2011 Wests Tigers season
Encyclopedia
The Tigers started the season with an away loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs
. Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs was a late withdrawal from the game, with Andrew Fifita
replacing him in the starting lineup. The first try of the game was scored by a length-of-the-field try to Bulldogs outside back Josh Morris
in the 27th minute. The Tigers hit back six minutes later with a good backline move which saw Benji Marshall
throwing a cut-out pass to Lote Tuqiri to score the opening try of the Tigers account for 2011. Tuqiri has scored the opening try of the season for the Tigers for the second time in a row. Marshall missed the conversion from the sideline and the Tigers trailed 6-4 at halftime. The Tigers were first to score after the break through Chris Lawrence
, with another Marshall assist, but tries to Pritchard
and Keating
saw the Bulldogs leading 16-8 after 64 minutes. Marshall then scored a try himself and converted it with 11 minutes remaining. But that was to be the closest the Tigers would get, as Steve Turner scored for the 'Dogs in the 75th minute, to seal the points with a 24-14 victory. Liam Fulton
lead the tackle count for the Tigers with 44, with captain Robbie Farah
also making a strong contribution with 38.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon
; Tuqiri, Ayshford
, Lawrence
, Utai
; Marhsall
, Lui
; Fifita
, Farah
(c), Galloway
, Fulton
, Ellis
, Heighington
. Interchange: Moltzen
, Dwyer
, Payten
, Woods
.
----
Liam Fulton
was ruled out before the teams were announced on Tuesday with a shoulder injury sustained in the Week 1 loss to the Bulldogs. Simon Dwyer
was named in the run-on side. Gareth Ellis
was in doubt a couple days before the match and that was confirmed at kick-off, when he and fellow big-man Bryce Gibbs also withdraw from the game. They were replaced by the Schirnack brothers. The Tigers opened up their account for 2011 with their first home game of the season, played at Leichhardt Oval
. The error count was high and tries were hard to come by, but the Tigers eventually managed to come from behind to get the win. A first half Chris Lawrence
try was cancelled out minutes later by Simon Mannering
and the score was 6-6 at the break. Krisnan Inu
managed to find himself scoring from dummy-half in the corner in the 50th minute, after some freakish lead-up work by Inu the play before. A side-line conversion by Seymour
gave the visitors a 12-6 lead. With less than twenty minutes remaining the Tigers stepped it up to send Ayshford
and the skipper, Farah
, over to put the Tigers in the lead. Another try to Lawrence sealed the win in the 74th minute.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon; Tuqiri, Ayshford, Lawrence, Utai; Marshall, Lui; Fifita, Farah (c), Galloway, Dwyer
, A.Schirnack
, Heighington. Interchange: Moltzen, Woods, Payten, J.Schirnack
----
Coming into the game the Tigers were again without influential second-rowers Fulton and Ellis, and the team fielded a similar line-up to the previous week. To add to their injury woes, however, Tuqiri only lasted 49 minutes coming off with a suspected broken arm. Chris Lawrence was also rushed to Campbelltown Hospital to relocate a dislocated hip with six minutes left in the game. The Tigers will be without both their left-sided attackers for several weeks. The Tigers started well, scoring the first try through Lawrence and ended the half with a commanding 16-4 lead. They went on to control much of the second half sealing the game after 69 minutes with a 34-10 lead. Disappointingly for fans and coach Tim Sheens
, the Tigers let in three tries in the final ten minutes, including a 90-metre dash by Blake Ferguson
to give the Raiders
some credibility to the scoreline.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon; Tuqiri, Ayshford, Lawrence, Utai; Marshall, Lui; Fifita, Farah (c), Galloway, Dwyer, Payten, Heighington. Interchange: Moltzen, Woods, J.Schirnack, A.Schirnack.
