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Wests Tigers v Cowboys
tigers_v_cowboys_small

Wests Tigers v Cowboys
Leichhardt Oval
Monday 7pm
This certainly has turned into one of the modern day rivalries, and now that the Cowboys are in sudden death mode it shapes as an entertaining end to the games in Rivalry Round.
Since being combatants in the 2005 Grand Final, won by the Wests Tigers, the two teams have lifted when playing each other. Plus there is also the extra spice of Tim Sheens having coached both clubs for long periods.
If one was to glance at the NRL ladder and see the Wests Tigers flying along in third and the Cowboys languishing in 15th, they might be tempted to call this a foregone conclusion… not so.
You see, the Cowboys are now at true desperation levels, needing to win all eight of their remaining fixtures, while the Wests Tigers have played some brutal slogs of late in losing to the Dragons before getting home in close ones against the Broncos and Titans.
The home side might have the benefit of two extra days’ rest before this game, but they also have been stretched much further than the Cowboys and might be due for a slightly weaker effort. It doesn’t take much of a shift in intensity to get blown away in the NRL, so don’t write off the Cowboys yet.
For the home side, Robert Lui is due back at halfback, which allows Benji Marshall to push back to five-eighth, Chris Lawrence shifts wider to centre and Geoff Daniela goes to the wing with Mitch Brown moving to the bench.
Andrew Fifita is out of the side, with Junior Moors and veteran prop John Skandalis added to a six-man bench.
The Cowboys, who fell short against a Jarryd Hayne-inspired Eels last Monday night, are happy to have enforcer Luke O’Donnell back from his Origin II suspension. He pushes Dane Hogan from lock to the bench.
Ben Harris was originally left out of the same side but he will be recalled for Anthony Watts who was named before taking an early guilty plea and a week’s suspension at the judiciary.
Watch out Wests Tigers: Former Tiger now Cowboy enforcer Luke O’Donnell returns to the side after cooling his heels from an Origin suspension. With his worth being assessed on the open market as we speak, O’Donnell is primed for a mammoth performance of destruction and chaos – measured and legal though, of course. So far this season he is averaging 115 metres a game.
Also watch out for Willie Mason, another with his future in the air and another with a barnstorming running game of late. He is up at 114 metres a game.
Furthermore watch for Johnathan Thurston to produce a few chip-and-chase kicks in this game as with just 43 per cent of chip kicks successfully defused, the home-side Tigers are the worst in the NRL.
Worrying stat: the Tigers haven’t won consecutive games at Leichhardt Oval since 2006.
Watch out Cowboys: One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity, as Liam Fulton can attest.
With Gareth Ellis on a small injury hiatus, Fulton has returned to the starting side without skipping a beat. With some impressive pre-line passing skills and footwork, Fulton is a vital link in the Wests Tigers’ attacking arsenal, even if conventional stats don’t highlight it.
Defensively he has been a gem this season, making more than 39 tackles every week. The Cowboys have to find the balance when committing to Fulton as if they leave him be, he can break the line, but if they send numbers at him he can shift the ball both before and after contact.
Where it will be won: The little men on big men. With fatigue likely to play a major role in this match the result will come down to just how contained the likes of Wests Tigers Benji Marshall and Robert Lui, and Cowboys Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen are.
Both hookers in Aaron Payne (Cowboys) and Robbie Farah (Wests Tigers) are adept at spotting tired ruck defenders and they will direct traffic to the weakness before you can blink.
It will be a miracle if this match ends without at least four of the six above-mentioned players breaking the line, or assisting someone else through. The big props in this match are in for a torrid affair and could end the night with serious egg on their faces.
The history: Played 22; Wests Tigers 11, Cowboys 11. Barring a draw, someone will come out ahead in the head-to-head stakes and if recent momentum is anything to go by it will be the Wests Tigers who have won six of the past eight, including a 23-16 win earlier this season.
The Tigers also hold a 3-1 advantage over the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval.
Conclusion: Basically, you have to tip the Wests Tigers due to their form. But if you are in need of an upset as the scheduled rounds close out, this could be the place to find one.
The Tigers are due for a flat performance and coming up against a struggling team at home might lend itself to a little complacency.
Thurston and co. would love nothing more than to keep their slim season hopes alive – and dent their 2005 tormentors in the process.
Match officials: Referees – Shayne Hayne & Matt Cecchin; Sideline Officials – Paul Holland & David Munro; Video Ref – Phil Cooley.
Televised: Fox Sports – Live 7pm
 
Wests Tigers v Titans
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Wests Tigers v Titans
Campbelltown Stadium
Friday 7.35pm

Things might get ugly in Sydney’s outer west on Friday night – but we don’t mean these sides will be engaging in a battle of the biff.

