The man who carried the young Tigers pack to the NRL premiership last year instead joined English Super League club Huddersfield on a two-year deal this week.

"I didn't really want to play for any other NRL club to tell the truth," he said.

"I probably said I did but realistically deep down I couldn't see myself in another NRL team's colours."

He said talks with the Tigers management hadn't gone very far but the dreaded shoulder tap was discussed.

"We both sort of saw there are a lot of juniors coming up through the grades and maybe it was time for me to step down, let the juniors get through," he said.

"I didn't want to leave on a downer, finishing in first division or anything like that if my form drops.

"It was sort of a mutual agreement."

Skandalis, who is celebrating his 30th birthday, said he "didn't even know what was out there" as far as other NRL clubs were concerned.

"Once you play your football a long time at a club I think it's harder for (other) clubs to accept that you're going to play with that much passion," he said.

The 107kg prop earned the admiration of league supporters last year as he led the young and relatively small Tigers pack, and there was anger he was omitted from the end-of-season Kangaroos squad.

He will get the opportunity to lead the Tigers forwards again on Saturday when the 10th-placed premiers host the Sydney Roosters (11th) at Telstra Stadium, with both sides desperate to stay in touch with the top eight.

"They're just as much under pressure as us," he said.

"They're going to have all their Origin stars back so I'm sure they're going to be turning up."

Roosters captain Craig Fitzgibbon said his club was confident it could put aside the drama of the announcements Ryan Cross and Adrian Morley would leave at season's end to stop a three-match losing streak.

"These kinds of challenges get thrown up at us all year and we're trying to respond to those challenges and this week's another one," he said.

"It's only the halfway point of the season, it's certainly not over yet."

And Fitzgibbon backed under-fire NSW halves Brett Finch and Braith Anasta to bounce back for their club.

"Those two are vital to our future plans and which way the club's heading

"They're professionals, they've played in tough games and tough situations like (Wednesday) night and turned up the week after and had good games.

"If anything that lights a fire in their belly."