----
, Fulton
, and Ellis
, as well as Footy Show star and right winger Beau Ryan
still sidelined with his pre-season injury. Bryce Gibbs was also expected not to play, but was a late inclusion to side wearing jersey number 20. This meant the naming of halfback
Jacob Miller
for his debut. Mitch Brown was recalled to replace Tuqiri, Tim Moltzen
was selected in the centres and Geoff Daniela
was named in the side for the first time this season on the bench. A quick reshuffle to the originally selected side meant that Miller had to wait 64 minutes before making his debut, with Moltzen switching to halfback and Daniela starting in the centres. Jason Schirnack
was omitted from the team altogether. The Roosters
came out crowing, scoring two tries in 13 minutes over the wounded Tigers outfit. The Tigers got one back straight after half-time through Aaron Woods
, but were no real match for the 2010 Runners-Up. In a comical event seven minutes into the second-half, Roosters five-eighth Todd Carney
bolted over referee Tony Archer
after screaming through a line-break. The Roosters went on to score two minutes later through fullback Anthony Minichiello
. With Roosters leading 18-6 with ten minutes to go, Minichiello was then sin binned for a professional foul (deliberately raking the ball from Tigers captain Robbie Farah
after his line-break). However, the Tigers were unable to capitalize on the extra-man advantage, and it was the Roosters next to score through a magnificent inside ball from Pearce
to Carney. The Roosters came away with the points with a 24-6 win.
Tigers Lineup: 1. McKinnon; 2. Brown, 3. Ayshford, 14. Daniela, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 4. Moltzen; 8. Fifita, 9. Farah (c), 10. Galloway, 11. Dwyer, 13. Heighington, 20. Gibbs. Interchange: 7. Miller
, 12. A.Schirnack, 16. Woods, 17. Payten.
----
Round 5 - Heritage Round: Arch-old enemies the South Sydney Rabbitohs
were the Tigers opponents for this historic celebration. It was the first match back from injury for Gareth Ellis
, after initially not being named in the squad, Ellis passed a fitness test late in the week to become available. The unlucky player to miss out was Aaron Woods
. The Rabbitohs got on the board early with some good footwork and passing from Chris Sandow
and running by Roy Asotasi
. The Rabbits seemed to dominate possession early in the match, but some good Tigers defence held them at bay. It took some individual brilliance from Benji Marshall
to get the Tigers going. From the scrum win, he dodged, weaved and dummied his way into a hole from nothing to race 40 metres to score and convert his try. Still the Tigers defence looked strong and in the 35th minute another long range try was scored to Wade McKinnon
off the back of some excellent work from skipper Robbie Farah
out of dummy-half. The Tigers went to the break 12-6 in the lead. The Tigers were first to score upon resumption to Mitch Brown in the corner. They extended their lead to 22-6 moments later, in the 49th minute, when Marshall sent Simon Dwyer
through a roaring gap to score. A penalty goal would all but seal victory in the 65th minute, but the Tigers weren't finished. Again Marshall sent Dwyer over in the 69th minute to stretch the lead to 30-6, and there the score would remain. With five minutes to go Marshall was sent to the sin bin for a profession foul (holding Souths back-rower Dave Taylor
down too long). Marshall left the field to standing ovation for all his efforts on the night. The man-of-the-match award would go to Dwyer however, for his two tries and 31 tackles. This big victory was setup by some stunning Tigers defence in the first half. Injuries to Keith Galloway
and Geoff Daniela
put a dampener on an otherwise brilliant Tigers performance.
Tigers Lineup: 1. McKinnon; 2. Brown, 3. Ayshford, 4. Daniela, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 7. Moltzen; 8. Gibbs, 9. Farah (c), 10. Galloway, 11. Dwyer, 18. Ellis, 13. Heighington. Interchange: 12. A.Schirnack, 14. Miller, 15. Fifita, 17. Payten.
