By Alan Nicolea -
July 21st 2009 @ 8:07am
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Wests Tigers finally showing some fight
Although Tim Sheens’ men are renowned for their ability with the football in hand, it was their determination defending against it that saw them comprehensively defeat the Cowboys and revive hopes of a top eight finish.
Indeed it was a seventy minute performance from the Tigers that showed why they would be near the top of the NRL ladder if all their home games were played at Leichardt Oval.
After Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen scored the fastest try in the NRL this season, Graham Henry’s men were terrorising the Tigers with their quick play the balls courtesy of strong charges from forwards Steve Southern, Antonio Kaufusi, Carl Webb and Shane Tronc.
For the first ten minutes of the contest, The Cowboys had achieved their goal of silencing a Leichardt Oval crowd that is one of the most vocal in the NRL.
The whispers of self-doubt and shock however were erased shortly afterwards, courtesy of a brilliant solo try from Benji Marshall, and the punch-up between Tigers captain Robbie Farah and Cowboys hooker Anthony Watts.
Watts found himself very lucky to stay on the field after landing several blows on Farah that left the Tigers hooker dazed.
Once Farah regained some of his mental and physical stability, the ensuing set after Marshall’s try saw his feud with Watts develop into one of the NRL’s best personal rivalries since Knights forward Paul Harragon constantly went head to head with Sea Eagles player Mark Carroll.
Watts once again gained the upper hand, courtesy of a great front on hit on a Tigers player that forced a knock-on.
From the ensuing Cowboys scrum, Farah wasted no time in providing pay back on an opponent that moments earlier left him nearly unconscious.
The Leichardt faithful were in full cheer when Watts was sin-binned soon afterwards for starting the confrontation.
Although Farah was also sin-binned for displaying his dislike for Watts, the Leichardt faithful knew that this would be a period that would benefit their side immensely.
And so it proved to be as Chris Lawrence and Taniela Tuiaki each scored tries for the Tigers in a devastating ten minute period late in the first half that provided the home side with an eight point buffer at the break.
Indeed the Cowboys never re-discovered their mojo from early in the first half, as the Tigers landed several knock out blows on the scoreboard to seal the result.
Three tries each to Shannon Gallant, Corey Payne and Robbie Farah secured a 34-14 victory that now places the Tigers just four points out of the top eight.
No doubt if Tim Sheens’ men find a way to blend in their fighting spirit, along with their flair with the football for the full eighty minutes, then they might have just developed the game to really match it against the quality teams of this competition.
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Brett McKay said | July 21st 2009 @ 9:17am | Report comment
Alan, can you recall the last time a scrum erupted like that in a club game?? No doubt the Tiggers looked good, and might be geting themselves back on track, but I think after those two scrums, the rest of the game didn’t matter so much…
Alan nicolea said | July 21st 2009 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Brett
Indeed those two scrums were the key factors in the Tigers victory, more so because they were playing at home. But it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the fight broke out at Townsville. Maybe the Cowboys would have stormed home. When the Tigers have momentum though, they really are a joy to watch, not to mention playing on a sunday afternoon.
Mitch said | July 21st 2009 @ 5:35pm | Report comment
We have lost PLENTY of big games at Leichardt Oval over the last few seasons…
Don’t get sucked into the myth.
Great atmosphere, but the Tigers are not unbeatable while playing there.
Same as campbelltown.
Alan Nicolea said | July 21st 2009 @ 7:11pm | Report comment
Mitch
Yes, the Rabbitohs game in 2007 comes to mind bigtime. But it is no secret that the Tigers players would prefer to play there on a constant basis. Although they would not be certainties everytime, the Tigers chances of winning more games would be increased substantially if they were to play games at Campbelltown and Leichardt Oval, instead of sharing games at ANZ and the SFS.
kenny said | July 21st 2009 @ 10:33pm | Report comment
great game and great hitting by robbie!
as a tigers fan we can only imagine what could have been with those 3 close losses earlier in the season by less than 4 points.
Alan nicolea said | July 22nd 2009 @ 11:20am | Report comment
Kenny
Again that loss against the Rabbitohs at the SCG this year comes to mind. Oh the pain!!!!!!!!!
blinq said | July 22nd 2009 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
Winning only on their home ground is not a good excuse, they should work hard though I like watching this game, it was pretty intense.
sportsfanslife.com said | July 24th 2009 @ 9:51pm | Report comment
I’m torn between being excited about building some momentum and the chance that it’ll come crashing down around me once I get excited! Canberra in Canberra this weekend will answer some questions about consistency and how focussed the Tigers are. I’m betting they’ll come through, but you no doubt expected that from me hehe….