STRENGTH
Spine. They may not be the best spine in the competition as CEO Shane Richardson suggested, but there is enough potential to suggest the Tigers could become an elite spine in the future. Hooker Api Koroisau is getting to the end of his career, but is still one of the elite dummy-half’s in the NRL. Fullback Jahream Bula is an athlete with freaky skills and he has only scratched the surface of his enormous potential. Five-eighth Lachlan Galvin is arguably the best young player in the NRL and at 19 his potential is enormous to become one of the game’s elite playmakers in the future. New halfback Jarome Luai may not have played a lot of No.7 at NRL level due to playing alongside Nathan Cleary, but he has plenty of experience in the position in the juniors and stepped up in Cleary’s absence last year. The challenge will be to be a consistent player in the chief playmaker role week in and week out, but with four premierships, 10 Origins for the Blues and 13 Tests for Samoa, the 28-year-old has the experience to make the move a success and his best years are still ahead of him.
WEAKNESS
Forward depth. The Tigers have recruited well in the forwards with Royce Hunt and Terrell May bolstering their front row stocks after the departure of Stefano Utoikamanu to the Storm. But they still look a bit light on in the back row, after the departures of John Bateman and Isaiah Papali’i. Samuela Fainu has enormous potential and Fonua Pole is an excellent prospect, but Tigers lack some elite calibre enforcers in the back row. The fact Jack Bird is set to play in the back row shows the Tigers are a little short in that area, particularly if injuries strike.
IT'S A BIG YEAR FOR
Jahream Bula. The young gun fullback burst onto the scene with five tries in 18 games in 2023 and backed it up with 10 tries in 21 games last season. But despite that good return, Bula’s second season in the NRL had a touch of the second-year syndrome about it. After working with Greg Inglis, many experts predicted Bula would shake up the NRL, but he didn’t quite dominate as some expected he would in 2024. Part of that is down to the players he had around him and with Jarome Luai steering the ship, Bula should get plenty more opportunities in 2025. The 22-year-old has a strong spine around him and a big pack in front of him, so now is the time to take his game to the next level and showcase all his skills on a more consistent basis.
WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE
Jarome Luai. After playing in the last five grand finals and winning the last four titles, Jarome Luai’s legacy at the Panthers is set in stone, but he is back to square one in terms of his legacy at his new club the Tigers. Luai has scored 25 tries in 131 NRL games for the Panthers, but he is exploring a new frontier as a full-time NRL halfback at the three-time wooden spooners. Luai not only won’t have the calibre of squad he had around him at Penrith at the Tigers, but he will be the chief playmaker everyone looks to at the end of every set. One gets the feeling Luai only feels the pressure he puts on himself, but externally there will be plenty of pressure on the Samoan international to turn the club around, after such a long period of poor results and his $6 million pay packet will keep the pressure on him from his very first game for the club.
THE RISING STAR
Lachlan Galvin. He may have already arrived as an NRL star, but at 19 Lachlan Galvin is still very much on the rise and has only shown glimpses of his enormous potential to date. With Luai inside him directing the Tigers around the park, it will free up Galvin to play to his strengths and dominate with his running game in 2025. Galvin will be given a license to roam and pop up when he sees an opportunity and with a better squad around him, his performances should only improve this season. However, the club will be wary of second-year syndrome as Galvin becomes a marked man in 2025 and it is up to the Tigers and Benji Marshall to find ways to get the best out of the talented playmaker, as opposition teams target him more on both sides of the ball.
THE UNLUCKY ONES
Brent Naden and Charlie Staines. A few seasons ago Naden and Staines were making grand finals and winning premierships with the Panthers and now they look like they might struggle to make the Tigers’ 17. The arrival of Sunia Turuva and Jeral Skelton has pushed Staines down the pecking order in the race for a wing spot, while Bula is ahead of him at fullback. Naden has admitted he had a falling out with Marshall last season and with Adam Doueihi and Justin Olam expected to start at centre, he may have to bide his time for an opportunity in 2025. Both players are handy back-ups if injuries strike, but they could struggle for game time when everyone is fit, which is remarkable given where they have come from in their careers.
PREDICTED FINISH: 17th
BEST 17
1. Jahream Bula
2. Sunia Turuva
3. Justin Olam
4. Adam Doueihi
5. Jeral Skelton
6. Lachlan Galvin
7. Jarome Luai
8. Royce Hunt
9. Api Koroisau
10. Terrell May
11. Jack Bird
12. Samuela Fainu
13. Fonua Pole
14. Latu Fainu
15. Alex Seyfarth
16. David Klemmer
17. Alex Twal
2025 squad: Adam Doueihi (2025), Alex Twal (2027), Alex Seyfarth (2025), Apisai Koroisau (2026), Brandon Tumeth (PO 2025), Brent Naden (2025), Charlie Staines (2025), David Klemmer (2025, MO 2026), Fonua Pole (2027), Jack Bird (2026), Jahream Bula (2026, MO 2027), Jarome Luai (2029), Jeral Skelton (2026), Jordan Miller (2026), Josh Feledy (2025), Justin Matamua (2025), Justin Olam (2026), Kit Laulilii (2025), Lachlan Galvin (2026), Latu Fainu (2027), Luke Laulilii (2026), Royce Hunt (2027), Samuela Fainu (2027), Solomone Saukuru (2026), Starford To’a (2026), Sunia Turuva (2027), Tallyn Da Silva (2026), Terrell May (2027), Tony Sukkar (2025, CO 2026)
Development players: Alex Lobb (2025), Chris Fa’agutu (2025), Heamasi Makasini (2025, NRL 2026), Lachlan Broederlow (2026), Solomona Faataape (2025), Reuben Porter (2025), Heath Mason (2025), Will Craig (2025)