----
The Tigers started without three players originally named at the start of the week: McKinnon
, Ryan
, and Woods
. This meant call-ups for NSW Cup players, winger Sam Latu, fullback Sean Meaney, and back-rower Mark Flanagan
for the first time this season. Moltzen switched to fullback and young Jacob Miller started at halfback in his stead. The Tigers couldn't have asked for anymore of a perfect start. From the first set of six, the Titans dropped the ball and the Tigers were on the attack. They got a repeat set when Miller grubbered the ball into the in-goal where Capewell
was caught. From the resultant set, the Titans got the ball, when a Tigers kick failed to make it past the defence. Titans halfback, Scott Prince
, however, decided to throw a flick pass inside his own 20 metres which failed to find its target. The Tigers got the ball back and this time did not pass up the opportunity to take some points. A brilliantly executed kick from Marshall in behind the defensive line saw a rampaging Simon Dwyer
diving to ground the ball over the line. This set the tone for the next twenty minutes. The Tigers turned down the opportunity to score a try in the ninth, opting for a penalty conversion. Marshall extended the lead by two points. They would be invited back into Titans territory when Prince kicked the ball out on the full from the resultant kick-off. The Tigers scored through Chris Heighington
in the eleventh minute, cleaning up the scraps on a last play kick. The Tigers would continue to dominate the match, until the Titans hit back with two quick tries to William Zillman
in the 25th and 28th minute. At half-time, the Tigers would remain in the lead 14-8. The second half began as a polar opposite to the first. The Tigers were the ones playing ordinary, drop-ball football and the Titans had more opportunities. Off the back of a penalty, Scott Prince scored a fantastic solo try when he threw a dummy and sliced through the Tigers defence to level the scores in the 73rd minute. The Titans then got their second win of the season with what would end up being the last play of the match. As the Tigers looked to put pressure on a potential field goal attempt, Minichiello
simply strolled over the line off a Nathan Friend
short pass, one out from the ruck.
Tigers Lineup: 7. Moltzen; 19. Latu, 3. Ayshford, 4. Brown, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 14. Miller; 8. Gibbs, 9. Farah, 10. Payten, 11. Dwyer, 12. Ellis, 13. Heighington. Interchange: 15. Fifita, 16, A.Schirnack, 18. Meaney, 20. Flanagan.
----
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
. Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs was a late withdrawal from the game, with Andrew Fifita
Andrew Fifita
Andrew Fifita is an Indigenous Australian rugby league player with a Tongan father who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. He plays as a prop and can also play as a second-row...
replacing him in the starting lineup. The first try of the game was scored by a length-of-the-field try to Bulldogs outside back Josh Morris
Josh Morris
Josh Morris is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League competition. A New South Wales State of Origin representative backline player, Josh is the twin brother of Brett Morris who plays first grade for his previous club...
in the 27th minute. The Tigers hit back six minutes later with a good backline move which saw Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
throwing a cut-out pass to Lote Tuqiri to score the opening try of the Tigers account for 2011. Tuqiri has scored the opening try of the season for the Tigers for the second time in a row. Marshall missed the conversion from the sideline and the Tigers trailed 6-4 at halftime. The Tigers were first to score after the break through Chris Lawrence
Chris Lawrence (rugby league)
Chris Lawrence is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League...
, with another Marshall assist, but tries to Pritchard
Frank Pritchard
Frank Pritchard is an Australian born New Zealand professional rugby league footballer currently playing for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the National Rugby League . He is of Samoan descent...
and Keating
Kris Keating
Kristopher Keating , is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL...
saw the Bulldogs leading 16-8 after 64 minutes. Marshall then scored a try himself and converted it with 11 minutes remaining. But that was to be the closest the Tigers would get, as Steve Turner scored for the 'Dogs in the 75th minute, to seal the points with a 24-14 victory. Liam Fulton
Liam Fulton
Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock....
lead the tackle count for the Tigers with 44, with captain Robbie Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
also making a strong contribution with 38.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon
Wade McKinnon
Wade McKinnon is an Australian rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. His position of preference is at fullback.-Early years:...
