The Wests Tigers will be hoping a return home means a return to form as they host the North Queensland Cowboys, who must find a way to keep winning. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:50pm (AEST).
The Tigers had an excellent start to the season, surprising everyone with victories over some of the competition’s heavyweights, but the wheels have started to fall off in the last month.
They have lost three games straight, culminating in a 26-4 loss to the Warriors last weekend in Auckland. Ivan Cleary’s side will be looking to get back to where they started the season, and that’s going to start on the defensive end.
The return of New Zealand front rower Russell Packer will bring them plenty in the way of muscle, but in losses to the Knights, Eels and Warriors, they have let in a combined 72 points, whereas they let in just 67 points across the first six rounds.
In addition to their departing defence, Benji Marshall has lost a little bit of form and it’s showing in a somewhat rushed and panicky attack.
Defence was what the Tigers were built on through the first six weeks of the season, but even without it, the Cowboys need to overcome a major hurdle tonight.
Johnathan Thurston has never beaten the Tigers in Sydney, with the Cowboys not winning any of their last six games at Leichhardt, stretching all the way back to 2000 when they beat the then newly merged club. Since then, it’s been all doom and gloom for the men from Townsville.
Thurston is undoubtedly the key man for the Cowboys and his battle against Luke Brooks in the halves will go along way to deciding this game.
Despite that, Thurston needs support from an underperforming North Queensland outfit who only got their third win of the season last week against an injury-riddled Panthers in Bathurst.
Their first half was probably the best 40 minutes of footy they have dished up this year. Matt Scott was almost back to his old self, Jason Taumalolo led the way and more importantly, all of Lachlan Coote, Michael Morgan and Jake Granville played well, taking the pressure off Thurston.
They struggled to hang on in the second half with a bad fade out, but after losing at home to the Raiders the week before, they managed to hang on.
The Cowboys must continue to hang on and win games, because with just three from nine, September is looking an awfully long way away.
Prediction
Even with their awful record at Leichhardt, the Cowboys were convincing in the first half last week. The Tigers just haven’t had things working for them and Thurston should get North Queensland to fall over the line.
Cowboys by 4.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this match from 7:50pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Forty Twenty
Guest
Michael Chee Kam struggled for ages with injury but is starting to look like the player he could be while Coen Hess is completely ineffective at the moment. The Cows have never finished the season in the top two on the ladder and despite their roster could well end up missing the end of season dancing festival completely.
thomas c
Guest
The cowboys are still on the edge. I could see them staying in limbo for weeks longer. If they beat the rabbitohs and the storm, then things will look up. But the games after that are against underachieving teams. They could string together 3/4 without being good and with continued ambiguity over whether they need changes. With injured players being back and the coach contract thing sorted, they've lost some of their early season excuses. They need to play some good football. now. Tigers looked good and it was a more organic game than some of the earlier ones - where the 10m penalty crackdown was still in effect.
R N
Roar Rookie
Agree totally. The rest need a good old Basil Fawlty thrashing!
Joe
Roar Rookie
Feldt has been one of their best week in week out. He and Hampton have probably been the only two who have been in any kind of form this season.
R N
Roar Rookie
Really poor tonight from the cows. Changers need to be made. Hess, O’Neil and Coote need to have a time in the lower grades. It seems a collective crisis of confidence has occurred that’s infected everyone except Feldt
JoM
Guest
I'm a Tigers supporter and hate to say it but maybe it's time some of the Cowboys players were put out to pasture. You are right, they are slow and maybe some kids need to be brought in. Take the hit now and next season they will be really ready to go.
jamesb
Guest
Packer makes a huge difference to the Tigers side. Meanwhile Fonua is becoming a beast in the centres.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Well played by the Tigers. The Cowboys are just looking tired and slow out there. Too many uncharacteristic mistakes seen mainly through their poor ball handling and then as seen tonight; they couldn't even complete sets, which was their trademark in the 2017 Finals run. Not sure where to go from here.
