Farrah praises
ex-test rake

Outstanding Wests Tigers hooker Robbie Farah has praised former Test rake Royce Simmons on making him the player he is today.

"Roycey helps me each week. Whether it be keeping a level head, working on my defence, or showing me little tricks on the field, he has been there for me. Without Royce, I definitely wouldn't be where I am,'' Farah said.

It has been a boom season for the Balmain junior, having captured the rugby league public's attention when he raced 70 metres to score the opening try against Parramatta in round seven. It rates as one of the best individual tries this season.

Prior to the Parramatta game, 21-year-old Farah played four games from the interchange bench as coach Tim Sheens opted to use former Australian schoolboys hooker Ben Galea at hooker.

From then on, Farah has been the starting hooker and will wear the number nine jersey for years to come. Many good judges believe he is a representative player in the making.

"It has been an unbelievable year for me,'' Farah said. "Coming off a knee reconstruction last year, if you had of told me that I would have played almost every game, be the starting hooker, and play in the grand final, I wouldn't have believed it.''

Farah said criticism of the small pack only made the side more determined to succeed.

"Everyone pretty much wrote us off but we stuck solid and we believe in ourselves,'' he said.

"I know personally that I don't want to let the guy beside me down and they feel the same way about the guy next to them. We are all working for each other and it helps.

"It is not about the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog. We have shown that. We haven't got the biggest forward pack but they have plenty of ticker and put their body on the line each week.''