THE best day in the history of Wests Tigers was when they won the premiership in 2005.
The worst day was arguably when they lost Scott Prince to Gold Coast at the end of the following season. Since then, they have been searching for the right person to run the show from halfback. They still haven't found what they're looking for.
Scott Princes don't grow on trees, or everyone would be picking them off. And there are plenty of other clubs - including some that are ahead of the Tigers on the competition table - that could do with a halfback like him. But there is only one to go around and unfortunately for the Tigers, they could not hang on to him.
That happens in this game. Players switch clubs. But, as much as the Tigers have got problems in other parts of their team as well, notably the forwards, there is no greater problem than the one they have in the halves. Prince provided the package of solid direction and sweet playmaking skills that was one of the keys to their taking the title. Their attempts to fill the No.7 jumper since his exit have all turned out to be Band-Aid solutions.
The Tigers have always looked to be short of the mark this season when it comes to having the quality to make the finals. They have produced a few spurts of form, but every time it looked like they had got their act together, they went off the rails again.
This time, after their 48-16 loss to Manly at ANZ Stadium, it is for good. Sure, mathematically, they can still make it, but we all know that once you have to start doing the maths to find a glimmer of hope, you are gone.
Tigers coach Tim Sheens finally told it how it was after the game, when he said: "Some people are going to be tapped on the shoulder. We're going to have to move some players on, simple as that. We're going to have to bring in some more people around the place in the next 12 to 18 months. I said at the start of the season that this is a watershed year for the club.
"We can't finish this year waiting for potential to happen, waiting for players, even our own juniors who we thought might go to another level but haven't. It's time to bite the bullet and go look for some players to join our club. We're going to have to make a conscious decision of changing quite a few players at the club.
"I'm not going to sit here and ponder what we might and might not do. I think it's pretty obvious, though, that the club needs to look hard at recruitment."
Sheens has obviously had these thoughts for a while, but he is a coach and it's his job to work with the players he has got and try to get the best possible result. But, now, that result is going to be the Tigers missing the finals for the third straight year since they won the competition, and that is not good enough. It is time to put the cards on the table and Sheens has done that.
Whether the club's management decides to mark Sheens' card remains to be seen. As he said after the game: "I've got two years left if I'm not hung out to dry."
But that is unlikely. Sheens would be on a lucrative contract and most clubs aren't travelling well enough to even consider paying out coaches. But, beyond that, the Tigers need someone with his experience to help get them out of this jam. Don't forget, he coached them to that premiership when there didn't look to be a lot doing for the team halfway through the season.