Pat Richards is back at the Wests Tigers. The former winger has re-joined the club as a senior manager and will work closely with Benji Marshall and the football staff moving forward.
The move gives the Tigers another Premiership-era name in the room at a time when the club is leaning on the same old guard that delivered its biggest success. Richards was central to the 2005 title run, scoring 20 tries in 28 games on the left flank, and his return adds more experience to a staff that already includes Marshall, John Skandalis, Brett Hodgson and Chris Heighington.
Richards brings more than nostalgia. He played 384 matches across the NRL and Super League, scored 242 tries and finished with more than 3000 points over a 16-year career that took him to the Wigan Warriors, Catalans Dragons and the Parramatta Eels. He also returned to the Tigers in 2014 on a two-year deal, played 43 more games and added 342 points before last turning out for the club in the 2020 Nines tournament in Perth.
What the club has not yet said is exactly what Richards will do day to day as senior manager. That matters because the Tigers are not just adding a familiar face; they are filling more of their football operation with people who know the club from the inside, rather than reaching outside for a fresh appointment.
For Richards, the return completes another loop in a career that has already been tied closely to the Tigers’ highest point. For the club, it is another clear sign that the 2005 generation is not just being remembered, but being asked to help run the place.