Rob
Guest
They needed to build on last year, but they have gone backwards. Unfortunately most of the good young talent have left for a chance at getting a go.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for joining me this evening on The Roar for our live coverage of the 2018 NRL season as the Wests Tigers got the better of the North Queensland Cowboys. Hopefully you enjoyed the call. I'll be back tomorrow at 6pm (AEST) for the first Friday night game as the Newcastle Knights host the Penrith Panthers. Bye for now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thoughts on the game Roarers?
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULLTIME The Wests Tigers have pulled off an eight-point win over the North Queensland Cowboys at Leichhardt after a back-and-forth game. It was an even battle early, but a try against the run of play for Luke Brooks got them on the board. An attacking kick from Johnathan Thurston landed in the hands of the Tigers half after a push back from Kyle Feldt, with Brooks running 90 metres to score. The Tigers would be next to score as well, going up 8-0 on the back of a superb effort attacking play which ended in Malakai Watene-Zelezniak scoring. North Queensland bounced back shortly before halftime through Te Maire Martin after a brilliant chip kick which bounced at right angles from Thurston. The Tigers led by two points at halftime and extended that after the break with David Nofoaluma scoring out wide. Antonio Winterstein got the Cowboys back in it just four minutes later after a Benji Marshall kick was deflected, but they squandered any opportunity of pushing ahead and gaining the upper hand with silly mistakes and a lack of effort. Wests made no mistake in capitalising pushing into the lead with a penalty goal, before Esan Marsters sealed the deal with a try for the Tigers. Tigers 20 Cowboys 12
Penrith Punter
Roar Guru
Fair to say Cowboys will not make the eight this year. They really needed to build on last week's win and failed to do so. Too slow and inconsistent for mine, they won't recover from this.
Joe
Roar Rookie
NIce win for the Tigers and well deserved in front of a packed Leichardt crowd. The Cowboys started really well but after that first Tigers try were on the backfoot for most of the game. Great game by Mahe Fonua, probably the best game I've ever seen him play in the NRL. The Tigers had a lot of good players out there though, Packer brought a lot on his return as did his partner Matalino. They were good all across the park. Green needs to find something else as his team has been worked out. Their tries were 'lucky' tries and the Tigers had them contained pretty easily. The last 5 mins when they needed to score twice to win showed how one-dimensional they were and din't have anything else to throw at them. Hess needs to go to the bench. Taumalolo is probably playing too many minutes. They need Mclean back to bolster that forward pack. Their backs were really poor especially O'Neil. It was the handling errors throughout the team though that cost them tonight.
Zedman
Roar Rookie
Good win by the Tigers, apart from a small period before half time they were the better side. Fonua, Marsters, Brooks, Lawrence and Matulino all withbig games.
Danno1
Guest
Well played Tige's, v.well played ,considering they could have hung their heads there a couple of times with the Cows coming back at them. They're a great team to watch, Cleary cementing his rep as a really good coach.
Scott Pryde
Expert
FULLTIME Just two plays off the scrum for the Cowboys. They make absolutely nothing out of it and that will be the end of that with the Tigers snapping a three-game losing streak and heaping more misery on the Cowboys with a huge win at a packed Leichhardt on Thursday night! Tigers 20 Cowboys 12
Scott Pryde
Expert
80' - The Tigers are going to keep working for a try here. Liddle from dummy half on the third and he gets a quick play the ball, Taylor taking the next. In fact, they won't keep pushing for a try. Benji Marshall rolls it into touch and that will just about do it. For some unbeknown reason, the Cowboys will run in and stop the clock with 13 seconds to go. Tigers 20 Cowboys 12
Rob
Guest
The Cowboys look old. The Tigers are killing them with speed.
Scott Pryde
Expert
79' - This is last ditch desperation stuff now for the Cowboys. They come up to halfway, then a shift right ends with Fonua slamming Morgan to the ground. Huge tackle! Back to the left and O'Neill is tackled. Last play now and Thurston bombs under pressure, Feldt dropping the kick forward. Tigers 20 Cowboys 12