Farah moves a step closer to NRL return

Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah says his one goal for the rest of the season is to help the club avoid its first NRL wooden spoon.

Farah declared himself a certain starter for this Friday night’s clash against Melbourne after completing a full training session on Monday.

The NSW Blues star hasn’t played since fracturing his hand in a loss to Penrith a month ago, an injury that kept him out of the State of Origin-deciding game.

He also remains troubled by a shoulder injury that may require surgery at the end of the season.

But with his side languishing at the bottom of the table, the 31-year-old says his immediate priority is skirting some unwanted silverware.

“We’ve got six weeks to avoid the wooden spoon,” Farah said.

“It’s something I’ve never gotten, and this club’s never gotten, so it’d be nice to avoid it this year.

“Obviously semi-finals are not going to be there.

“So for us, we want to get as high as we can, and it starts by getting off the bottom.”

Farah said his hand came up OK after testing it in its first contact session in a month, but hinted at end-of-season surgery on his shoulder.

“(The hand) is good enough to play, so I’ll be right this week,” he said.

“We had a wrestle this morning and so I did all that and got out with the boys today. I’ll be fine.”

The Tigers will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak – their longest of the season – when they host competition heavyweights Melbourne at Leichhardt Oval.

Despite their lack of success, Farah insisted the squad remained positive heading into the final six games of the season.

“We’ve continued to train hard and work hard on our game, and while it hasn’t reflected in some of the results we’ve gotten, the attitude of the boys has been first class,” he said.

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