Rather, the Wests Tigers have made it clear they’ll do anything they can to win games, and if that means doing away with their flashy plays to grind out a win against the odds, then so be it.

That’s exactly what they delivered in shocking conditions at Suncorp Stadium last week against the Broncos, doing everything wrong and being on the wrong end of all the important statistics categories. 

Nevertheless, they got out of jail courtesy of a Robbie Farah cross-field kick for Mitch Brown, which sealed their hollow victory in the 78th minute.

Even though they haven’t looked impressive for the past month or so, the Tigers have won five of their past six. They enter this game in third place on the ladder, four points adrift of the co-pacesetters St George Illawarra and Penrith. 

The Titans are in a similar boat to their opponents; they have four losses from their past six outings, including a worrying 24-16 defeat to the Knights at home before their bye last week. 

Personnel-wise, the Tigers gain a player and lose a player – Robert Lui returns in the no.7 after missing several weeks with a knee injury, pushing Daniel Fitzhenry to the bench. But “British bulldog” second-rower Gareth Ellis is out with a groin injury; his place is taken by Liam Fulton. Mark Flanagan and Junior Moors join the extended bench which also retains Mitch Brown and rookie Andrew Fifita. 

The Titans have some injury disruptions although a huge plus for them is the return of skipper Scott Prince after two games on the sideline with a hamstring strain. This sees Preston Campbell revert back to fullback, with William Zillman shifting to wing to cover for the injured David Mead. Bodene Thompson slots in at centre in place of the injured Sam Tagataese. Luke O’Dwyer joins the bench at the expense of Kane Lawton, with ex-Bronco Steve Michaels in jersey no.19.

The Titans will be sweating on Origin reps Greg Bird and Ashley Harrison backing up.

Watch out Wests Tigers: It’s been a long time since the flamboyant Tigers have languished as far down as 11th in the comp for tries scored (47). Why are they suffering in 2010? Because it’s all revolving around Benji Marshall, and when you’ve only got the one go-to man, it’s easier for opposition defences to nullify raids.

The stats show Marshall is pulling his weight – his 12 line-break assists ranks him fourth in the comp while he’s also added 13 try assists. (Incidentally, he needs just one more try to register 50 in his career.)

But compare that to the Titans: Prince matches Marshall for line-break assists with 12 and has nine try assists (from just 10 games), while five-eighth Greg Bird has 11 line-break assists and 10 try assists. Bird is also one of the most prolific offloaders in the NRL (33, ranks fourth).

So the dangers for the Tigers are two-fold: Not enough internal spark and the need to shut down the opposition playmakers.  

Watch out Titans: Wade McKinnon has played less than three games in the black and gold since shifting from the Warriors but has stamped himself the buy of 2010.

In just 210 minutes he’s averaging 18 runs for 163 metres – with more than five tackle-breaks a game. In their loss to the Dragons a fortnight ago he made 247 metres, with nine tackle-breaks. 

McKinnon brings a great running game to complement fellow Tigers flier Lote Tuqiri, who has been in great form too. Tuqiri’s 81 tackle-breaks ranks sixth most in the comp and has helped him to the seventh most metres gained by any player (2000).

The Titans’ backs, already affected by the loss of Tagataese and Mead, need to hold their structure or else they’ll be made to pay. 

Where it will be won: Keeping the foot to the pedal. For two sides occupying spots in the top four, neither is giving their fans cause for great celebrations.

The home side has a lacklustre +11 points differential, while the Titans have returned a woeful -7 differential.

Neither side has shown any great ability to put an opposition to the sword and often let their opponents back into the contest.

It’s about time one of these spluttering sides made a statement if they are to be considered premiership hopes.

The history: Played 5; Titans 3, Wests Tigers 2. The Wests Tigers have won two of the past three times they’ve met, although the Titans won the only clash at Campbelltown Stadium between the sides.

The last time they met in Round 25 last year the Titans won 36-24 at Skilled Park.

Conclusion: The loss of Gareth Ellis is a huge one for the home side, who have relied on his starch up front all year. It means others, including Chris Heighington (222 hit-ups, seventh in the NRL), Liam Fulton and Todd Payten will need to take on added responsibility. 

It’s a difficult game to predict with any sort of confidence. Intensity will be the critical factor; the Titans should play upbeat given Prince’s return but there’s no question the home side would have been delivered a no-holds-barred spray for their plodding display against the Broncos last week and should be a different side from the kick-off.

