Robbie Farah

At 40 years old, Robbie Farah has this physical status:

Playing career

He toured with Lebanese in 2002, representing France in Tripoli and scoring a try. He was an 18-year-old boy.

Farah played off the interchange bench in Round 13 of the Wests Tigers against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Leichhardt Oval, making his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers. In his debut year, Farah appeared in 4 matches.

Farah's season was marred by a knee injury reconstruction, and his first-grade playing time was limited to three matches in 2004.

Farah was the club's main hooker for 2005 with Wests Tigers Hookers Robbie Mears and Darren Senter both retiring at the end of the 2004 season. He'd often begin on the bench and swap with Ben Galea, but by the end of the year, he was described as having been recalled, "capt. Darren Senter at hooker with relative ease." Farah scored his first and second NRL tries in the Tigers' 16-26 loss at Parramatta Stadium against the Parramatta Eels in round 7. In round 20, against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, he scored a hat trick. The Tigers beat Leichhardt Oval 42-20. Farah was the starting hooker for the Wests Tigers' 30-16 2005 NRL grand final team over the North Queensland Cowboys. He finished the season with 27 matches and 8 tries.

In the 2006 World Club Challenge, the Wests met the Bradford Bulls, the NRL Premiership champions. In the Tigers' 10–30 loss, Farah played at hooker. Farah was selected for the NSW City Origin squad in Dubbo, losing by ten-to-nothing in the City's 10–12 loss to NSW Country Origins. Farah was named the Wests Tigers player of the year in 2006, playing in 20 games and scoring 5 tries.

Farah was selected in the Prime Minister's XIII squad in September. He re-signed with the Tigers on a deal until the 2010 season comes to an end.

Farah scored a try on May and returned to the NSW City team in May. At the 2007 Dally M Awards, he was named Hooker of the Year, just one point behind Player of the Year, Johnathan Thurston. Farah should have triumphed, according to some commentators. Farah was named the Wests Tigers Player of the Year for the second year, playing in all the Tigers' 24 games and scoring 7 points, kicks 12 goals, and 4 field goals.

Farah was selected in the preliminary team for the 2008 World Cup in August. He was not chosen in the final 24-man squad. Farah's 2008 NRL season ended with 17 matches and six attempts.

Farah had agreed to re-sign with the Wests Tigers until the 2013 season, triggering the Gold Coast Titans' lucrative trade. Farah was brought as team captain by the club at the same time.

Farah led NSW City to a 40–18 victory over NSW Country in May. Farah was later named at hooker in the 17-man squad to represent New South Wales in the first State of Origins match in Melbourne on June 3rd. He appeared in the first two games of the series, but his results were described as "underwhelming." Farah finished the 2009 NRL season by playing in 21 games, scoring 8 goals, and kicking 4 field goals. Later this year, he was chosen in the Prime Minister's XIII to play Papua New Guinea. The Four-Nations Squad of Australia and Australia's Four-Nations squad. In the 2009 Four Nations, Farah appeared in two matches for Australia. Cameron Smith, the England's replacement, made his international debut from the bench in the match against England, recovering starting hooker Cameron Smith just before halftime. He was drafted in the starting lineup in the team that beat France 42–4 a week later.

Farah played off the interchange bench for the NRL All Stars team against the Indigenous All Stars team in the inaugural match at Cbus Super Stadium on February 13. He captained the NSW City team once more. Farah came in second second place at the 2010 Dally M Awards, beating Todd Carney by a point, and he was also named Hooker of the Year. He appeared in all of the Tigers' 27 games for the year, winning 6 wickets and kicking 4 field goals. Farah was selected in the Australian squad for the 2010 Four Nations Championships. Farah made only one appearance in the "dead rubber" match against New Zealand, with first-choice Hooker Cameron Smith playing in all matches.

Farah played in all 27 games for the year, scoring 7 tries and 3 field goals. Farah was voted second-string hooker in the 2011 Four Nations, but he had to withdraw from the tournament for family reasons before he could make it to the tournament.

