NRL Spoon Bowl 2024: Tigers boss Shane Richardson insists Round 27 Eels clash won’t define their season

Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson insists there are plenty of reasons for optimism at the club suggesting there are parallels with Penrith’s jump from 2002 also-rans to 2003 premiers.

Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson insists their season – and their future – won’t be defined by the outcome of the Spoon Bowl on Friday night.

The Tigers sit in 17th spot at the moment but whether they stay there will be determined by the outcome of their game against Parramatta at a sold-out Campbelltown Stadium, the loser to finish with the wooden spoon.

Richardson wants to win but insists that a third successive last-placed finish won’t be the end of the world given the progress the club has made this season under coach Benji Marshall, who has blooded some of the game’s most promising young players.

”Of course there’s been progress,” Richardson said.

“There’s another 20-year-old in the side on Friday night in Tony Sukkar. We have debuted 12 kids this year- more than anyone else.

Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson insists the club’s season won’t be define by the outcome of the Spoon Bowl. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t say that to deflect – I’m just saying there are some obstacles we’ve had to overcome and we knew at the start of the year we would have to overcome them.

“So we’ve come to the end of the season, we stuck together as a group and we’ve come on in leaps-and-bounds.”

That hasn’t always been reflected in the scoreboard, but Richardson believes the green shoots will begin to bear fruit as early as next year.

“I am looking forward to it,” Richardson said.

“Actually, it’s very reminiscent of the way we finished with Penrith the year before we won it (in 2003).

“We sort of had a pretty average season, and then we came on with a big rush at the end.

“I think we ended up smashing Manly by 50 in the last round at Manly. I’m not saying we are going to do that, but it’s a big game which allows us to keep the momentum going.”

The entire club and their loyal supporters would get a lift by avoiding the dreaded wooden spoon.

The club has languished at the foot of the ladder in recent seasons but this year in particular, there has been a groundswell of support behind Marshall and his team.

“Really it’s about the fact that we’ve developed the sort of glue to keep this team together and get to the end of the season and still have some credibility,” Richardson said.

“It’s a good step if we can beat Parramatta because they are local rivals. There’s no doubt it’s an important game – we have a sellout crowd and it would be great for the club.

“The world doesn’t end if we don’t win it – but would certainly love to win it.”

Originally published as NRL Spoon Bowl 2024: Tigers boss Shane Richardson insists Round 27 Eels clash won’t define their season