; Tuqiri, Ayshford
Blake Ayshford
Blake Ayshford is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at lock or centre.-Career:...
, Lawrence
Chris Lawrence (rugby league)
Chris Lawrence is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League...
, Utai
Matt Utai
Matthew Utai is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the NRL and has previously represented both New Zealand and Samoa. His usual position is on the wing.-Playing career:...
; Marhsall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
, Lui
Robert Lui
Robert Lui is an Australian professional rugby league footballer currently contracted to the North Queensland Cowboys of the National Rugby League...
; Fifita
Andrew Fifita
Andrew Fifita is an Indigenous Australian rugby league player with a Tongan father who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. He plays as a prop and can also play as a second-row...
, Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
(c), Galloway
Keith Galloway
Keith Galloway is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks...
, Fulton
Liam Fulton
Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock....
, Ellis
Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He has represented at international level for Great Britain and England and primarily plays in the back row...
, Heighington
Chris Heighington
Chris Heighington is an Australian born England international rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A Country NSW representative lock forward, he has also been selected to represent England at international level...
. Interchange: Moltzen
Tim Moltzen
Tim Moltzen is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian National Rugby League competition. He plays at fullback or halfback.-Wests Tigers:...
, Dwyer
Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He primarily plays at second row or centre...
, Payten
Todd Payten
Todd Payten is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Raiders, and played junior football with the Temora Dragons...
, Woods
Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods is an Australian rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. His position is prop.-Career:Woods played junior football with Leichhardt Juniors and participated in the Balmain Tigers Development Program. He also played for Holy Cross College Ryde, and represented NSW Catholic...
.
----
Liam Fulton
Liam Fulton
Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock....
was ruled out before the teams were announced on Tuesday with a shoulder injury sustained in the Week 1 loss to the Bulldogs. Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He primarily plays at second row or centre...
was named in the run-on side. Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He has represented at international level for Great Britain and England and primarily plays in the back row...
was in doubt a couple days before the match and that was confirmed at kick-off, when he and fellow big-man Bryce Gibbs also withdraw from the game. They were replaced by the Schirnack brothers. The Tigers opened up their account for 2011 with their first home game of the season, played at Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a football stadium in Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia. It is a home ground for the Wests Tigers rugby league team. The stadium has a nominal capacity of 20,000, with recorded highest crowd figures of 23,000 in the 1981 KB Tooth final South Sydney Rabbitohs versus...
. The error count was high and tries were hard to come by, but the Tigers eventually managed to come from behind to get the win. A first half Chris Lawrence
Chris Lawrence (rugby league)
Chris Lawrence is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League...
try was cancelled out minutes later by Simon Mannering
Simon Mannering
Simon Alexander Mannering is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition...
and the score was 6-6 at the break. Krisnan Inu
Krisnan Inu
Krisnan Nevada Inu is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the Australasian National Rugby League competition...
managed to find himself scoring from dummy-half in the corner in the 50th minute, after some freakish lead-up work by Inu the play before. A side-line conversion by Seymour
Brett Seymour
Brett Seymour is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Hull FC in the English Super League...
gave the visitors a 12-6 lead. With less than twenty minutes remaining the Tigers stepped it up to send Ayshford
Blake Ayshford
Blake Ayshford is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at lock or centre.-Career:...
and the skipper, Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
, over to put the Tigers in the lead. Another try to Lawrence sealed the win in the 74th minute.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon; Tuqiri, Ayshford, Lawrence, Utai; Marshall, Lui; Fifita, Farah (c), Galloway, Dwyer
Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He primarily plays at second row or centre...
, A.Schirnack
Alan Schirnack
Alan Schirnack is a New Zealand professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League...
, Heighington. Interchange: Moltzen, Woods, Payten, J.Schirnack
Jason Schirnack
Jason Schirnack , is a New Zealand rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He plays in the second-row. He is the brother of Alan Schirnack-Career:...
