Tigers clean-out is Farah and away a good thing

Robbie Farah of the Tigers. Photo / Getty Images

We've seen the contrasting faces of loyalty in recent times over Billy Slater and Robbie Farah.

Slater was not only offered a new two-year deal with Melbourne but also a promise of moving into coaching once his remarkable career comes to an end.

In contrast, Farah has been told to look elsewhere by the Wests Tigers, even though he still has two years remaining on his contract and has played more than 230 first-grade games since his debut in 2003.

Tigers coach Jason Taylor was right to get rid of Farah. The hooker has to go if the club are to become a force again. He is the last of a long list of players ushered to the exit, including Benji Marshall, the Fifita brothers, Chris Heighington, Beau Ryan and Keith Galloway.

Positive player power is one thing, and the players effectively control the culture at the Storm under the watch of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Slater, but players who are bad eggs have a negative influence on what happens around them.

Something had to change at the Tigers. The players had so much power after they won the 2005 premiership and coach Tim Sheens was seemingly powerless to do anything about it. That's why he was let go and Taylor brought in.

Taylor had to make changes because it's his head on the line. They have a good bunch of talented kids in the likes of Mitchell Moses, Luke Brooks and Tim Simona but something is still holding them back given their position on the table this season. Farah has clearly been identified as a reason.

It raises the question of whether the club should have been loyal to Farah, given his service to the Tigers. He has been told he can stay but will likely see out his contract in reserve grade if he does.

It's not a good business decision in one sense, because the Tigers are likely to have to fork out a fair amount of cash to supplement his income if another club take him on and it will count to their salary cap - his present deal is worth about $1 million a season.

But it could prove good business in the long run.

Farah is damaged goods and could struggle to find another NRL contract, even though the 31-year-old is still an Origin representative.

Leaving the salary cap saga aside, Melbourne have been one of the most stable clubs in the NRL and have shown great loyalty to players if they fit into their culture.

The Storm have a very dictatorial culture but it works for them, and it starts from the players. Coach Craig Bellamy encourages player power, which is controlled by Smith, Cronk and Slater.

All three have been loyal to the club and the club, in turn, have been loyal to them.

The Warriors appear to be cleaning up their house. As little as two or three years ago there didn't seem to be enough of a hardline approach in the younger players. For them, it was a job, and they often joked around after defeat - while the senior players pondered what went wrong.

That has started to be weeded out, and more so under chief executive Jim Doyle, but it depends on buy-in from players before things can totally change.

It will be interesting to see now what happens at Wests Tigers.