Wests Tigers announce 2017 Academy squad

Wests Tigers have today announced the Club's 2017 Brydens Lawyers Wests Tigers Academy squad — the Club's primary Elite NRL Pathway Development program.

The program is designed to support promising rugby league players within the Club's geographical footprint through the Club's pathway to ultimately play in the NRL. The club’s footprint takes in the traditional areas of Balmain (Inner West of Sydney) and Western Suburbs (Liverpool to Campbelltown) as well as the CRL Group 6 area that encompasses Warragamba through to Camden and Narellan and the Southern Highlands.

The program is proudly supported by Bryden’s Lawyers and Wests Leagues Club Campbelltown and has had alumni such as Aaron Woods, James Tedesco, Luke Brooks, David Nofoaluma and many others, including a ever-growing portion of the Club's Holden Cup squads over the past few seasons.

The main focus of the Academy program is three-fold — Skill Acquisition and game sense, Player Wellbeing and Strength and Conditioning, with a major focus on recovery and nutrition.

Players who have been selected as part of the Brydens Lawyers Academy program will partake in a number of training sessions at Wests Tigers headquarters, Concord Oval as well as a number of satellite sessions across the footprint. They will also play several trial games against similar squads from other NRL clubs.

In 2017, Wests Tigers worked closely with Western Sydney University to run an Academy Combine – testing the physical attributes of all players within the NSWRL Junior Representative Program (Balmain & Western Suburbs). The aim of this was to align the physical performance programming of the Academy program with the NRL squad’s high performance philosophies and build a base for long term athlete development. 

From this, the Club's Academy squad was selected.

WESTS TIGERS 2017 ACADEMY SQUAD

WESTS TIGERS ACADEMY GRADUATES TO HOLDEN CUP

The following players have joined the Club's Holden Cup squad for the remainder of 2017, having progressed through the Brydens Lawyers Wests Tigers Academy in the last two years.

—   Alex Seyfarth (Balmain)

—   Ben Seufale (Western Suburbs)

—   Bennett Wheelhouse (Balmain)

—   Gus Garzaniti (Group 6)

—   Max Burey (Balmain)

—   James Tautaiolefua (Western Suburbs)

EXTENDED WESTS TIGERS 2017 ACADEMY SQUADS

Wests Tigers Extended Academy squads are broken into the following age groups:
 

Under 15's (June - August)

The U15s program is new in 2017 and is the very first taste local players have of training and playing for the Wests Tigers. This program also allows our key partners to have more Under 15s in their own squads, meaning more 15 year olds are being developed across our footprint and being ready for the NSWRL Junior Representative and Wests Tigers programs in future years.
 

Under 17's (May - August)

This program encompasses the best 16 and 17 year olds from our footprint and builds on their foundations from the NSWRL Harold Matthews & SG Ball program the players have been a part of.
 

Under 19's (May - August)

This program is designed as a transition program for 18 and 19 year olds who are not quite ready for the rigours of an elite Under 20s program but are seen as candidates for the Under 20s program in years to come. This squad will do a number of sessions with the Under 20s allowing them to learn what is required and the values that are vital to perform at that level.