Maybe the Wests Tigers… just.

Match officials: Referees – Gavin Badger & Ashley Klein; Sideline Officials – Russel Turner & Phil Haines; Video Ref – Sean Hampstead. 

Televised: Channel Nine – Live 7.30pm (Qld), delayed 9.30pm (NSW); Fox Sports – Delayed 1am.

Source:  http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/telstrapremiershipscores/tabid/10240/roundid/854/infotabid/1/default.aspx
 
Lote is looking for love
010710
Image from Getty images

  • By David Beniuk
  • From:The Daily Telegraph
  • July 02, 2010 12:00AM

    • LOTE Tuqiri hopes Broncos fans have "a bit of love" left for him when he returns to Suncorp Stadium as an NRL player for the first time in more than seven years.

    Tuqiri's long and winding road will finally lead him to the door of his former club tonight when his Wests Tigers take on Brisbane.

    Test matches for the Wallabies and Super rugby games for the Waratahs at Suncorp were one thing, but playing against the jersey he wore from 1999-2002 will be more than a little strange.

    "We just did the video session then and it was a bit weird having played in that jersey before," the 30-year-old said yesterday. "But what do you do? You just get on and do what we're trying to do here at the moment. When you do think about it, it's very weird."

    Tuqiri switched codes in 2003, playing 67 Tests for the Wallabies before his contract with the Australian Rugby Union was abruptly terminated for an unspecified breach of team discipline.

    He returned to the NRL this year on a three-year deal with the Tigers. The dual international admitted he had circled the match when he first looked at the Tigers' draw for 2010, but is unsure as to what kind of reception he will get.

    "Hopefully Brisbane's still got a bit of love for me but we'll see once I run out and do the warm-up," he said.

    "We've just got to bounce back from [a 34-10 loss to St George Illawarra] last week ... I'm more concerned about that and hopefully getting a win on the board."

    Tuqiri won a premiership with the Broncos in 2000 and said the club's winning culture was still there a decade later.

    "You know with Brisbane, they're going to turn up no matter what. They've got a good culture up there and a good team ethos," he said.

    "They had a good performance against Souths up there last time when their players were [on Origin duty]."

    LOTE Tuqiri hopes Broncos fans have "a bit of love" left for him when he returns to Suncorp Stadium as an NRL player for the first time in more than seven years.
    Tuqiri's long and winding road will finally lead him to the door of his former club tonight when his Wests Tigers take on Brisbane.Test matches for the Wallabies and Super rugby games for the Waratahs at Suncorp were one thing, but playing against the jersey he wore from 1999-2002 will be more than a little strange.

    "We just did the video session then and it was a bit weird having played in that jersey before," the 30-year-old said yesterday. "But what do you do? You just get on and do what we're trying to do here at the moment. When you do think about it, it's very weird."

    Tuqiri switched codes in 2003, playing 67 Tests for the Wallabies before his contract with the Australian Rugby Union was abruptly terminated for an unspecified breach of team discipline.
    He returned to the NRL this year on a three-year deal with the Tigers. The dual international admitted he had circled the match when he first looked at the Tigers' draw for 2010, but is unsure as to what kind of reception he will get.

    "Hopefully Brisbane's still got a bit of love for me but we'll see once I run out and do the warm-up," he said.

    "We've just got to bounce back from [a 34-10 loss to St George Illawarra] last week ... I'm more concerned about that and hopefully getting a win on the board."

    Tuqiri won a premiership with the Broncos in 2000 and said the club's winning culture was still there a decade later.

    "You know with Brisbane, they're going to turn up no matter what. They've got a good culture up there and a good team ethos," he said.

    "They had a good performance against Souths up there last time when their players were [on Origin duty]."

    Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/lote-is-looking-for-love/story-e6frexnr-1225886878503
     
    Broncos v Wests Tigers Preview
    v4

    Broncos v Wests Tigers
    Suncorp Stadium
    Friday 7.35pm
    Once upon a time (in 2002) a famous ‘baby Broncos’ team travelled to Campbelltown and humiliated a near full-strength Wests Tigers outfit during an Origin series. 

    But these days, the Origin depletion for Brisbane is far less severe and as such they can still be expected to compete, and perhaps win, this important clash against a Wests Tigers side devoid of a state rep, but with a few injuries. 

    After taking care of the Eels last weekend the Broncos return home to Suncorp Stadium in sixth place on the NRL ladder and with the Tigers in their sights. 

    In third, but just two competition points ahead, the Wests Tigers are licking the burns the Dragons inflicted on them last week. 

