#9 Robbie Farah
2012 was a turbulent year for the Tigers rake both on and off the paddock. Injuries saw him restricted to just 16 games and the disappointing Tigers, predicted by most to be amongst the competitions elite fizzled out and missed the top eight, but when he was on the paddock, he once again showed why he's the best hooker in the game not named Cameron Smith. For a long time Farah has been ignored when it comes to NSW selection, with only two appearances in 2009 and 2012 looked to be no different as he was advised that the returning Danny Buderus would be taking on the blue number 9 jersey as Farah, once again, was deemed not an "Origin" type of player. But fortune would favour Farah in the form of an injury to Buderus, and after an outstanding performance for NSW City, Farah finally found himself back in the Origin arena. While the Blues would once again go down to Queensland, Farah stood out as one of the best players in the series, picking up the Brad Fittler medal for NSW and putting on one of the great Origin performances in the game 2 victory for New South Wales. Farah would handle the ball 101 times and amass an Origin record 63 tackles, with no missed tackles, leaving anyone who questioned Farah's credentials as an "Origin type player" with a fair bit of egg on their face. But a cruel twist followed, after Farah played quite possibly the greatest game of his career, he soon lost his mother Sonia to her battle with pancreatic cancer. To make matters worse, his mothers untimely passing was thrust into the media as miscreants on Twitter thought it an opportune time to put the knife in to Farah, who opted to take this as an opportunity to draw attention to the way people use the social media platform and make them held more accountable. 2012 would see Farah become the most capped Tigers captain in club history, and at the same time once again see rumours of a rift between he and star half Benji Marshall which he vehemently denied in a scathing interview with Matthew Johns on NRL on Fox. The end of the year saw bitter disappointment from a club perspective, but a finalist for Dally M Hooker of the Year as one last testament to the level of his own individual performance.
Not sure what's going on with this guys TV but it can't be good for his eyesight
At 29, Farah has logged 185 games for the Tigers, was part of the 2005 Premiership winning team, 3 games for Australia and 1 for Lebanon, 5 for NSW, 6 for NSW City as well as appearing for the NRL All Stars. He's a two time Dally M Hooker of the year, a two time runner up for Dally M Player of the year, as well as a RLIF Hooker of the Year winner. Consider for a moment the competition Farah has been up against for those Hooker of the Year awards,namely, one Cameron Smith. Many believe Smith to be the greatest hooker the game has ever seen and, surprise, he'll be revealed later on in the countdown. In recent times, Smith has had somewhat of a monopoly on the award, winning it 4 times, so it says a lot that Farah was able to take it twice. In a competition without Cameron Smith, Farah may well be a 4 or 5 time winner. So too has Smith denied Farah much of the international acclaim he deserves. With Australia having Smith who is incredibly durable and plays 80 minutes like it's a stroll on the beach, there simply hasn't been much room in the Kangaroos for Robbie. If Smith wasn't on the scene, we'd be talking about Farah as the premier hooker in the game after the departure of Buderus. But what of his lack of Origin matches? after all, Cam Smith doesn't stand in his way there. Danny Buderus had laid claim to the Origin hooking spot before Farah even entered the competition, and went on to amass a total of 21 games for NSW. Once Buderus was gone, the NSW selectors turned a blind eye to Farah, labelling him as not "Origin material" compared to players perceived to have more of an edge to them like Michael Ennis, of course, when Robbie finally got his opportunity, this theory went right out the window.
Farah putting another grub in his place
The notion that Farah didn't play an Origin type of game wasn't entirely unfounded. Despite his herculean defensive effort in 2012 game 2, Farah is first and foremost known for his exemplary abilities on attack. The high flying offensive style of the Tigers isn't just about Benji Marshall, Farah is just as much a part of it. His sniping runs around the ruck are extremely potent and he has a bit of toe on him once he cuts loose. He's got a great understanding of what's going on and has a very crafty passing game to back that up, he's extremely dangerous near the opponents goal line with his ability to either make the slippery scoot out of the ruck, or hit a crispy short ball to put a man over the line. On top of this, he's got a fantastic kicking game, often taking the pressure of his halves by launching some big, precise kicks out of dummy half, the occasional drop kick too if need be, he has all the tools to play in the halves and indeed has in the past. Like many others who have made my countdown, he brings to the table the skills of various positions to separate him and make him one of the elite. In Robbie Farah, you have a hooker with the speed, darting runs and distribution that you want from your number 9, but then you add to that the kicking, passing and mental game of a half, and then you start looking at a guy who isn't just a great hooker, but one of the greatest overall players in the competition. The high octane attack at the Tigers which was powered in large part by Farah is a far cry from the gruelling defensive slugfest that Origin often becomes, but if people couldn't see this in Farah at an NRL level, they certainly saw it in Origin. Farah is a real heart on his sleeve type of player, and that's why he's been such a great captain for the Tigers. He doesn't have the reputation of one of the hard men in the competition, but he's all heart and when you have as much heart as Farah does then that's enough to make you one tough competitor. This guy gives you absolutely everything he's got and never gives up, he might not always get it right, but at least you know he's going to do all he can to get you a win. Defensively, well all you have to do is once again point to that effort in Origin 2, when you break the tackling record for Origin, then that's about all you need to prove your defensive credentials. Once again I feel this comes back to the heart Farah plays with, he's 179cm and 89kg, on the Origin paddock that makes him one of the small blokes, and Queensland wanted to exploit that, but he just dug deeper than anyone else on the field and refused to yield.
"Even Rocky had a montage"
Farah enters the new season as the captain of a team with a lot to prove. The Tigers should have been much better than they were, and they should be much better in 2013, the majority of that expectation falls on the shoulders of Farah and Marshall. For the first time, Farah enters a season as "the guy" when it comes to the NSW hooking situation, and while 2012 was such an up and down season for him in so many ways, knowing that you're the premier hooker from your state must put a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I expect this to only be a good thing for Farah, in no way do I think he will become lazy or assume he will make Origin again, in fact quite the opposite. Getting that taste of Origin, only to ultimately lose the series, is going to just spurn Farah on more, push him to ensure he gets an opportunity for another crack at it. He's waited a long time to be that guy, and I don't see him letting anyone take that blue 9 jersey away from him. No longer needing concern himself with the once looming threat of DJ Yallah reappearing at his restaurant should ease a massive load off his shoulders also...
HECTIC BRO
Check back in tomorrow for number 8, special marks for you if you know where the montage quote is from. As always if you have any comments, criticisms, suggestions then let me know @WellsNorthShore one more great Farah clip to see us off...
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