When Wests Tigers achieved success, we had a mix of youngsters and a sprinkling of older heads to guide them. Are we on the cusp of repeating that in 2026? Do we have a new generation of young talent to come through and make a mark on the NRL?

We thought we would reach out to a podcast team that has done an excellent job of covering all that's going on through the lower grades at the Wests Tigers, the Wests Tigers Faithful podcast.

On this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast, Joel is joined by Joe McCord (aka 'Mac') from Wests Tigers Faithful for a chat. Mac has identified five young players in the Wests Tigers system that he believes are standouts and gives us a rundown on what we might get from names like Phoenix Godinet, Logan Brookes, and Jarod Haywood in the coming years.

He even believes at least one of the five players he has named will debut for the club in season 2026. One of the five in particular has Mac really excited, reminding him of a former young Wests Tigers star many of us have fond memories of.

It's not just homegrown talent that looks promising. Mac also gives us a rundown on what we might get from Brisbane recruit, Javon Andrews, and the young Rooster coming across to our club, Ethan Roberts.

Joel and Mac also discuss the recent announcement that Taylan May has re-signed with the club for two more seasons, and Mac gives his thoughts on how the season ended for the team. While he also makes a really interesting observation around why the Wests Tigers struggled at times this year, and it's a point, and a statistic that hasn't widely been discussed.

We hope you enjoy this latest cross-podcast collaboration, and we hope to hear more insights about the young Wests Tigers players from Wests Tigers Faithful in 2026.

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