    This game could be a defining moment in the season for both sides, as a win for the Tigers would give them great impetus to remain in the top four, while a Broncos win could move them into the home finals zone (or at least very close). 

    On the other side of the coin, losses for both teams see them fall significantly backwards. The Tigers would be out of the top four and the Broncos potentially out of the top eight.

    The sting of the embarrassing loss back in 2002 still lingers around the Tigers’ camp, even though no-one involved was playing back then. 

    Every year it gets a mention, and while the Broncos are only missing Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday and Israel Folau this season, it is still a young Brisbane side they should be able to beat.

    The Broncos’ trio are replaced by Corey Norman at five-eighth, Ben Te’o at centre and Ashton Sims in the second row. Nick Kenny will also start at prop, shifting Lagi Setu to second row. 

    The new pair on the bench is Scott Anderson and Josh McGuire.

    The Wests Tigers remain without a recognised halfback and have selected Daniel Fitzhenry in the jersey this week. This pushes Benji Marshall back to five-eighth, Blake Asyhford back to centre and Geoff Daniela onto the wing to replace the injured Beau Ryan. 

    The bench has mass changes, with Mark Flanagan and Junior Moors gone and four new faces in Andrew Fifita, Liam Fulton, Mitch Brown and Nathan Waters. 
    Watch out Broncos: The Wests Tigers will attack from anywhere – and with stats on their side, they will almost certainly look to shift the ball from within their half this week. 
    The Tigers have scored more tries from over halfway than any other side in the NRL. On 15 occasions, which is more than one a match, they have gone from long range for four points. The Broncos have conceded 11 tries from this distance, making them the worst team in the NRL. 
    You can be sure the visitors will let the ball sing a fair bit. 

    Watch out Wests Tigers: No-one can replace the legend Darren Lockyer but young Corey Norman is a budding star and needs to be paid some respect. The last time he filled in for Lockyer the Broncos belted the Rabbitohs and Norman had a blinder. 

    On that day he ran for 176 metres, had nine tackle-breaks, a try assist, made three line-breaks and 15 tackles (missing none). He was also error-free. 

    If the Wests Tigers assume he’ll be a back seat passenger to Peter Wallace, they’ll get burned. 

    Where it will be won: This match is all about line-breaks and converting them to points. 

    The Broncos are the second most prolific line-breakers in the NRL but are also the worst in the NRL at conceding line-breaks. They have posted 79 of their own but conceded 81 this year. 

    The Wests Tigers are a little behind with 61 line-breaks but when they get through, they invariably score – unlike the Broncos. Benji Marshall could have a touch football-style field day in this match, provided Keith Galloway and Bryce Gibbs get the team rolling forward first. But the Broncos youngsters can also find a way through and if the Wests Tigers’ scramble defence is poor, they’ll be staring at a points deficit early. 

    With their number one line-break weapon in Folau missing, the Broncos will rely heavily on his replacement Ben Te’o (nine line-breaks) and fullback Josh Hoffman (eight line-breaks) but the Tigers should be aware every Bronco barring Mitchell Dodds, Nick Kenny, Josh McGuire and Ashton Sims has busted through at least once this year. 

    For the Tigers, Chris Lawrence and Lote Tuqiri (returning to Suncorp for the first time since 2002) are the main men with nine line-breaks each. Only Keith Galloway, Nathan Waters and Todd Payten haven’t pushed through the line this season. 

    Whichever side shuts down the breaks conceded and finishes off the ones they will no doubt get, will emerge the victor. 

    The history: Played 17; Broncos 13, Wests Tigers 3, drawn 1. The Broncos have won six of the past eight between the clubs, including four on the trot. Two points and a single point decided the past two encounters respectively. 

    At Suncorp Stadium the Broncos lead 4-2, with the Tigers last getting success on the ground in 2006. Brisbane haven’t been defeated in consecutive home games since August 2007.

    Conclusion: The loss of Origin stars tips the balance away from the home-side Broncos and into the laps of the Wests Tigers. They should be good enough to get over the top of Brisbane but this is no certainty. 

    If Brisbane can stay physical and committed to the cause, they can frustrate the Tigers who might push the envelope too far. 

    Match officials: Referees – Ben Cummins & Matt Cecchin; Sideline Officials – Jeff Younis & Ricky McFarlane; Video Ref – Sean Hampstead. 

    Televised: Channel Nine – Live 7.30pm; Fox Sports – Delayed 10pm.

    Source;http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/scores/tabid/10240/roundid/853/fixtureid/5932/infotabid/1/default.aspx
     
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