From five wins in three years to finals: Inside Tigers stunning NRLW rebuild

Before this season, the Wests Tigers had won just five matches in three years, never recording more than two victories in a single campaign.

It left the club searching for answers.

But in the space of one season, everything has changed.

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A revamped roster, a cultural reset and the appointment of head coach Craig Sandercock have transformed the Tigers for perennial strugglers into an NRLW finals team.

For Sandercock, the opportunity to take charge of the Tigers’ women’s side represented a chance to a return to a club he already considered home.

“I’ve been here before. I had four years as an NRL assistant coach so when the opportunity came and Shane Richardson - the previous CEO - and (Head of Women’s Football) Charmain (Steventon) spoke to me about it,” Sandercock told foxsports.com.au.

“The more I thought about it, the more I was keen to come back here as I feel the Tigers is my club. It’s worked out really well.”

THE ATTITUDE SHIFT

The success story of the year, Sandercock believes the biggest change has come from withing the Tigers themselves.

While the recruitment of star players such as Shaylee Bent, Raecene McGregor and Holli Wheeler have played their part, the coach pointed to a shift in their attitude and belief as the foundation over their stunning turnaround.

“We felt last year that was probably a lack of discipline in the team whether it be penalties, errors,” he said.

“The other thing that’s really important for this group is to believe in themselves. If you don’t believe in yourself then you’re not going to win.”

That belief has been driven by a simple message from Sandercock - compete for the entire 80 minutes and the results will follow.

“For us, (this season) has been more about being competitive for the whole game rather than just periods,” he added.

“We feel that if we compete hard and execute the game plan well, we’ve got players that know how to win games.

“That’s been the theme and the girls are really brought into the new systems and processes in place. We just want to be competitive and do our best.”

The emphasis on consistency, week in, week out has also given the club a new mantra.

Continuous improvement.

“Continuous improvement is really important. We want to make sure we compete hard in every game.

“If we compete hard in every game then you might be able to win every game and you’re going to improve.

However, Sandercock ultimately believes the most significant change has been the mindset of the players themselves.

“The attitude has been the biggest shift. The attitude and desire to win and compete has been really pleasing.

“Our senior players have driven that, which has been awesome.

“I’m very pleased for this place. They’ve trained really hard and they deserve to be there. We’re really excited and looking forward to Friday night.”

THE INFLUENCE OF SANDERCOCK

After three years of frustration, the Tigers are now preparing for their maiden finals campaign - the first by the men’s or women’s team in more than half a decade.

And while Sandercock has pointed to a collective shift in attitude and belief among the playing group as the driving force before their miraculous turnaround, experienced forward Holli Wheeler believes the coach has been at the heart of it.

“Sandy’s probably been one of my favourite coaches of all time and I think he’s got a really great balance of when to be serious and when to have a joke,” she told foxsports.com.au.

“Sometimes you don’t know whether he is serious or just to kind of laugh at him and fingers crossed.

“He has a great balance and he’s got a lot of females within his inner circle and with his kids and his wife and I think that gives him a good insight of how to deal with women.

“He can be one of the driest humans you’ve ever met and to be honest, it just works.

“I don’t know what he does but he seems to get the best out of his players.”

Speaking to this publication, Wheeler believe that ability comes from the test Sandercock gives his players which allows them to express themselves while also challenging them to improve.

“He gives you enough respect that he’ll allow you to play your game and when he gives feedback, he talks you through it and tries to understand where your head went and how we can better that decision the next time,” she added.

“He encourages players to come out of their comfort zone but also to lean into how good they can bee and we’ve seen that with Shaylee (Bent) this year.

“I think this is the best footy I’ve seen her play and I’ve known her for a long time.”

Wheeler’s admiration for her head coach stems back well before his arrival at the Tigers.

The pair first worked together in 2023 when Sandercock coached the Canterbury Bulldogs’ Women’s Premiership side.

“There’s a few of us that went over to the Bulldogs for that year and he was the coach. He came in a couple of weeks late, so I knew nothing about him really,” she continued.

“I Googled him straight away, as I do, (I’m a) footy nut and found out he had a long history of coaching and he’s been involved with the game for a long time.

“He’s coached here, there and everywhere. It was sort of a pinch-me moment to have someone of his calibre come in and coach us and I saw straight away how passionate he was about the game, but also about the women’s space.”

Quickly realising that their relationship extended well beyond the training field, she admitted that he was one of the main reasons behind her joining the Tigers this season.

“We clicked really well and he liked me,” Wheeler elaborated.

“We’d have long conversations before or after training and he’s been someone that I’ve really cherished having in my life and he’s very honest with his feedback.

“He helps me develop and want to be a better player and a better person when he’s around.

“I was very excited of the opportunity to come and play under him again. I know a lot of girls are in the same boat now having had the opportunity to play underneath him.”

THE LONG-TERM PLAN

As the Tigers prepare for their biggest test of the season against the Canberra Raiders, the club is also focused on ensuring its remarkable turnaround doesn’t stop with the current generation.

After years of struggling for consistency, the club are rebuilding their junior pathways with the aim of creating a steady pipeline of talent into the NRLW sqaud.

“We’ve got some really good junior players and we’ve targeted quite a few of them that we think have got a bright future,” Sandercock said.

“We’ve got a lot of girls playing in our catchment whether it be in the Balmain area of the south-west Campbelltown area.

“There’s quite a few players from our Under-19s Tarsha Gale that are progressing into the Women’s Premiership so hopefully in the years to come we will have a steady pipeline through and we’re going to be aligned.”

The Tigers are also looking to create consistency throughout their pathways, with junior players coached under the same principles as the NRLW side.

It is a model that has been embraced successfully by sporting organisations such as the Sydney Roosters and global powerhouse such as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, where a clear playing philosophy is embedded throughout the developmental system.

“We’re going to make sure all our juniors are coached the same way, the same principles and that way when they get to the NRLW level, they’ve done all that hard work,” he added.

“It definitely takes time.

“Our members and supports want success straight away and I do too but just quietly it does take time especially when your’e rewriting programs and undergoging a systematic change.

“It does take time but we’re pretty confident that ther’s some players already in the system that in two or three years time feel they’re really good players.”

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