Prediction: 16th

Finish: 16th

Off-season reviews that produce no real changes are never a great way to start the season. Wests Tigers went into 2022 hoping that Jackson Hastings could carry them into the finals for the first time in more than a decade. With Adam Doueihi unavailable in the early rounds due to injury, it would prove too much for Hastings, although he showed he may be the future of the franchise.

A loss to Melbourne in the opening round was expected, but the 26-4 defeat at the hands of Newcastle in round two saw some alarm bells start to ring. The Tigers lost their first five games, and had just two wins after ten rounds; both by a single field goal.

Ahead of round 14, Wests Tigers and coach, Michael Maguire parted company, and Brett Kimmorley was brought in to coach the club until the end of the year. The Tigers announced 2005 premiership winning coach Tim Sheens would be back in the role in 2023, with a succession plan in place that would see Benji Marshall eventually take the reins.

The losses continued, and by round 17 the Tigers had slumped to the bottom of the ladder. They were very competitive against high-fliers Penrith and North Queensland, and an upset win over Brisbane in round 20 saw them hand last place to Gold Coast. It would be their last win of the year. Wests Tigers reached their nadir in round 23, when they copped a record setting 72-6 shellacking from Sydney Roosters. In the final round, they were behind 42-0 at halftime against Canberra, and eventually went down 56-10 at their last ever game at Leichhardt Oval.

Wests Tigers need the Tim Sheens/Benji Marshall to produce some positive results in 2023. They farewell Luke Garner and James Tamou, but welcome Apisai Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i. It hardly seems enough to turn around a club that struggled for a decade, and may be on its last legs in the NRL if there is no improvement.

GRADE: D-