie and confidence this new Wests Tigers team possesses.

With the Warriors, Broncos, Knights and Eels in their next four games the Tigers will genuinely be considered favourites in three out of those four. If those results go their way, that would leave the Tigers with a 7 wins and 2 loses record after the opening 9 rounds and place them firmly in the conversation for finals football this year. Whilst there is still a long season ahead and there will be many more challenges along the way, the signs are certainly there for the Tigers to have their best season in a long time, especially if they can maintain their current defensive record.