Wests Tigers induct two new Life Members

Wests Tigers have tonight inducted two new Life Members of the club — 2005 premiership-winning duo Todd Payten and Daniel Fitzhenry.

In total, Wests Tigers have now inducted 18 Life Members with tonight’s duo joining several other former players and notable contributors in the celebrated list.

Payten’s induction as a Life Member comes after a stellar career for the club that saw him amass a total of 151 games for Wests Tigers across eight seasons.

Arriving at Wests Tigers in 2004 via stints with the Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters, Payten quickly cemented himself as a vital cog in the Wests Tigers engine room and helped the club reach its maiden Premiership as a result.

Retiring in 2011, Payten has also enjoyed a successful coaching career to date — first helping Wests Tigers win the 2012 National Youth Competition trophy before making the transition to an NRL Assistant Coach at Wests Tigers for several years.

After also serving as an Assistant Coach for the North Queensland Cowboys and New Zealand Warriors, Payten became Head Coach of the Warriors midway through the 2020 season and will return to North Queensland as Head Coach for the 2021 season.

Fitzhenry’s induction as a Life Member of Wests Tigers comes after a 138-game career for the club that saw him feature in a number of positions — featuring at fullback, wing, centre, hooker and five-eighth through his first few seasons with the club.

A try-scorer in the 2005 Grand Final win over North Queensland, Fitzhenry would score 43 tries in total in his first five seasons with the club — making him, at the time, the club’s all-time top try-scorer before he was eventually surpassed by Benji Marshall in 2010.

After a brief stint in Super League, Fitzhenry returned to the club in 2010 before retiring in 2011 to take up a coaching role in the Group 9 competition, where he would win a premiership in his first season in charge.

Wests Tigers would like to thank Todd and Daniel for their tremendous service to the club over the years and congratulate them on their induction as Life Members!

WESTS TIGERS LIFE MEMBERS

2013 — Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers Player #67)
2013 — Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers Player #70)
2014 — John Skandalis (Wests Tigers Player #15)
2014 — Mark O’Neill (Wests Tigers Player #17)
2015 — Brett Hodgson (Wests Tigers Player #77)
2015 — Tim Sheens
2016 — Dene Halatau (Wests Tigers Player #68)
2016 — Chris Lawrence (Wests Tigers Player #104)
2017 — Liam Fulton (Wests Tigers Player #74)
2017 — Ben Galea (Wests Tigers Player #32)
2017 — Harry Triguboff
2018 — Bryce Gibbs (Wests Tigers Player #72)
2018 — Keith Galloway (Wests Tigers Player #94)
2019 — Chris Heighington (Wests Tigers Player #60)
2019 — Beau Ryan (Wests Tigers Player #111)
2019 — Peter Binet
2020 — Todd Payten (Wests Tigers Player #82)
2020 — Daniel Fitzhenry (Wests Tigers Player #58)