The Cronulla Sharks have come from behind in the second half in what was one of the most attacking games of the season, defeating the Wests Tigers by eight points at Campbelltown.
REPORT: SHARKS EDGE OUT TIGERS
The Tigers might have held a four point lead at half time, but struggled to get their hands on the ball in the second half only completing nine of 14 sets as the Sharks continued to build pressure right throughout the half, eventually running away with the match.
The battle of the fullbacks was one of the key ones coming in, and it ended up having a massive influence on the scoreboard, and contest as minimal defence was played from both sides, and attacking plays were executed to perfection all game long.
The momentum of the clash ebbed and flowed, back and forth as the two teams battled before the Sharks took over at the pivotal time during the second half.
The funny thing was, the Sharks flew out of the gates and it was looking as if it was going to be a very, very long night for the Tigers. With a strong first set from Cronulla, James Tedesco was injured in an ugly looking collision.
With Tedesco off the field, the Sharks would capitalise to score off a Tigers error with Luke Lewis scoring through some very soft defence.
The Sharks execution would get a little muted throughout the rest of the first half, with Tedesco returning to the action and the Tigers scoring three tries over the course of 14 minutes.
Tedesco, along with Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks had a hand in all of the tries throughout the first half, deploying what has become a key feature of the Tigers game with their sweeping plays.
David Nofoaluma would be the first off a sweeping play to the right before an incredible catch and pass from Tedesco. James Tedesco would dive over after breaking a tackle a few minutes later before an inside ball saw Chris Lawrence crash over.
The Sharks would manage to fire back before half time as they got themselves back into the contest.
A try that may well have flipped the momentum on the stroke of half time saw the Sharks spread it right from inside their own half, going to Valentine Holmes who chipped back infield and James Maloney was able to score.
The second half could be described as many things, but let’s go with passionate. Both teams displayed plenty of passion as penalties were flown, offence went to a new level and there were almost a few blues.
The Sharks would open the scoring to hit the lead through Sosaia Feki, before the Tigers against the run of play managed a try to James Tedesco.
Just four minutes later Paul Gallen would crash over in what could only be described as a barge over with soft defence. With Gallen involved in many of the fire ups in the game, it was fitting that he came up with a try.
The Tigers struggled to execute their plays, and the Sharks made them suffer spending a majority of time with the ball.
Amid a flurry of penalty goals, Ben Barba would score the match winner in the 70th minute off an brilliant play where the Sharks spread the ball left and then Feki came back inside for Ben Barba, who was fantastic for most of the night to score.
The Tigers came up with a consolation, intercept length of the field try in the last minute but it would matter little.
So in the end at Campbelltown, the Sharks too good for the Tigers in what was a very exciting and entertaining game.
Final Score
Wests Tigers 26
Cronulla Sharks 34
If there is one match this season that has a storyline, this could be it. Paul Gallen and Robbie Farah make their returns from injury as the Wests Tigers host the Cronulla Sharks at Campbelltown. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 5:30pm (AEDT).
Paul Gallen has struggled to avoid the media spotlight during his time on the sideline after picking up an injury. His latest stoush was with Rebecca Wilson, who called him ‘the biggest attention seeker I have ever met’.
Gallen has also announced he will retire from representative football at the end of the season.
This is where Robbie Farah comes in. The New South Wales Blues vice-captain has looked to be on the outer at the Tigers for quite a while, but said he would stick fast on his promise to the see out the contract. He was hanging around like a bad smell for a lot of the off-season, but eventually the Tigers came to their senses.
Unfortunately for them, Farah went and got himself injured and hasn’t been able to play.
Farah’s return for Wests along with that of Chris Lawrence sees Dene Halatau move into the second row from hooker, with Jack Buchanan the unlucky one dropping back to the bench. Lawrence of course has also played a lot of centre and with the current structure of the side, it will be interesting to see exactly how coach Jason Taylor uses him.
Gallen’s return on the other hand straight to starting lock won’t bring with it many changes. In fact, Gerard Beale drops off the bench and that is it.
The Tigers, who were expected to be one of the bottom sides this year, have started the season on a different foot. They beat the New Zealand Warriors in Round 1, before performing a demolition job of the Manly Sea Eagles the next weekend.