----
Coming into the game the Tigers were again without influential second-rowers Fulton and Ellis, and the team fielded a similar line-up to the previous week. To add to their injury woes, however, Tuqiri only lasted 49 minutes coming off with a suspected broken arm. Chris Lawrence was also rushed to Campbelltown Hospital to relocate a dislocated hip with six minutes left in the game. The Tigers will be without both their left-sided attackers for several weeks. The Tigers started well, scoring the first try through Lawrence and ended the half with a commanding 16-4 lead. They went on to control much of the second half sealing the game after 69 minutes with a 34-10 lead. Disappointingly for fans and coach Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens
Tim Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League and in 2009 was appointed coach of the Australian national team, the Kangaroos...
, the Tigers let in three tries in the final ten minutes, including a 90-metre dash by Blake Ferguson
Blake Ferguson
Blake Ferguson is an Australian professional rugby League footballer for the Canberra Raiders of the NRL. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks....
to give the Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
some credibility to the scoreline.
Tigers Lineup: McKinnon; Tuqiri, Ayshford, Lawrence, Utai; Marshall, Lui; Fifita, Farah (c), Galloway, Dwyer, Payten, Heighington. Interchange: Moltzen, Woods, J.Schirnack, A.Schirnack.
----
April
The Tigers again had to field a depleted side without regular starters Tuqiri, LawrenceChris Lawrence (rugby league)
Chris Lawrence is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League...
, Fulton
Liam Fulton
Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock....
, and Ellis
Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He has represented at international level for Great Britain and England and primarily plays in the back row...
, as well as Footy Show star and right winger Beau Ryan
Beau Ryan
Beau Ryan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League. He plays primarily in the backs....
still sidelined with his pre-season injury. Bryce Gibbs was also expected not to play, but was a late inclusion to side wearing jersey number 20. This meant the naming of halfback
Rugby league positions
A rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
Jacob Miller
Jacob Miller (rugby league)
Jacob Miller is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at halfback or five-eighth.-Early years:Hailing from Ocean Shores, Miller played junior football with the Mullumbimby Giants...
for his debut. Mitch Brown was recalled to replace Tuqiri, Tim Moltzen
Tim Moltzen
Tim Moltzen is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian National Rugby League competition. He plays at fullback or halfback.-Wests Tigers:...
was selected in the centres and Geoff Daniela
Geoff Daniela
Geoff Daniela is a rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . Daniela is a Cook Islands international....
was named in the side for the first time this season on the bench. A quick reshuffle to the originally selected side meant that Miller had to wait 64 minutes before making his debut, with Moltzen switching to halfback and Daniela starting in the centres. Jason Schirnack
Jason Schirnack
Jason Schirnack , is a New Zealand rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. He plays in the second-row. He is the brother of Alan Schirnack-Career:...
was omitted from the team altogether. The Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
came out crowing, scoring two tries in 13 minutes over the wounded Tigers outfit. The Tigers got one back straight after half-time through Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods is an Australian rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. His position is prop.-Career:Woods played junior football with Leichhardt Juniors and participated in the Balmain Tigers Development Program. He also played for Holy Cross College Ryde, and represented NSW Catholic...
, but were no real match for the 2010 Runners-Up. In a comical event seven minutes into the second-half, Roosters five-eighth Todd Carney
Todd Carney
Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011...
bolted over referee Tony Archer
Tony Archer (referee)
Tony Archer is a rugby league referee who currently controls matches in the National Rugby League and a Police Prosecutor.-Rugby league career:...
after screaming through a line-break. The Roosters went on to score two minutes later through fullback Anthony Minichiello
Anthony Minichiello
Anthony Minichiello is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who, to date, has played his entire career for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League. He plays at fullback and on the Wing. Minichiello has represented New South Wales and Australia...
