In a game of two distinct halves at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday night, the Wests Tigers overcame North Queensland in a six-tries-to-four result.
The Tigers, who moved to six competition points, stormed out of the gates, scoring 34 points in the first half.
Harry Grant proved pivotal again in most of the Tigers attacking raids, picking up the three Dally M points for a probing performance which saw him dent the line regularly and set up a number of tries for his big men.
With his team sitting on four competition points, pressure will now mount further on Cowboys head coach Paul Green. The team from the far north looked out of sorts from the first set of six when captain Jason Taumalolo spilled the ball on his first hit up.
In that moment you could see heads drop across the Cowboys squad and they did not appear to recover at all in the opening stanza.
The second half saw a mini fight back from the Cowboys as they crossed for four tries to nil but it’s hard to say whether the momentum shift was caused by the Tigers simply clocking-off or an improvement in the Cowboys attitude.
Regardless, the North Queensland side will be in for a difficult week at training as they prepare to face a succession of the heavy-weights of the NRL in the coming weeks. Questioned about this horror run on Monday, Green pointed to the return of a number of senior players being key to turning their season around.
Back to Wests, coach Michael Maguire will again be lamenting his side’s inconsistency. Whether it be within a game or a season, the Tigers consistency in being up and down is unmatched in the NRL.
The noted task-master would be quietly nervous that his side now face Canterbury, given the struggles at Belmore, the coaching rumours and their lowly position on the ladder.
With that in mind, it’ll be an interesting team selection meeting at Concord on Tuesday morning. Let’s take a look at some of the bigger decisions ahead of Round 7.
Facing the chop
The Tigers will be without three players who suffered injuries in the middle stages of the Round 6 match. Alex Twal, Zane Musgrave and Robert Jennings failed to complete the match and will not be available for selection this week.
Given the second half fade out there is a chance Maguire might look at further changes, however the need to replace players injured will probably see the rest of the squad that got the win retained.
Tigers coach Michael ‘Madge’ Maguire (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
Riding on top
Harry Grant continues to impress in his loanee role at the Tigers. He is tenacious in defence and crafty in attack and there is no doubt he will ably fill the role currently held by Cameron Smith for years to come in Melbourne.
Harry would no doubt be impressing Queensland coach Kevin Walters with every performance bringing him closer to origin duties in November. It is very early days but there is little doubt Grant is that calibre of player.
Luke Brooks was much improved against the Cowboys and looking to run the ball from the off. When he runs direct at the defensive line he’s at his best and often the Tigers’ best performances come off the back of his skill set.
The halfback was good early against the Cowboys and was a big reason for the halftime advantage. Moses Mbye, Adam Douehi and David Nofoluma were strong contributors and their positions are not in any danger. Madge would have to be impressed with the contribution of his outside backs at this stage of the season.
Luke Brooks (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Destined to be shopped
Robert Jennings, as mentioned earlier, suffered a hamstring injury in scoring a try and will not be available for selection this week.
Jennings has been unable to capture the form that saw register an impressive try tally at South Sydney just a couple of seasons back. If I’m brutally honest Jennings looks out of condition and slower than the long list of exciting wingers gracing the NRL in 2020.
It will be a long road back for Jennings if he is to re-establish himself in the game.
Question marks also remain over suspended prop Russell Packer who missed the Cowboys game after a high shot he made late in the Raiders game which affectively ended any chance the Tigers had.
The Tigers to me look like they are a middle forward away from being a very competitive side that could push some of the top sides in the premiership. If Russell Packer cannot make a significant impact when he returns to action, Madge will be going to the propping market, or perhaps the Super League, a great breeding ground for front rowers in recent times.
One things for sure, if the Tigers don’t beat Dean Pay’s plucky young side this week, that search for new playing talent could become a much more expansive exercise.
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