The seismic nature of Tim Sheens' roster revolution at Wests Tigers has been made clear, with almost half the club's squad from the start of this year now out the door.
Jackson Hastings is this week set to become the 14th player to exit the Tigers in 2022, as the club finalise a swap deal with Newcastle for David Klemmer.
It means that of the Tigers' top 30 from January 1 this year, only 16 will see out the end of a calendar year in which the club claimed a wooden spoon and coach Michael Maguire was sacked.
There is also the potential of further changes ahead, with the Tigers keeping one spot open on the roster amid links to ex-Canberra forward John Bateman.
All changes have been made in consultation with Benji Marshall since it was decided he will take over from Sheens in 2025.
"When you look at the way it's being organised here, I'm an interim coach for two years," Sheens told AAP last week.
"I know when I start and I know when I finish. Benji's already been contracted to take the next three years after me
"That gives us consistency for five years, it gives him a chance to organise.
"In two years' time, Benji's not going to have a whole lot of players ... that he's going to say, 'I don't want them, I didn't sign them'.
"We're not going to have that turnover of players when the coach changes again in two years' time."
The makeover of the Tigers' roster leaves them and Canterbury with the equal-most changes of any club from the start of this year.
The Warriors have made 13 changes and defending-premiers Penrith 10.
Hastings' looming departure is arguably the most surprising, after he arrived as one of the Tigers' biggest signings last season.
But he and Klemmer's swap appears a win for both sides.
In Klemmer, the Tigers will have their best prop in recent years, with the former NSW State of Origin enforcer still on the right side of 30.
The middle forward arrived at the Knights as part of the club's revolution under Nathan Brown but endured an ugly final year headlined by a club-led HR investigation over comments to a trainer.
Hastings, meanwhile, was one of three front-line playmakers on the Tigers' books and would have likely started 2023 as a lock.
At Newcastle, he shapes as the dominant playmaker they yearned for in 2022 in a move that will allow Kalyn Ponga to continue playing fullback.
WESTS TIGERS 2022 DEPARTURES:
LukeGarner, OliverGildart, JacksonHastings, ReeceHoffman, WilliamKei, LucianoLeilua, JacobLiddle, JockMadden, ThomasMikaele, ZaneMusgrove, TyronePeachey, JamesRoberts, JamesTamou, KelmaTuilagi.
