Wests Tigers are pleased to announce the signing of forward James Tamou for the coming two seasons.
The two-year deal will see Tamou join Wests Tigers ahead of the 2021 NRL season and will remain with the club until the end of the 2022 season.
A Premiership-winner with North Queensland in 2015, the 31-year-old Tamou will join the club with a wealth of experience following his time at the Cowboys and Panthers, with the powerful prop currently boasting a 263-game career so far.
Born in New Zealand, Tamou has achieved success at every level of the game throughout his career with impressive campaigns throughout the Auckland Nines, World Cup Challenge, Telstra Premiership, State of Origin and World Cup competitions.
In his 12th season of first-grade, Tamou has been a standout for the top-of-the-table Penrith Panthers so far this year — averaging 146 metres per game and a 96% tackle efficiency rate.
Wests Tigers Coach Michael Maguire said he was looking forward to working with Tamou.
“James brings a wealth of experience to our forward pack and is a player who has experienced success at every level of the game,” Maguire said.
“He has shown throughout his career to be a player who constantly improves not only himself but those around him, and I have no doubt he will play a key role in the development of our forward pack moving forward.”
Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe echoed Maguire’s comments and welcomed Tamou to the club.
“On behalf of all at Wests Tigers, I’d like to welcome James to the club and say how pleased we are to secure a player with his experience and talent for the coming two seasons," Pascoe said.
“James has shown to be one of the leading forwards in our game and has generated extremely strong metres-per-minute this year, which will greatly complement our current squad.
“He is a highly-commendable man both on and off the field and will certainly have a strong impact at Wests Tigers in driving this club forward to where we all want it to be.”
