Barring a late-season Benji miracle, Sunday afternoon’s NRL match between the Tigers and Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval means little in the scheme of the 2025 premiership race.
Yet two decades ago, this fixture was one of the hottest NRL tickets in town.
2025 marks the 20-year anniversary of the 2005 Grand Final won 30-16 by Wests Tigers—the joint venture club’s first, and still only, premiership.
Making that win even more remarkable, the Tigers were languishing in 12th on the NRL ladder after 15 rounds in 2005, with bookmakers offering ‘write your own ticket’ odds of $150 to lift the premiership trophy.
MORE: Rebuilding the jungle—how Benji and Richo are turning Wests Tigers around
Poetically, both team’s current NRL coaches were proud members of the Tigers premiership squad, with Benji Marshall starting at five-eighth and Todd Payten coming off the bench.
To mark the occasion, the Tigers will be wearing limited edition 2005 heritage jerseys as they look to maintain their perfect record at Leichhardt Oval in 2025.
Counting against them, the Cowboys have won six of their last seven games against the Tigers including Round 13 when North Queensland won a high-scoring match in Townsville, 32-28.