Wests Tigers’ crisis just a curve ball for leader Aaron Woods

HOW many times must Aaron Woods pick up his battered club, sling it over one shoulder and run headlong into the toughest of NRL hombres?

AARON Woods is sick of being asked about who should coach Wests Tigers.

And fair enough.

For how many times must this bearded Leichhardt warrior pick up his battered NRL club, sling it over one shoulder and run headlong into the toughest of NRL hombres?

For this, effectively, is what the 26-year-old is doing. And has been for well over a year. So how the bloody hell doesn’t he crack?

How is it that, instead of offering even the slightest public utterings against his club, Woods has continually resembled that Hollywood war hero who — time and again — runs back into enemy gunfire to rescue fallen comrades.

Aaron Woods on the charge for the Tigers against the Storm. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Robbie Farah, Tim Simona, Jason Taylor ... Woods has been there to lift his club from all of it.

And not just in front of the cameras, where the big unit has fronted more than his share of media scrums.

But behind the scenes where, and with the rest of League Land busy looking elsewhere, this tireless NSW Origin prop has continually rallied his younger teammates to play for a club which, at times, has looked stupider than an ab cruncher infomercial.

So again, how hasn’t he cracked?

“It’s actually the part I enjoy about being captain,’’ Woods said, without even the slightest hint of sarcasm.

“Things get thrown at you, you get a few curve balls here and there, but that’s life. Life in general.

“Things aren’t always going to go your way. But it’s how you react and come out of those situations that matters. We’ve had a few curve balls come our way but (for me) it’s how are we going to get the boys out of this situation? How can I lead them?”

And so he runs.

Against the Storm, the Tigers skipper charged for 141m — the most of any forward on the field.

Tigers captain Aaron Woods shows his disappointment after a Storm try. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Elsewhere, you should also know that if this game represents an entire career for Andrew Webster, then he’s squeezed everything possible out of his life as an NRL coach.

Truly, on Sunday Webby rode the Tigers bench like Jimmy Cassidy did Might And Power.

Low-fiving players as they came off. Revving up others before they went on. Asked afterwards if he wanted the Tigers gig full-time, Webster said he hadn’t even had time to consider it this week.

And as for Woods’s thoughts?

“I don’t even want to talk about it,’’ the skipper deadpanned.

“I just want to play some footy”.