Wests Tigers hooker and captain Jared Haywood is confident the team is as ready as ever for the excitement of sudden-death footy ahead of their first Jersey Flegg finals since 2022.
The Tigers tackle Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at St Georges Venues Jubilee Stadium on Saturday in week one of the finals.
A blistering start to their premiership campaign saw the Tigers sit second
after 13 rounds before some tough midseason hurdles left them outside the top five with just three games left.
Determined not to let their fire dwindle out, the squad adjusted their
approach to focus more on the fundamentals.
It worked too, with the Tigers securing two wins and a draw, to close out the season in dramatic fashion to snatch fifth position.
“I feel like the middle of the season was a combination of a lot of
things like injuries and changes - it felt hard for everyone to bring
it together,” Haywood said.
“Towards the back end of the season, we found that balance of just
playing simple. We know that we've got good footy in us, but we've
just got to be patient.
“If we can play the way we want for 80 minutes, we'll be hard to handle.”
Heading into the final round against South Sydney, the Tigers were
faced with a game they could not afford to lose.
Two points clear of Souths but with a lesser for-and-against,
a loss meant missing out on September footy where a win or draw
was enough to keep them finals-bound.
Trailing by six points with 10 minutes left, a short side move saw winger
Heamasi Makasini break away down the sideline before throwing a
spectacular offload to Jack Attard to score to make it 22-all.
A late penalty to South Sydney saw them take a two-point lead into
the final 60 seconds to send a massive scare into the Tigers camp.
However, the Tigers were thrown one last lifeline
when their short kick-off forced a South Sydney error.
Plotting and scheming about how to approach the most critical minute of the season, Haywood chose to keep a cool head under pressure.
“Jack [Attard] and I were thinking about doing a trick play, but I
said ’nah, we’ve still got a minute - let's just play the set out’,’’ Haywood revealed.
A hip-drop from a South Sydney defender handed the Tigers the perfect
opportunity to square the contest up once more, with Attard making no
mistake to put them back in the top five on the live ladder.
However, there was another twist in the tale that almost cost the Tigers dearly from the re-start.
An accidental offside from the Tigers saw the Rabbitohs miss a long-range penalty shot to win the game on the bell, resulting in a 24-all draw that saw Tigers players and officials jump for joy.
With preparations underway for what will be one of the biggest
challenges of their careers to date, Haywood says the camaraderie
amongst the players is stronger than ever.
“[The vibe in the sheds] is good. Sulty [Shane Sultana] our coach
touches on it a lot, but our Flegg boys are pretty connected - it’s a
good group,’’ Haywood said.
“Everyone gets along really well. Whether we win or lose - everyone's
connected so well and enjoying each other’s company.”
For many, 2026 has been their first year playing a demanding 26-round competition in an NRL development program.
“Even some of the boys my age, we've just come off SG Ball last year
and didn't play too much Flegg,” Haywood explained.
“That's something that's very new for the boys, and then making
finals for the first time in a while puts more games under our belt as
well.
“It’s about your attitude - as sore as you can be, as tired as you are
- how bad you want to get through.”
Haywood says the focus is on patience and possession for Saturday’s elimination against the Sharks at 11am.
“Probably just holding onto the ball. We showed that we can defend,
we showed that we can always score points, but sometimes we get ahead of ourselves when we try and force passes that aren't on,’’ Haywood added.
“I feel like if we can hold onto the ball, get through our sets and
keep the pressure building, it will be hard to beat us.”
Through thick and thin, Haywood says that Head Coach Shane Sultana has been the strength behind the playing squad.
“If you're down on confidence, he’ll bring that confidence out of you.
It’s really important, especially for some boys that might be coming
off some bad form - he’ll always let you know he believes in you,”
Haywood explained.
“He’s really good at connecting the boys together, whether he's
pulling a joke or doing an activity where the boys are gathered
around. He's such a good coach.”
