Outgoing Wests Tigers captain Aaron Woods has declared the joint venture capable of returning to the NRL finals in 2018.
The club was swept up in a media whirlwind during the season after Woods, James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses all announced their respective departures from Concord.
Coach Ivan Cleary conceded the drawn-out saga took a toll on the club's on-field performances before the side seemingly turned a corner in the final two months.
The Tigers won three of their last six - including a rousing win over finals-bound Manly - as well as competitive performances against the Sydney Roosters and Penrith.
Asked what sort of state he had left the club in, Woods said: "We got Malakai Watene-Zelezniak halfway through the year. It's hard when you get young blokes and they don't know the structures too well.
"Giving them that confidence and playing first-grade week-in and week-out, it will be awesome for the club.
"The club's in really good stead for next year and I definitely think they're a top-eight chance."
Woods - who is leaving for Canterbury - and Roosters-bound Tedesco will be replaced by the likes of Benji Marshall, Josh Reynolds, Russell Packer and Ben Matulino in the Tigers squad in 2018.
A Leichhardt junior and product of the Balmain development system, Woods was given a fitting final game in the black, white and orange in their 28-16 win over the Warriors on Sunday.
He was given a warm send-off by the Leichhardt Oval faithful, in contrast to being booed at the same ground earlier in the year after he had announced his departure.
"I tried not to think about it all week, I just wanted to put a good performance in," Woods said.
"If I had of thought about it too much, or if I worried about it too much, I would have gone out there and played some silly football.
"I spoke to Teddy at the start of the week and we put the team first. We didn't want to mention any of the farewell stuff, we wanted to go out there and get the win."
Share