In 2012, Farah returned to State of Origin football. Farah was contacted by New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart in the weeks leading up to the team selection, and he's first pick for hooker would be Danny Buderus, who had recently returned to the NRL. Farah was not "an Origin type player," according to assistant coach Steve Roach. Farah was named at hooker after suffering with an injury to Buderus and a man-of-the-match appearance in the City vs Country Origins match. Despite playing for the losing team, Farah was described as "one of the Blues' most innovative and versatile players" on the team. New South Wales won the second game of the season, and Farah was voted Player of the Player's Player. Farah played the ball 101 times and made a record 63 tackles, with no tackles. Dallas Johnson, who had made 60 tackles in a State of Origin match in 2007, tied for the most tackles in a State of Origin match. Sonia, Farah's mother, died of cancer just after the match. Farah was named with the Brad Fittler Medal for the New South Wales outstanding player of the series, as selected by his coworkers.

Farah led the Wests Tigers to a new record of 86 games during the season, beating Darren Senter's previous record of 86 games. Farah was selected for the Dally M hooker of the Year award. Farah became the Wests Tigers' most experienced and longest-serving player with Chris Heighington's departure at the end of the season. Farah was in the media in September when he called for tougher punishments for Twitter abusers after getting a tweet out of his recently deceased mother that he described as "vile." "The rules are piss poor, and people should be accountable for their remarks," he said. Later after he announced an apology, it was revealed that he had tweeted that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard should be given "a noose" for a 50th birthday gift.

Farah made his NRL All Stars debut in February, starting off the bench. Farah signed a new four-year deal with the Wests Tigers on March 22nd. "I see myself as the captain of the club, if circumstances aren't as good as we'd like them to be." I see it as my job to help the club resurrect the club rather than simply giving up and walking away. Some people will get cranky at certain activities, but you'll have to enjoy the good times and the bad times. That's what it's all about.

Farah was selected again for City, his sixth appearance as a hooker and the fourth straight appearance as captain. In all three games, Farah was selected to play hooker for NSW. Farah was named captain for NSW for the first time in the series-deciding third game on July 12th, after an injury to Paul Gallen. Queensland defeated New South Wales 5-20 in the game 12–10. Farah played in his 200th NRL match against Manly, scoring a goal in the Tigers' 18-36 loss at Campbelltown Stadium. Farah ended the season with just one attempt from 18 games. Farah was named captain of the Prime Minister's XIII squad in September. Farah was selected in the Australian 2013 World Cup squad in October and played in three matches.

Farah captained the Tigers' inaugural Auckland Nines squad in February. He suffered a dislocated elbow in round 6, putting him in jeopardy for the State of Origin game 1. He was suspended for six weeks but made a quicker recovery and returned to form against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in round 10. In game 1 of the 2014 State of Origin Series at Suncorp Stadium, Farah was selected at hooker for the NSW Blues, with the Blues winning the 100th State of Origins match 12–8. In game 2 of the series, he appeared in game 2 of the series, resulting in the Blues' 8-year losing streak to Queensland and game 3.

Farah and Gorden Tallis fought over allegations that Farah had told him "can't coach" in July. "Robbie Farah told me to my face when I was on Triple M last year on a Saturday show," Tallis said. "I don't go on Chinese whispers; instead, I go on what he told me." Farah didn't want to leave the club, according to Tigers coach Mick Potter later. Potter said, "We are fine and we have always been fine, and there has been no confrontation at all."

Farah's season came to an end with 5 tries in 18 matches. Farah was selected in the Prime Minister's XIII squad in September. He was then selected for the Australian Four Nations squad. In Australia's 12–30 loss to New Zealand, Farah played in one match of the series.

Farah was named to captain in NSW in the first game of the 2015 State of Origins series, despite Paul Gallen's absence due to injury. Farah was described as "one of the most popular players on the field" despite suffering from a shoulder injury in the 10-11 loss. "His workload with and without the ball was intense," the Sydney Morning Herald said, with him compiling a game-high 55 tackles and cleaning up a Cooper Cronk grubber kick when the Maroons appeared poised to score." No wonder the Queenslanders wanted him out of the park." Farah made no appearances for the Wests Tigers in the first and second State of Origin matches due to his shoulder injury. "I wanted to have a gun painted on the bung shoulder," Queensland coach Terry Jones said in the second game of the series as NSW defeated NSW 26–18 at the MCG.

Farah was given permission by the Tigers in August to investigate the possibility of continuing his playing career at another club from 2016 to forward. Farah finished the 2015 NRL season by playing in 17 matches and scoring 2 tries. Farah's labour saga was widely reported during the 2015 off-season. Farah could have been demoted to New South Wales Cup if he stayed, his friendship with coach Jason Taylor ended, and the Tigers' salary cap was chewed up. Farah left himself as the Tigers captain and was replaced by Aaron Woods after scoring a club record of 148 matches as captain.