. With Roosters leading 18-6 with ten minutes to go, Minichiello was then sin binned for a professional foul (deliberately raking the ball from Tigers captain Robbie Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
after his line-break). However, the Tigers were unable to capitalize on the extra-man advantage, and it was the Roosters next to score through a magnificent inside ball from Pearce
Mitchell Pearce
Mitchell Pearce is an Australian rugby league footballer currently playing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League...
to Carney. The Roosters came away with the points with a 24-6 win.
Tigers Lineup: 1. McKinnon; 2. Brown, 3. Ayshford, 14. Daniela, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 4. Moltzen; 8. Fifita, 9. Farah (c), 10. Galloway, 11. Dwyer, 13. Heighington, 20. Gibbs. Interchange: 7. Miller
Jacob Miller (rugby league)
Jacob Miller is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at halfback or five-eighth.-Early years:Hailing from Ocean Shores, Miller played junior football with the Mullumbimby Giants...
, 12. A.Schirnack, 16. Woods, 17. Payten.
----
Round 5 - Heritage Round: Arch-old enemies the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
were the Tigers opponents for this historic celebration. It was the first match back from injury for Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis
Gareth Ellis is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He has represented at international level for Great Britain and England and primarily plays in the back row...
, after initially not being named in the squad, Ellis passed a fitness test late in the week to become available. The unlucky player to miss out was Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods is an Australian rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. His position is prop.-Career:Woods played junior football with Leichhardt Juniors and participated in the Balmain Tigers Development Program. He also played for Holy Cross College Ryde, and represented NSW Catholic...
. The Rabbitohs got on the board early with some good footwork and passing from Chris Sandow
Chris Sandow
Chris Sandow is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league player who previously played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League competition but from the 2012 NRL season, Sandow will play for the Parramatta Eels...
and running by Roy Asotasi
Roy Asotasi
Roy Asotasi is a professional rugby league footballer who currently captains the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the National Rugby League. A New Zealand international representative prop forward, he previously played for the Bulldogs, with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership...
. The Rabbits seemed to dominate possession early in the match, but some good Tigers defence held them at bay. It took some individual brilliance from Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
to get the Tigers going. From the scrum win, he dodged, weaved and dummied his way into a hole from nothing to race 40 metres to score and convert his try. Still the Tigers defence looked strong and in the 35th minute another long range try was scored to Wade McKinnon
Wade McKinnon
Wade McKinnon is an Australian rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. His position of preference is at fullback.-Early years:...
off the back of some excellent work from skipper Robbie Farah
Robbie Farah
Robert Peter "Robbie" Farah is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers club in the National Rugby League competition. He primarily plays at hooker and can operate as a half-back...
out of dummy-half. The Tigers went to the break 12-6 in the lead. The Tigers were first to score upon resumption to Mitch Brown in the corner. They extended their lead to 22-6 moments later, in the 49th minute, when Marshall sent Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He primarily plays at second row or centre...
through a roaring gap to score. A penalty goal would all but seal victory in the 65th minute, but the Tigers weren't finished. Again Marshall sent Dwyer over in the 69th minute to stretch the lead to 30-6, and there the score would remain. With five minutes to go Marshall was sent to the sin bin for a profession foul (holding Souths back-rower Dave Taylor
David Taylor (rugby league)
Dave Taylor is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the National Rugby League...
down too long). Marshall left the field to standing ovation for all his efforts on the night. The man-of-the-match award would go to Dwyer however, for his two tries and 31 tackles. This big victory was setup by some stunning Tigers defence in the first half. Injuries to Keith Galloway
Keith Galloway
Keith Galloway is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. He previously played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks...
and Geoff Daniela
Geoff Daniela
Geoff Daniela is a rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . Daniela is a Cook Islands international....
put a dampener on an otherwise brilliant Tigers performance.
Tigers Lineup: 1. McKinnon; 2. Brown, 3. Ayshford, 4. Daniela, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 7. Moltzen; 8. Gibbs, 9. Farah (c), 10. Galloway, 11. Dwyer, 18. Ellis, 13. Heighington. Interchange: 12. A.Schirnack, 14. Miller, 15. Fifita, 17. Payten.
