Pat Richards has been unstoppable since returning to the Wests Tigers wing after eight years in England, but one thought jolts him dead in his tracks – what would have happened had he dropped Benji Marshall's famous flick pass in the club's 2005 grand final victory?

While the 32-year-old created point-scoring records for tradition-steeped Wigan, he is best remembered by NRL fans for that grand final try against North Queensland.

But what if the one-time fast bowler – who played first grade for Fairfield and schoolboy cricket alongside Test skipper Michael Clarke – fumbled the moment that cemented his place in grand final folklore?

"It would definitely be different," he supposed."It was one of those instinctive things, you never knew what Benji was going to do but it turned out to be a big play.

"After I scored the try, I thought 'yeah I caught it and scored from there' and got on with it. But after a day or two it kept getting replayed and people were talking about it.

"It has been replayed a fair bit since then but I'm not sick of it at this stage. It's something I'm proud of and I definitely don't mind talking about it. It brings back a lot of good memories, like how good it was to be involved with that special group of players [in 2005].That try is a great memory."

Richards returned to the black, white and gold's fold from his time in the English Super League older, wiser but extremely enthusiastic about his role as an old head among a talented troupe of young players who will take on Manly in Sunday's heritage round match at Leichhardt Oval.

"It's a great club and feels very similar to my last season here," said Richards who made an impact on the NRL with 48 points from four tries and 16 goals in the opening four rounds of the season.

"The boys are enjoying their football and there's some very talented young players coming through – James Tedesco and Luke Brooks are doing some great things – and there's players waiting in the wings.

"Sometimes it feels as though I never left. We're still training in the same set-up, obviously there's been changes in the personnel, but there's a few old faces still running around."

Richards had no doubt that he, Cory Paterson and Keith Lulia were recruited by coach Mick Potter to return home from the English Super League for this year to add some experience to an otherwise young squad. 

"A lot of people here don't give the Super League much credit,but they don't see too much of it and they don't understand it," Richards said. "It's a very tough competition and that's why you see some blokes come back and do so well.

"The talent here at the Wests Tigers is very exciting and if the club can keep them together – based on the idea that any good team needs a fullback [Tedesco], halfback [Brooks] and hooker [Robbie Farah] – we have the foundations for a great team in the future.

"Personally, it's good playing with these young blokes, I'm enjoying being a part of it and while it's great we have the young kids, it's tremendous to also have a blend of youth and experience. I think we have a good mix ... Braith Anasta, for instance, is there doing great things for Luke Brooks, Robbie too."