In January this year, Tony Sukkar said he wanted the timing to be right, before making his NRL debut.
That time has come. That time is Friday.
A 20-year-old Balmain junior, Sukkar is about to become the 12th player to make his NRL debut with Wests Tigers this season.
Twelve debutants ranks as the most in one season in the club’s 25-year history.
Our opponents on Friday, Parramatta Eels, are next on the list with seven debutants in 2024.
Sukkar told Wests Tigers official podcast Behind The Roar at the start of the year how important his father has been in his development as a person, and a player.
On Thursday it was Tony’s father Joe who presented his son with his first NRL jersey ahead of the team’s captain’s run at Concord.
Tony has certainly come a long way since playing his junior footy with Strathfield Raiders, Concord-Burwood Wolves and Enfield Federals.
He played the first of three seasons with the Balmain Harold Matthews team as a 15-year-old before spending two years with the Tigers in SG Ball.
Last year he played a full season in Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg Cup team, before making 15 appearances this season for the Magpies in the NSW Cup.
When Tony crosses the stripe on Friday night at Campbelltown as Wests Tigers Player #292, he will be the 37th player coach Benji Marshall has called on this season, surpassing the previous high of 36 players in 2003.
If 37 sounds a like a lot, it is. Melbourne Storm has also relied on an extended roster in 2024, using 33 players across the regular season.
