Any heartache Robbie Farah may be feeling towards his Tigers axing took a drastic backseat on Thursday when he spoke about a topic closer to his heart.

Farah and former teammate Benji Marshall were on hand to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, a disease which has touched them significantly. Farah's mum Sonia died in 2012 from the disease which also claimed the life of Marshall's dad Mick Doherty.

After struggling to be able to speak openly about his mother's death, Farah has now joined as an ambassador for Purple Our World with the Tigers and St George Illawarra wearing special socks when the teams clash on Saturday.

"Always in the back of my mind after mum passed away I wanted to do something to help this disease and for a couple of years there I found it difficult to even talk about and get involved with things like it because it does bring back memories," Farah said.

"What I'm going through is a first world problem. It's football at the end of the day and there are people out there who are suffering a lot more than I am."

While Farah is no closer to a resolution surrounding his contract saga, Marshall has kept in almost daily contact with the NSW hooker.

Marshall watched closely as Farah and the Tigers went on a rampage beating the Warriors 50-16 on Sunday.

"They didn't play anything to what they usually play," Marshall said. "I know their game plan off by heart because it is very similar to the Roosters. On the weekend they weren't playing like that. That's why you saw the old vintage Robbie. It wasn't because they asked him to leave. It was because he took a running role, he was controlling the game, bringing players under.

"He is the best reader of numbers. If anything needs to change, it is probably the game plan around how he plays.

"I have had countless text messages back and forth just seeing if he is alright. To his credit, the way he has handled it, I definitely wouldn't be able to handle it as well as he has. I think it's a credit to his leadership and personality to come out of it the way he has."

Marshall spent 11 seasons playing alongside Farah at the Tigers until his own departure in acrimonious situation at the end of 2013. With Farah uncertain about where he may be, Marshall offered him a spot at the Dragons while speaking about his own fortune from getting a fresh start at St George Illawarra.

"I said to him we might have a spot opening at the Dragons if you want to come," Marshall said. "He just wrote back 'ha ha'. So I guess that's a no.

"I have only said one thing to him about that - from my point of view I didn't realise how different it was going to be at another club, but also how refreshing it was for me. Do whatever you want to do and what is best for you. But for me it has done wonders for me. I didn't know how life was away form the Tigers but I love it."

Marshall dismissed talk that Farah was a bad influence inside the dressing room.

"Most people assume that but I think it is more of a case where he is not scared to say what he thinks," Marshall said. "Because he is so passionate about the club, if he thinks something is not right he will say it.

"That's a great attribute to have. As a leader you need to have those conversations and as a club captain. I can't have those conversations and stick up for the team like he does."

Meanwhile, St George Illawarra are hopeful Gareth Widdop can recover in time from a quad injury to play the Tigers.