With Farah missing several games early in the season, it was reported that the Wests Tigers had won one game out of seven, and four of six games he missed. After State of Origins matches, Jason Taylor chose to start him from the bench and rested him. "Running Robbie stricken the Queenslanders ragged early on and added 44-tackles to another excellent Origin result," in game 2. In the third match, the only match won by NSW, he led the tackle count again. Farah was dropped from reserve grade by Jason Taylor a week earlier and remained in the NSW cup until the end of the season. He then joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs, capping a thirteen-year association with the Wests Tigers. Farah's dramatic season ended with two appearances in nine appearances.

Farah's highly awaited club debut for the Rabbitohs against his former club, the Wests Tigers, in Round 1. In the 18–34 loss at ANZ Stadium, he started hooking. Farah scored his first attempt for the Rabbitohs at Brookvale Oval in round 2, against Manly-Warringah. Farah played his 250th match against the Newcastle Knights in Round 3. Farah appeared in all 24 Souths games this season, switching between hooker and bench roles.

Farah returned to Lebanon for the 2017 World Cup and competed in the country's first-ever World Cup match over France on October 29.

Farah was demoted to reserve with the North Sydney Bears at the start of 2018, after sharing the role with Damien Cook in 2017, with Cook taking over the full time. Farah later stated that he was considering retirement at the time. "I just didn't want to be there." It was difficult, mate. It's been a long time. I don't want to disrespect Norths because they are a fantastic team, but it was painful for me. When you arrive, the crowd gets you. A smart-arse is always a smart one." Farah made his South Carolina debut in his Round 13 victory over Cronulla, filling in while Cook played State of Origins. Despite his exclusion from first grade, Farah was praised for his efforts, which included "a whopping" 62 tackles.

Farah returned to the West Tigers as the first grade hooker the same week on June 21. Shane Richardson, the boss of South Africa, said they would not have sold Farah to another club, but "the reason we allowed Robbie to go was because it was the right thing to do." He had appeared on two occasions for Souths before his departure.

In his victory over ladder-leaders, the Rabbitohs, he played his 250th game for the Wests Tigers on July 21. Farah was knocked out in the 71st minute when he tried to tackle Souths player George Burgess during the match. Since being back to the club, Farah started at hooker for every game at Wests Tigers, making nine appearances. Benji Marshall, a long-time colleague, and Farah's contract renewal for 2019 were announced at the same time. "Once he texted me late last night to tell me he was staying on, it lifted the spirits," he said. It made me feel a lot better to know he was back for another year - the two old boys at the club.

In round 1, Farah scored two tries and topped the tackle list for the Tigers, who named him the "King of Leichhardt." "The boys call us grand-dads and stuff," he said. You know, I try and make it personal. "I go out and challenge the younger boys, trying to convince them that the old fella hasn't lost his ability."

Farah spoke to the media on July 24th, when he shared how he had received messages of support in advance of his 300th first grade appearance and how he had been informed. Ex Wests Tigers head coach Jason Taylor said, "I don't want to hear from JT anyway," Farah told me at the time, and Rod Reddy said to me that I should finish my career in reserve grade. However, I'm here now, 'JT' is teaching reserve grade,' says the coach.' "I was running around with the Bears in the NSW Cup," Farah continued, and I was about to get up from the game. It was really difficult to try and find the energy to go and play, and I thought I was done.

Farah was forced to leave the field after the club's 18-16 loss to ANZ Stadium due to a leg injury in round 21 against Canterbury-Bankstown. Farah had suffered a leg fracture, according to Scans. Farah said in the media on August 19 that he was considering going against doctors' advice to play. Farah continued to say, "I've got to win to make the semis, I'll cut it off if I have to," says the girl, but they've never recommended it (I don't play again). It's just a matter of gathering the facts from them as best I could, and whatever danger I took myself is my decision."

Farah was initially suspended from the Wests Tigers' game against Cronulla-Sutherland in round 25, but as a Wests player Corey Thompson was missing in the warm up, he was recalled quickly to the team. Knowing that the winner would advance to the finals, the Wests went into the match against Cronulla. Farah led Wests out onto the field of a packed Leichhardt Oval in what would be his last game as a player as Cronulla defeated them 25-28.

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