After announcing themselves as genuine finals contenders through June and July, the Wests Tigers carried that momentum into the closing stretch of the regular season.
What followed was a record-breaking run that captured the imagination of rugby league fans and set the stage for an unforgettable Finals series.
ROUND 20 vs RABBITOHS
A ground-record crowd of nearly 23,000 packed into Leichhardt Oval, and they were treated to a dazzling attacking display.
Shane Elford opened the scoring when he pounced on a Scott Prince bomb, before the Tigers proceeded to pull the Rabbitohs apart on both edges.
Robbie Farah was the star of the show, grabbing a rare hooker’s hat-trick; barging over from dummy half from close-range twice, before seizing on a defensive lapse near the ruck for his third.
Fulton’s barnstorming solo try delighted the home faithful, while Prince, Pat Richards and Chris Heighington also crossed in a dominant performance.
By full-time, chants of “Tigers” echoed around the old ground, as Sheens’ men delivered another great afternoon at Leichhardt in 2005.
Wests Tigers 42 (Farah 3, Elford, Fulton, Prince, Richards tries; Hodgson 7/8 goals) defeated Rabbitohs 20 (L. MacDougall, Polglase, Sutton tries; Champion 2/2 goals, Watts 0/2 goals) at Leichhardt Oval.
ROUND 21 vs SHARKS
If Round 20 at Leichhardt was special, Round 21 at Shark Park was spectacular.
The Tigers ran riot, with Benji Marshall producing one of his career-defining performances.
A flicked pass to set up Richards, followed by a length-of-the-field try involving Richards and a supporting Marshall, had the visiting crowd on their feet in adulation.
Brett Hodgson showed grit and guile to score himself, before Marshall dazzled again; stepping, swerving and then passing without looking to set up Richards and Daniel Fitzhenry in a try that has since become one of the most iconic of his career.
Prince capped a dominant afternoon with a stunning hat-trick, while Dene Halatau also got on the board.
It was the Tigers’ fifth straight victory and confirmation that they were quickly becoming the NRL’s most dangerous attacking side.
Wests Tigers 46 (Prince 3, Fitzhenry, Halatau, Hodgson, Marshall, Richards tries; Hodgson 7/8 goals) defeated Sharks 6 (Peachey try; Merritt 1/1 goal) at Sharks Stadium.
ROUND 22 vs RAIDERS
Down 14-0 at half-time, the Tigers' winning streak faced its sternest test yet of character and composure.
Canberra had controlled possession and frustrated the visitors, but Tim Sheens’ side rallied after the break.
Hodgson finished off a flowing movement to open their account, before Fitzhenry scored from nothing; simply getting up and playing on after the Raiders failed to complete the tackle.
Farah then burrowed over to snatch the lead, before Hodgson iced the comeback with a weaving solo try that sealed the win.
It was a sixth straight victory, this one built not on flair but on grit.
As Sheens remarked in his post-match interview, “The class players took over.”
Wests Tigers 22 (Hodgson 2, Farah, Fitzhenry tries; Hodgson 3/4 goals) defeated Raiders 14 (Graham, Howell, Mogg tries; Schifcofske 1/3 goals) at Canberra Stadium.
ROUND 23 vs COWBOYS
Another record crowd, this time at Campbelltown, witnessed the Tigers extend their winning streak to seven against a Finals-bound Cowboys outfit.
John Skandalis stormed over under the posts for the opening try, before Dean Collis and Halatau added further four-pointers to extend the Wests Tigers' lead.
Halatau's try came on the back of a freakish kick-off from Pat Richards, in which the ball came off the uprights back into the hands of the Tigers, with the Kiwi international scoring in the ensuing set.
Marshall and Hodgson combined beautifully in the second half, with the fullback continuing his purple patch in support.
Richards’ booming kick-off leading to Halatau's try seemed to underline the fact that everything was starting to go right for a team that suddenly believed anything was possible.
Wests Tigers 28 (Collis, Halatau, Hodgson, Prince, Skandalis tries; Hodgson 4/5 goals) defeated Cowboys 16 (Bowen, Sargent, Williams tries; Thurston 2/3 goals) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
ROUND 24 vs BULLDOGS
On a night that smashed records, the Tigers humiliated the defending Premiers in front of nearly 30,000 fans.
Whatuira bagged a hat-trick, Marshall scored a long-range solo try and Hodgson finished with a club-record 22 points from a try and nine goals.
Ben Galea, Richards and Prince also crossed in a performance that had pundits declaring the Tigers the best attacking team in the competition.
By the end of the match, the scoreboard read 54-2; the club’s biggest ever win and a clear warning shot to the rest of the NRL.
Wests Tigers 54 (Whatuira 3, Richards 2, Galea, Hodgson, Marshall, Prince tries; Hodgson 9/9 goals) defeated Bulldogs 2 (Young goal) at Stadium Australia.
ROUND 25 vs STORM
The winning streak ended in Melbourne, where the Storm produced a clinical display at home.
Fitzhenry, Whatuira and Richards all scored in the match as the Tigers fought back late, but the home side had already done the damage.
The Tigers still looked threatening with ball in hand though, and it looked as though the belief forged during their winning run would remain intact heading into the final week of the season.
Storm 34 (Bell, Geyer, Inglis, Kaufusi, Orford, Smith tries; Orford 5/5 goals, Smith 0/1 goals) defeated Wests Tigers 22 (Fitzhenry 2, Richards, Whatuira tries; Hodgson 3/4 goals) at Olympic Park Stadium.
ROUND 26 vs PANTHERS
Hopes of sneaking into the top two or three vanished though with a final-round defeat to Penrith.
Early tries to Marshall and Richards suggested another Tigers attacking masterclass, but the Panthers responded strongly through Joel Clinton and Shane Rodney.
Whatuira crossed late to reduce the margin, but consecutive defeats meant the Tigers finished fourth.
It was still well enough to secure the club’s maiden Finals berth, with the added confidence of possessing the second-best attack in the league throughout the regular season.
Panthers 38 (Howland 2, Clinton, Priddis, Rodney, Swain, Waterhouse tries; Campbell 5/7 goals) defeated Wests Tigers 22 (Richards 2, Marshall, Whatuira tries; Hodgson 3/4 goals) at Stadium Australia.
The regular season closed with accolades aplenty: Scott Prince was crowned Dally M Captain of the Year, Brett Hodgson collected the Fullback of the Year and the NRL’s top point scorer gongs, while Tim Sheens was recognised as Coach of the Year.
With belief surging, the stage was set for one of the most remarkable Finals runs in rugby league history.