The Tigers are coming off an eight-nil loss to the Parramatta Eels though and need to restore some confidence. A drubbing like that will certainly take it out of you.
The Sharks on the other hand started the season with a loss but haven’t looked back with victories over the St George Illawarra Dragons, Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm.
Their win against Melbourne was less than impressive, with scrappy football being played but they still walked away with the two competition points.
Both teams rely heavily on their kicking games, both short and long and that could go a long way to deciding this one.
Prediction
The Sharks have been playing quality football. A strong kicking game from Chad Townsend and James Maloney will see them over the line.
I also expect the presence of Farah to slow things down a little bit for the Tigers in attack.
Sharks by 8.
Follow Scott on twitter @sk_pryde
Michael l
Guest
Someone should get Gal off the field. He might not realise it but his a hog of the ball and an attention seeker. The Sharks look better and play a more enterprising brand of football without him. With him, the Sharks play this start and stop brand of football not dissimilar to what you see in the US and from a fans point of view is frustrating and hard to swallow. It' good that the Sharks won tonight but to remain a consistent football team Gal needs to change his playing style and attitude because his not adapting to the new brand of football that the Sharks are producing.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Match Results: The Cronulla Sharks have come from behind in the second half in what was one of the most attacking games of the season, defeating the Wests Tigers by eight points at Campbelltown. The Tigers might have held a four point lead at half time, but struggled to get their hands on the ball in the second half only completing nine of 14 sets as the Sharks continued to build pressure right throughout the half, eventually running away with the match. The battle of the fullbacks was one of the key ones coming in, and it ended up having a massive influence on the scoreboard, and contest as minimal defence was played from both sides, and attacking plays were executed to perfection all game long. The momentum of the clash ebbed and flowed, back and forth as the two teams battled before the Sharks took over at the pivotal time during the second half. The funny thing was, the Sharks flew out of the gates and it was looking as if it was going to be a very, very long night for the Tigers. With a strong first set from Cronulla, James Tedesco was injured in an ugly looking collision. With Tedesco off the field, the Sharks would capitalise to score off a Tigers error with Luke Lewis scoring through some very soft defence. The Sharks execution would get a little muted throughout the rest of the first half, with Tedesco returning to the action and the Tigers scoring three tries over the course of 14 minutes. Tedesco, along with Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks had a hand in all of the tries throughout the first half, deploying what has become a key feature of the Tigers game with their sweeping plays. David Nofoaluma would be the first off a sweeping play to the right before an incredible catch and pass from Tedesco. James Tedesco would dive over after breaking a tackle a few minutes later before an inside ball saw Chris Lawrence crash over. The Sharks would manage to fire back before half time as they got themselves back into the contest. A try that may well have flipped the momentum on the stroke of half time saw the Sharks spread it right from inside their own half, going to Valentine Holmes who chipped back infield and James Maloney was able to score. The second half could be described as many things, but let's go with passionate. Both teams displayed plenty of passion as penalties were flown, offence went to a new level and there were almost a few blues. The Sharks would open the scoring to hit the lead through Sosaia Feki, before the Tigers against the run of play managed a try to James Tedesco. Just four minutes later Paul Gallen would crash over in what could only be described as a barge over with soft defence. With Gallen involved in many of the fire ups in the game, it was fitting that he came up with a try. The Tigers struggled to execute their plays, and the Sharks made them suffer spending a majority of time with the ball. Amid a flurry of penalty goals, Ben Barba would score the match winner in the 70th minute off an brilliant play where the Sharks spread the ball left and then Feki came back inside for Ben Barba, who was fantastic for most of the night to score. The Tigers came up with a consolation, intercept length of the field try in the last minute but it would matter little. So in the end at Campbelltown, the Sharks too good for the Tigers in what was a very exciting and entertaining game. Final Score: Wests Tigers 26 Cronulla Sharks 34
Scott Pryde
Expert
Cheers Riordan. You're faster at making videos than I am at doing a match report!
Riordan Lee
Editor
Highlights are live!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Haha not saved, but I always know it's there!
