In Rounds 1 and 2, the Wests Tigers set the competition alight like no other team, quickly prompting punters to think perhaps they are more finals dark horses as opposed to wooden spoon contenders.
But as Round 4 comes to a close the Tigers now sit with a 2-2 record. There is no cause for alarm, this is the nature of a professional competition with a salary cap, it breeds competition and every victory is a hard-fought one and losses are thus inevitable.
With that said though, the Tigers featured in by far the most dismal match of a wonderful long weekend of football over the Easter break. They came out of that match as losers and it is important to dissect the key reasons why.
The talented Tigers were a shadow of the side from the first two weeks, with their attack disappearing in an eerily similar fashion to 2015. If you cast your mind back, it was around this time last season that the first cracks in what was to be a long season appeared.
Without further ado these are the things the Tigers need to be mindful of moving forward.
1. Jordan Rankin is a safe player, but safe players do not win matches
Let me preface this first and foremost by saying that I think Rankin is an excellent addition to the roster, especially in the utility value that he brings to the club. The fact he is still quite young also plays on his side.
He is a dependable Mr. Fix It type, not dissimilar to another former Tigers player Tom Humble. He generally tackles well, has a reasonable level of involvement and a reasonably low error rate.
That’s all fine and well but it also means he is your quintessential ‘boring footballer’ playing in a position that requires an ‘exciting footballer’ with a particular skillset.
Through the sheer fact that Rankin is not a winger by trade and does not possess the attributes of a modern winger, he bombed one if not two potential tries against the Eels that a player such as Josh Ado Carr – a member of the Tigers 25 squad and a standout Auckland 9’s performer – would quite possibly have scored.
One came early in the first half as Luke Brooks kicked for the corner, the ball bouncing less then a metre from Rankin and centimetres from the try line.
It would have been an immensely difficult finish but a possible one for a renowned speedster/finisher. Curtis Rona or David Mead would have nailed it and a diving grasp could very well have handed four points to the Tigers.
While that chance was an extremely difficult one, Rankin’s failure to convert an almost certain try-scoring opportunity roughly 15 minutes from time was bizarre. With oodles of space and just five metres from the line with the Eels defence at sixes and sevens Rankin inexplicably stalled and near well collapsed the moment he got the ball. He ended up two metres short of the try line, a try 90 per cent of first grade wingers would have got.
Rankin is a solid player, a safe player, he’s the type that would probably not incur an error for you to lose the game but he’s also the type of player that can’t rely on a crazy piece of skill or speed to win you the game when it’s on a knifes edge. Josh Ado Carr will need to be considered moving forward.
2. Jack Buchanan is anything but a cannon
I don’t like to be out and out negative about a player but it’s very hard to make a case for Jack Buchanan. Buchanan is a player that often seems like he has taken sleeping pills before a match.
His mobility is similar to popular former Tiger Keith Galloway (that is, near non existent), yet he is significantly smaller with far less punch.
This applies to both his defensive workload and his hit ups. You often expect teams to lose some of their momentum when their starting forwards go for a rest but the difference between Aaron Woods/Tim Grant and what Buchanan brings to the table is startling.
The fault is not entirely with Buchanan though. Jason Taylor has inexplicably been a huge supporter of Buchanan since his arrival, ignoring enormous talent such as Nathan Brown (Souths), Sitaleki Akouala (Panthers), Lamar Liolavave (NSW Cup) and Rod Griffin (NSW Cup).
In some cases the Tigers have watched them leave the club despite their enormous enthusiasm and mongrel that the Tigers pack needs. The Tigers have better options and it remains a surprise they do not utilise them.
3. Too many cooks spoil the broth
Jason Taylor has an interesting dilemma brewing quickly and it appears between the two young halves Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses.
Moses was incredible in the first two rounds, arguably the best performer in the NRL over these two weeks. Yet since Brooks has returned his performances have dipped significantly and the overall cohesion of the team seems to have been affected.
Robbie Farah’s return against the Eels only exacerbated these issues. Farah is a tremendous player and a worthy NSW hooker but as was noted last season and in the match on Monday, his style seems to contradict the free flowing football Brooks and in particular Moses thrive on.
His defensive effort was as per usual sublime, but his slow releases from dummy half force the Tigers to play overly structured football with a reliance on set plays. This is coupled with Farah’s tendency to turn players back on the inside which ultimately condenses the Tigers more so than their opposition.
This being said though, it is very early days. It’s the trio’s first match for the season together and the only way is up, but the difference between the halves interaction with Mania Cherrington and Farah was big enough to be notable.
4. More hookers than a…
On the subject of Farah and Cherrington, Jason Taylor’s decision to ultimately play with three hookers against the Eels is an early contender for biggest coaching blunder of the season – Andrew McFadden’s persistence with Jeff Robson a continually close second.
In Taylor’s defence it was Farah’s first game back from injury and he entered the action just shy of the 20 minute mark – a tactic often used for returning stars to keep them out of the early fire.
Conversely though, if your player is healthy enough to be named and play there should be no requirement for them to be protected at any point during the game.
Starting with Dene Halatau while having a former 80-minute and reigning NSW hooker on the bench ultimately means an exciting and potentially game-changing youngster in the form of Mania Cherington is never going to get many minutes. This is exactly what occurred, Cherrington received just eight minutes on the field.
Given the Tigers also lost Tim Grant at the same time as Farah entered the fray, it raises the question just how Jason Taylor could or would have given Cherrington more if any minutes on the field had his squad not been reduced to 16 players early on?
It is insane to carry three hookers into a match and with the impending return of Matt Ballin, Taylor is going to need to find a logical solution to his abundance of hooking stocks quick smart.
Playing Farah or Ballin at lock is a potential option but this means shifting the excellent Sauso Sue and ignoring experienced defensive dynamo Joel Edwards. Even then it would appear that Cherrington’s development will be hampered as he is shifted back to the reserves.
Despite being a classy player, Ballin’s signature was always a concerning one for the direction of the club. It was one that appeared to be a move to oust Farah more than a strategical footballing appointment.
Time will tell but the early signs are ominous in terms of balancing talent among the positions.
5. Tim Grant has become very important in a short time
Call it a compliment sandwich or the cherry on top of a rather average cake, but I felt like finishing on a slightly more positive note.
A discard from Souths, the former Origin prop has been immense in the first month of football. The Tigers were on top in the early stages of the Easter Monday clash and Tim Grants departure around the 20 minute mark saw a massive momentum shift that never really swung back the Tigers way.
Brooks and Moses struggled to create much all game. It wasn’t because their forwards were badly beaten but the extra yard or two of space that comes on the back of consistent strong carries that bend the line cannot be understated. At the very least a player like Tim Grant, with or without the ball, draws attention from the defensive line and allows opportunities for the halves, outside backs and perhaps even more importantly given Mondays situation, hard running edge forwards that can create second phase play.
If the Tigers are to do well this season Grant will play a large part in it.
What do you think Roarers? Are these constructive criticisms things that need to be addressed moving forward or is it a case of pick and stick?
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