NRL revolutionary Robbie Farah was ahead of his time | Nick Tedeschi

Maybe it was just never meant to be. And it could have been worse. It could have ended on that lonely Sunday afternoon atop the Leichhardt scoreboard, sweating in a suit, tie askew, drinking a tinny of beer, filled with nothing but bitterness and anger.

The Tigers were beaten 52-10, their finals hopes finished by Canberra. Robbie Farah wasn’t playing. He had fallen out with coach Jason Taylor and was dropped to reserve grade despite playing State of Origin that year.

The scene was poetic but the undercurrent was poisonous. It wasn’t a sincere goodbye. It was a genuine middle finger. That was the Tigers finale Farah seemed destined to live with.

His NRL finale seemed even more bleak. After shifting to South Sydney in 2017, he found himself stuck behind Damien Cook and managed just two top grade appearances for the club in 2018. Playing NSW Cup at North Sydney Oval and Henson Park might be a spectacle for the purists but it looked an undignified farewell for arguably the best hooker not named Cameron Smith to don a boot this century.

He was a Tiger, not a Bear. And he, mercifully, would be a Tiger again, returned to his rightful home midway through the 2018 season, a combination of fortune and fairytale that allowed Farah an encore at Leichhardt.

It was a return of a prodigal son moment but it was also a genuine catharsis for both a club that was struggling with its identity and a club legend renowned for his ability to carry resentment as well as he could carry the club during lean years and good.

Farah’s return did not disappoint. The Tigers did not play finals football in 2018 and are teetering on the precipice this year but the club is in a much better spot. They have made peace with Farah and fellow club legend Benji Marshall. They found a coach who will work. They started priding themselves on stability, grit and hard work.

The club today is very much a reflection of Farah the player. After years in the wilderness, happy to play shootout footy and churn through coaches and find trouble with bad signings, the Tigers seem to finally be recognising what they had at their disposal all along.

There is little question that Farah is the greatest player in the 20-year history of the Wests Tigers. Marshall may have been more beloved but Farah, having debuted in 2003, was both the best and most consistent performer to don the black, orange and white.

Stylistically, Farah was ahead of his time, a revolutionary who was mightily unlucky to have his career run parallel to Smith, arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Early in his career, Farah had underrated speed and very much resembled a player like Cook. That speed set him apart from most of his contemporaries early but it was his creativity that became his trademark.

His work on the tryline in particular stood out in the early 2000s for its transcendence. His deft grubber kicks from dummy half and his flat cut-out passes just were not seen at the time. He helped not only revolutionise the No 9 jersey but spawn, with Smith, the next great generation of hookers.

His brilliance in attack though should not take away from his sheer toughness in defence. For most of his career he played 80 minutes, in the middle, doing a ton of tackling. He was a serious man who played hard and played tough, as relentless with his tongue and his thinking as he was with his hitting and courage. In that sense, he was the modern-day Benny Elias, blood and brilliance, hard noses and soft passes.

He was integral to the Tigers’ only – and most unlikely – premiership and in their only great era, Farah was at his peak. He was a regular on a Blues team that got whipped regularly but he gave everything in 16 games, winning the Brad Fittler medal in 2012. Eight times he wore the green and gold and twice beat out Cameron Smith for Dally M hooker of the year honours.

It was his unforgiving nature though that will most be remembered. He was hard to like at times but he had earned the respect of everyone in the game a long time ago and never lost it.

To steal a quote from the incomparable Jimmy McNulty, Farah “asked no quarter and none was given … he brooked no authority, he did what he wanted to do and he said what he wanted to say”.

Farah looks to have again had his farewell dictated to him. A leg fracture picked up against Canterbury at ANZ on Saturday night means he is unlikely to play again. He will miss out on the fairytale finale again. This time though, he will be much more at peace with it.

source: theguardian.com