Connor Bennett
Editor
You bloody bastard!! I bet you have that link saved so you can whip it out all the time hahah That is damn impressive
Scott Pryde
Expert
Here is evidence http://www.theroar.com.au/2015/10/04/brisbane-broncos-vs-north-queensland-cowboys-2015-nrl-grand-final-live-scores-blog/
Connor Bennett
Editor
There's now way anyone could have picked last years grand final that's insane!! Hahah well I think everyone's tips have been all over the place so far this season, the results have been so unpredictable
Renegade
Roar Guru
That was a hell of an entertaining game.... How good is rugby league! Well done sharkies! Another early season win while the new spine are still working each other out. Very professional in coming from behind and keeping their composure when the tigers were rolling hot... Also winning at a venue they haven't won at in 15 years....still plenty of improvement left but for round 5 - good stuff!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Right then, the full report of this one will follow shortly. In the meantime, check out Sean Tuema as he blogs the Cowboys vs Dragons game, about to kick off in Townsville. Link below: http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/04/02/north-queensland-cowboys-vs-st-george-illawarra-dragons-nrl-live-scores-blog-2/ Thanks for joining me for The Roar's live coverage of the 2016 NRL season as the Cronulla Sharks were able to grab a much needed away victory over the Wests Tigers in Campbelltown. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. I'll be back Monday Night from 6:45pm (AEDT) with coverage of the return to belmore game as the Canterbury Bulldogs take on the Canberra Raiders. Before then, I'll have coverage of the Womens' World T20 final between the Southern Stars and West Indies from 6:30pm (AEDT) tomorrow night. Until next time, Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
The Roar's NRL MVP: This was an incredibly tough selection - 3 - Ben Barba 2 - James Tedesco 1 - Andrew Fifita Thoughts?
Zedman
Roar Rookie
Fifita, Gallen, Ennis had big games and when Barba got involved they were dangerous. The Tigers can do without Tim Grant, Woods was ok and Farah in the first half. I wonder how they would go without Tedesco, he is the spark for a lot of their game.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Hey Connor! So I did! Didn't even realise until you mentioned it. Check out last year's grand final blog. Tipped the Cowboys by 1 in that one as well! I get my fair share completely wrong though, just check out my ranking in The Roar's tipping comp haha.
Scott Pryde
Expert
STATS: Tries: Tigers (5), Broncos (5) Goals: Tigers (3/5), Sharks (4/5) Penalty Goals: Tigers (0/0), Sharks (3/4) Penalties: Tigers (8), Sharks (12) Scrums: Tigers (3), Sharks (6) Completions: Tigers (24/32 @ 74%), Sharks (29/39 @ 74%) Line Breaks: Tigers (5), Sharks (10) Tackles: Tigers (266), Sharks (222) Missed Tackles: Tigers (18), Sharks (20) Offloads: Tigers (5), Sharks (14) Errors: Tigers (9), Sharks (13)
Connor Bennett
Editor
Nailed your prediction mate, I should come to you before I put any bets on in the future
Scott Pryde
Expert
Stats, MVP and report to come. Once I wrap my head around that second half. Thoughts Roarers?
Scott Pryde
Expert
80' - FULL TIME The Tigers come up with a few plays before Moses puts a chip over the top, the Tigers lose it and that will be that. What a cracker of a game that was. Neither coach will be happy, but as a neutral fan that was awesome. Wests Tigers 26 Cronulla Sharks 34
Scott Pryde
Expert
CONVERSION SUCCESSFUL by MITCHELL MOSES Tigers 26 Sharks 34
Scott Pryde
Expert
79' - TRY TIGERS, MITCHELL MOSES Short kick off and Feki comes up with it for the Sharks. Graham comes up field and then Prior goes over half way. No rush or urgency here from either side now before Maloney goes left and looks to shuffle it on. Brooks with an intercept and he runs the length of the field to score. To the bunker though for a check of the contest on the intercept. Lights are green, but it won't matter with 60 seconds to go. Tigers 24 Sharks 34
Scott Pryde
Expert
PENALTY GOAL SHARKS, JAMES MALONEY This one is over. Tigers 20 Sharks 34