Wests Tigers club icon Chris Lawrence has revealed why his former teammate and 2005 premiership winner Chris Heighington is an under-rated addition to the coaching staff.
The former teammates played seven seasons with each other at the Tigers before Heighington moved to the Cronulla Sharks in 2013.
Heighington played over 200 games with the Tigers across ten seasons- 2003 til 2012. This included being part of the famed 2005 squad which won the Wests Tigers their first NRL premiership under the guise of Tim Sheens.
With Sheens' return to Balmain, Heighington was one of the first additions he brought in to accompany him on the coaching staff. Further accompanying the two are two more players from the 2005 Grand Final side; Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah.
Speaking on weststigers.com.au Chris Lawrence spoke about the impact Heighington has in the sheds and during the week before match-day.
"He taught us how to embrace the locker room banter and the mateship that forms in close knit teams," Lawrence said about his ex-teammate.
"Heighno led the coffee crew and even introduced this kid from Campbelltown to a coffee, or two, or three, each day.”
Lawrence would go on to discuss that it was no surprise that Heighington was brought into the coaching ranks. He believes that Heighington will portray ambition, drive and resilience especially to the younger squad members.
“As influential as those guys [Sheens, Marshall and Farah] will be to the resurgence of the Wests Tigers, I am just as confident that having Heighno mentor the young athletes coming through will allow them to have long and successful careers."
