Former Gold Coast Titan Tyrone Peachey has officially signed a two-year deal with the Wests Tigers.
Peachey was one of six Titans let go by the club at the end of the 2021 season, which included Ashley Taylor and Mitch Rein.
It had been speculated Peachey would end up back in Sydney, although there was also rumoured to be plenty of interest from the English Super League.
The Tigers are looking to arrest their struggles in 2022, following a disastrous 2021 season which saw the club finish in the bottom four, and marked ten years since they last competed in the finals.
Coach Michael Maguire has been locked in to continue into 2022, and Peachey marks the third signing for the club alongside Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart, who are joining from the Super League.
There is every chance Peachey will be used as a ball-playing lock at the Tigers.
It is an area they struggled in last year, rotating front rowers Alex Twal and Thomas Mikaele through the position for much of the year. Further to that, Luke Brooks and Adam Doueihi, as well as Jock Madden, will likely keep Peachey out of the halves, while Gildart and Tommmy Talau are likely to line up in the centres.
It's understood the two-year deal is worth somewhere around the $750,000 mark, or roughly $375,000 per season for the ex-Titan.
Peachey has played more than 150 NRL games during his time with the Cronulla Sharks, Penrith Panthers and Titans, while also representing New South Wales three times.
He will bring a wealth of experience to Maguire's young side, and Peachey said in a club statement that he was excited to work under the coach.
“I’m really excited to join the club and get stuck into work with Wests Tigers,” Peachey said.
“I’ve been really impressed by Madge and the way he approaches the game and I’m looking forward to working under him. I know that I perform my best when I’ve got a strong coach who can keep me accountable, and I’ve really enjoyed speaking with him lately.
“I’m pretty keen to work too with a lot of the young talent at the club,” he said.
“I’ve been through the process of seeing young players step up into the NRL and what needs to change for the club to be successful. It’s a good chance for me to not only help on the field but also give the young players some direction and help this team play finals footy.
“Wests Tigers is a big club and a pretty special club with its history — it deserves to be competing in the big games every year and I can’t wait to help us do that.”
Maguire said Peachey's signing was a good one for the club.
“I’m really pleased to welcome Tyrone to our team and to have his experience and versatility as part of our club,” Maguire said.
“Tyrone is a real competitor in all that he does on and off the field, and he will add a lot to the way that we want to play moving forward.”