The Wests Tigers have signed New Zealand Warriors cult player, Bunty Afoa. Always a strong performer when playing against our club, Afoa is coming across the ditch on a one-year deal with Wests Tigers for season 2026.

But what does the signing of the 29-year-old front-rower mean for the 2026 prop rotation, and in particular, for existing impact prop, Royce Hunt? Joel Helmes is joined by Nick Hayes and Declan McCutcheon on this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast to discuss the signing of Afoa and make some predictions around the impacts in 2026 on Hunt, Pole, Sione Fainu, and Twal.

Another "off the back fence" type prop has also been linked to the Wests Tigers in recent times, Nathan Brown. Brown, who debuted with the Wests Tigers way back in 2013, could be heading back to the club as a swap for Jack Bird. Is this a good move? Does the Afoa signing put an end to this deal? And what do we expect from Jack Bird next year if he remains with the club?

Also on the agenda of this off-season edition of the podcast is the announcement that Terrell May has won the 2025 Kelly-Barnes Award. The boys discuss the reasons why May was the standout for the award, but a few other potential winners also get a mention. There's also a look at what we might get from the 2025 Rookie of the Year, Tony Sukkar, in 2026.

Lastly, the Wests Tigers bus has made a stop and let a few guys off. Staines, Feledy, Matamua, etc, didn't come as a great surprise. However, there was one name on the departing players list that we might not have seen coming: Brent Naden. We take a look at the reasons why Brent was put through the shredder and what that might mean for our backline next year.

As the weather starts to heat up and the countdown to the start of pre-season training commences, we hope you enjoy this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast. And don't forget that you are always welcome to join the conversation and engage with other Wests Tigers fans on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum!

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