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The Tigers started without three players originally named at the start of the week: McKinnon
Wade McKinnon
Wade McKinnon is an Australian rugby league player who currently plays for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League. His position of preference is at fullback.-Early years:...
, Ryan
Beau Ryan
Beau Ryan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League. He plays primarily in the backs....
, and Woods
Aaron Woods
Aaron Woods is an Australian rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. His position is prop.-Career:Woods played junior football with Leichhardt Juniors and participated in the Balmain Tigers Development Program. He also played for Holy Cross College Ryde, and represented NSW Catholic...
. This meant call-ups for NSW Cup players, winger Sam Latu, fullback Sean Meaney, and back-rower Mark Flanagan
Mark Flanagan (rugby league)
Mark Flanagan Mark Flanagan Mark Flanagan (born December 4, 1987 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, is an English rugby league player for St Helens RLFC in the European Super League. He normally plays at Loose-Forward. He previously played for the Wigan Warriors in the European Super League...
for the first time this season. Moltzen switched to fullback and young Jacob Miller started at halfback in his stead. The Tigers couldn't have asked for anymore of a perfect start. From the first set of six, the Titans dropped the ball and the Tigers were on the attack. They got a repeat set when Miller grubbered the ball into the in-goal where Capewell
Luke Capewell
Luke Capewell is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Gold Coast Titans. His preferred playing positions are in the halves or the three-quarters...
was caught. From the resultant set, the Titans got the ball, when a Tigers kick failed to make it past the defence. Titans halfback, Scott Prince
Scott Prince
Scott Prince is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and current captain of the Gold Coast Titans club of the National Rugby League...
, however, decided to throw a flick pass inside his own 20 metres which failed to find its target. The Tigers got the ball back and this time did not pass up the opportunity to take some points. A brilliantly executed kick from Marshall in behind the defensive line saw a rampaging Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer
Simon Dwyer is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League . He primarily plays at second row or centre...
diving to ground the ball over the line. This set the tone for the next twenty minutes. The Tigers turned down the opportunity to score a try in the ninth, opting for a penalty conversion. Marshall extended the lead by two points. They would be invited back into Titans territory when Prince kicked the ball out on the full from the resultant kick-off. The Tigers scored through Chris Heighington
Chris Heighington
Chris Heighington is an Australian born England international rugby league footballer for the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A Country NSW representative lock forward, he has also been selected to represent England at international level...
in the eleventh minute, cleaning up the scraps on a last play kick. The Tigers would continue to dominate the match, until the Titans hit back with two quick tries to William Zillman
William Zillman
William Gary Zillman is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played for the Canberra Raiders and is contracted with the Gold Coast Titans for the 2009 season.- Before the NRL :...
in the 25th and 28th minute. At half-time, the Tigers would remain in the lead 14-8. The second half began as a polar opposite to the first. The Tigers were the ones playing ordinary, drop-ball football and the Titans had more opportunities. Off the back of a penalty, Scott Prince scored a fantastic solo try when he threw a dummy and sliced through the Tigers defence to level the scores in the 73rd minute. The Titans then got their second win of the season with what would end up being the last play of the match. As the Tigers looked to put pressure on a potential field goal attempt, Minichiello
Mark Minichiello
Markus Antonio "Mark" Minichiello is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League . He previously played for the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
simply strolled over the line off a Nathan Friend
Nathan Friend
Nathan Friend, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League. He plays the position of Hooker...
short pass, one out from the ruck.
Tigers Lineup: 7. Moltzen; 19. Latu, 3. Ayshford, 4. Brown, 5. Utai; 6. Marshall, 14. Miller; 8. Gibbs, 9. Farah, 10. Payten, 11. Dwyer, 12. Ellis, 13. Heighington. Interchange: 15. Fifita, 16, A.Schirnack, 18. Meaney, 20. Flanagan.
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