Rookie Watch: The TEN best young prospects yet to debut at Wests Tigers

Moving off the bottom of the NRL ladder for the first time in four years in 2025, the Wests Tigers will need to rely on their next generation of young players if they are to claim their first premiership since 2005 in the coming years. Over the past couple of seasons, the likes of Heamasi Makasini, Heath Mason, Luke and Kit Laulilii and Tony Sukkar have been introduced to the NRL after successfully progressing through the club's ranks. So...who's next? Honourable Mentions Outside of the 'Top Ten', the Wests Tigers have plenty of great young players who are slowly progressing through the ranks. Some backline players to watch include centre duo Max Taotua and Will Craig, utility back Riley Oitmann and Balmain Tigers fullback Logan Deininger. Lachlan Broederlow, Blake Van Drie, Mitch Taotua and Denzel Schaafhausen-Mino headline the most impressive forwards that are on the club's books and set to make waves in the coming seasons. Meanwhile, former Canterbury Bulldogs playmaker Iverson Matai and the club's Jersey Flegg Cup Player of the Year Josese Lanyon should also be watched closely by fans over the next few years. Tino Tavana One of the most explosive backs at the Wests Tigers, Tino Tavana arguably has one of the best highlight reels for a player his age and is coming off a standout campaign in the Under-21s Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup competitions. Able to play at fullback, in the centres or on the wing, Tavana will be on a train-and-trial contract during the 2026 season and is known for his acceleration, freaky footwork and high vertical, which has made him a target for kicks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rokqyre-_4w Playing four NSW Cup matches in 2024, he added another three reserve-grade games to his career tally in 2025, during which he made 209 metres, 15 tackles, 39 passes and four tackle busts in only 116 minutes on the field. Siotame Havea Jr. The youngest player on this list, Siotame Havea Jr., is still eligible to play in the Under-19s SG Ball Cup competition for the next two seasons and recently landed his maiden NRL contract with the Tigers, which will see him join the development list in 2027. The captain of the Western Suburbs Magpies in the Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup this season, Havea, has caught the attention of officials due to his strong running ability and hard-hitting defence. Yet to reach his potential, there are big wraps on the youngster and he is only set to get bigger and better over the coming years and has already been spotted training with the first-grade squad during the 2026 pre-season training. Archie Duncombe A natural leader on and off the field, Archie Duncombe is one of the most impressive forwards on the Wests Tigers' books and captained the Western Suburbs Magpies in the most recent Under-19s SG Ball Cup campaign. A product of the famed St Gregory's College, Duncombe's performances over the past 12 months saw him catch the attention of the club's head of recruitment, Shannon Gallant, due to his extremely hard work ethic. Able to play in the back-row or in the front-row, Duncombe's primary position is at lock forward and has gone under the radar compared to some of the players named on this list. “We have one kid, Archie Duncombe. He's a St Gregory's College boy, who has impressed us so much," Gallant said in the past. "Since November, he's gone from under-18s Laurie Daley Cup to SG Ball to Orange Cubs to Black Cubs and is now in Flegg, where he's the starting backrower.” Solomone Saukuru Beginning his career as a centre, Solomone Saukuru has taken his game to new heights since making the transition to the forward pack, where he has been used in the back-row or in the middle of the forward pack. While he has yet to make his NRL debut, the 21-year-old was a sight to behold during the 2025 Pacific Championships for Fiji, where he delivered strong performances against the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57P6UNGkTWA Scoring multiple tries on the international arena for Fiji, Saukuru will look to continue his form heading into the 2026 season and could easily be in for a breakout campaign with the Tigers. Christian Taupau-Moors The nephew of former NRL player Junior Moors, Christian Taupau-Moors, is looking to follow in his uncle's footsteps and is a powerful front-rower who represented the Under-17s New Zealand Kiwis in 2024. Primarily used in the front-row, Taupau-Moors was named the Western Suburbs Magpies player of the year in the 2024 Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup competition and is one of the next generation of forwards coming through the club's ranks. Ethan Roberts One of three new recruits, Ethan Roberts, arrives at the Wests Tigers on a two-year contract after a stellar junior career with the Sydney Roosters in which he progressed from the Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup all the way to the NSW Cup reserve-grade competition. Named in the Roosters' NRL squad on numerous occasions this year, Roberts could have easily made his first-grade debut already and will look to make an immediate impact at his new side, whether it be off the interchange bench or on the edge of the field. An Indigenous All Stars and Under-18s NSW City representative, Roberts scored two tries, made two line-breaks and 310 tackles and averaged 65 running metres in 12 NSW Cup appearances during the 2025 season. Javon Andrews Re-joining the Wests Tigers on a three-year contract, Javon Andrews is another new recruit on this list and returns to the club after a two-year stint with the Gold Coast Titans, which saw him named in the Under-19s Queensland side earlier this year. Named Player of the Match in that Under-19s State of Origin match against New South Wales, Andrews is a classy five-eighth and has been a standout for many years during different junior representative competitions. Aiming to make his mark at the Tigers, the Marsden State High School graduate also made his QLD Cup debut in 2025 for the Tweed Seagulls, in which he ran 81 running metres and showed plenty of promise in the halves. Jack Attard The newest arrival at the Wests Tigers, fullback Jack Attard, joins the club on a three-year contract after being granted a mutual release from the Penrith Panthers. Once seen as Dylan Edwards' future successor at the Panthers, Attard is highly regarded among rugby league officials and the 2024 Australian Schoolboy could easily slot into the No.1 jumper if Jahream Bula either gets injured or departs the club. Granted the opportunity to train with the Panthers' first-grade squad earlier in the year on a four-week block, Attard has been a standout performer in the lower grades and was set to play in the NRL Pre-Season Challenge in 2025 before being ruled out with a back injury. In his only two NSW Cup matches this year, the youngster scored two tries and averaged 123 running metres per match, showing plenty of promise on the field in the fullback role. Jared Haywood Overlooked by the Penrith Panthers as a junior, Jared Haywood has been considered the club's long-term No.9 following the departure of Tallyn Da Silva to the Eels and will move to the Tigers' development list for the 2026 NRL season. One of the best up-and-coming hooker's in rugby league, the 2024 Australian Schoolboy was in strong form for the Balmain Tigers during the Under-19s SG Ball Cup this year before progressing to the Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup competitions. Continuing to learn from Apisai Koroisau, Haywood will further his development next year and is a sight to watch near the ruck where he can tear opponents to shreds with his silky footwork and passing intelligence. "He knows how to play rugby league as well at such a young age. I think he's going to be a huge talent for the club," Wests Tigers co-captain Apisai Koroisau said of Haywood. "Definitely (I see him having a bright future). I haven't watched him play too much but just the way he's held himself at training and what he's done." Pheonix Godinet Rejected by the Parramatta Eels before arriving at the Wests Tigers, Pheonix Godinet has taken the rugby league world by storm over the past 24 months and is coming off a sensational year that saw him make his NSW Cup debut and be named in the 2025 Australian Schoolboys side. A hard-working back-rower, Godinet has been earmarked to make his NRL debut next season and is extremely aggressive on both ends of the field with a superb fend in attack and great shoulder in defence. One of the hottest prospects in the game, he is contracted until the end of 2027 and will progress onto the club's development list after spending next season on a train-and-trial contract. "My family sacrificed everything for me and helped take me to training in the early hours of the morning (and) getting me to do my extras," Godinet told Zero Tackle. "My dad grew up with nothing, so he's worked really hard to take care of our family. "I'm just glad to know that all the hard work is paying off. I got a few sessions (with the first-grade squad) during the holidays and it was crazy training with the best."