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Round 24 vs Tigers

G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
Wests Tigers set sights on Cronulla Sharks after 42-14 thrashing of St George Illawarra Dragons
  • Local Sport
    +12
    Photos | NRL 2019 Dragons vs Tigers
    Pictures: AAP Image
    The Wests Tigers have set up an all or nothing final round showdown with Cronulla after downing St George Illawarra 42-14 on Sunday.

    The Tigers will play the Sharks at Leichhardt Oval next Sunday. The winner will play finals football this season while the loser will have their campaign ended in what could be Robbie Farah's final game at Balmain's spiritual home.

    The Dragons though confirmed they will finish second last on the NRL table with their eighth loss from their last nine games. St George Illawarra will end their dismal season next Sunday when they travel to the Gold Coast to take on the wooden spooners the Titans.

    Right time, right place for Euen Aitken :alarm_clock: #NRLDragonsTigers 6-all after 16 minutes#TelstraPremiershippic.twitter.com/Xy6sTfwkBZ

    — NRL (@NRL) September 1, 2019
    The Tigers took the lead after just four minutes when Paul Momirovski scored, benefiting from Luke Brooks' long run down field.

    Euan Aitken's try midway through the half drew the Dragons level before Gareth Widdop's penalty goal had St George Illawarra in front three minutes later.

    But the Tigers would take a 12-8 advantage to half-time when Luke Garner crossed nine minutes before the break.

    St George Illawarra looked as though they would hit back almost straight after the resumption, only for Momirovski to intercept a Widdop pass and race 90 metres to score under the posts.

    The Dragons refused to quit though and did reduce the deficit to 18-14 with a slice of luck.

    Luke Garner regains the lead for Wests :fist:#NRLDragonsTigers 12-8 :tiger:#TelstraPremiershippic.twitter.com/eVulUVzHc1

    — NRL (@NRL) September 1, 2019
    Tigers fullback Corey Thompson failed to defuse a Ben Hunt bomb, with Widdop racing through to scoop up the loose ball and score.

    The try saw Widdop pass 900 points for the joint venture club with the five-eighth in second place on the Dragons' all-time point-scoring list.

    The Dragons lost Zac Lomax to a sickening head knock before Momirovski completed his hat-trick midway through the second half after a slick Benji Marshall pass.

    Benji Marshall does it all himself #NRLDragonsTigers 14-30 :tiger:#TelstraPremiershippic.twitter.com/JoHaAS3uSb

    — NRL (@NRL) September 1, 2019
    Marshall then sealed the result with 10 minutes remaining with a sublime solo effort to cross next to the posts.

    The Dragons suffered another blow when gutsy hooker Cameron McInnes appeared to suffer an ankle injury late on.

    Brooks then added more insult to the Dragons with another length of the field effort with five minutes to play before Elijah Taylor completed the rout.

    Leader Scoreboard

    Wests Tigers 42 (Paul Momirovski three, Luke Garner, Benji Marshall, Luke Brooks, Elijah Taylor tries. Paul Momirovski seven goals)

    defeated

    St George Illawarra 14 (Euan Aitken, Gareth Widdop tries. Gareth Widdop three goals)

    at Sydney Cricket Ground

    Crowd: 9,136

    Leader man of the match: Benji Marshall (Tigers)

    Dragons' next game: Titans (away)


    https://www.theleader.com.au/story/...-with-sharks-after-thrashing-dragons/?cs=1633
 
W

Wittenberg

Juniors
Messages
1,140
One of the sad things today, amongst many, was Frizell. He looked frustrated and while he did some of his typical runs, by and large he looked disinterested. A player who could be so damaging running on the edge, is used as a battering ram up the middle. He is so often wasted. In a way I hope he leaves. The only way Johnston might move on MacGregor is if the squad begins to implode. We have not got a strong squad in many areas going into 2020, but the loss of an Origin player, who is under contract, would be a blow that couldn’t be ignored.
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485
NRL 2019: Widdop farewell turns sour as Tigers thump Dragons
Local Sport
r0_0_5106_3461_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

TOUGH DAY: Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop's farewell turned into a forgettable afternoon on Sunday. Picture: NRL Photos
IT'S not the farewell Dragons skipper Gareth Widdop was looking for - a penultimate round dead rubber in front a meagre SCG crowd of just over 9000.

It's unlikely missing 16 games due to shoulder surgery was something he envisioned either but, like his side's 42-14 loss to the Tigers on Sunday, they are the facts.

Throwing an intercept for Paul Momirovski's 90-metre effort five minutes into the second half was another, but the fact the joint-venture is limping towards the lowest-placed finish in its history is the coldest fact of all.

Momirovkski finished with a hat-trick in a victory that kept the Tigers finals hopes alive, while the Dragons will turn their attention next week's clash with the Titans.

The Titans own woes will spare them the ignominy of fighting to avoid the wooden spoon, but the 15th versus 16th clash is as underwhelming as finishes get.

"It's hard pill to swallow for him for sure being involved in a score that blew out to what it did at the end after giving great service for many years," coach Paul McGregor said post-match.

"He's fought back to come back and play for the group and unfortunately it hasn't finished the way he wanted it to. I'm pretty shattered.

"We were at 18-14 55 minutes into the game and they wanted to pay the price a bit more at different times. Obviously the score blew out and we capitulated at the end.

"We care so much and we're not seeing the results we want and the performance we need. I'm the coach, I'm the leader of the club. I think we've all got to take responsibility throghout the the club but I'm the coach."

The Dragons bad luck on the injury front continued, with Corey Norman a late withdrawal with a groin strain and Cam McInnes suffering a broken leg with six minutes remaining.

McGregor said the latter was certainly a cruel blow given his hooker's efforts throughout the season.

"He's got to go have an X-ray but the diagnosis at the moment is a broken leg," McGregor said.

"He just asked how long it's going to be so he can get back to training. That's Cam, you want them all like that.

"What's next is unknown, it might heal on its own or it might need a screw or a plate.

"With six minutes to go to a player who gives everything and more, certainly he's been our player of the year by far.

"To come to second-last game and break the leg's not justice, that's for sure. He's out next week and he'll be right in 12 weeks."

Fitting all his stars into the same spine was supposedly coach Paul McGregor's biggest preseason headache. In reality, it's one he's had on just seven occasions this season.

The other part of that puzzle Matt Dufty is on the outer and evidently now sitting behind Tristan Sailor, who made his second NRL appearance on Sunday, as the club's first-choice No. 1 when Widdop departs for the Super League.

Ensuring he does so on a winning note is all they'll have to play for next week as a nightmarish season mercifully draws to a close.

The Tigers opened the scoring just five minutes in after Brooks swooped on a deflected grubber from Hunt and shot 80 metres up field.

He was reeled in by Sailor but Momirovski crossed for his first try on the next play. He converted for a 6-0 lead after five minutes.

The Dragons hit back through Euan Aitken after Robert Jennings had an air swing at a grubber from Widdop in his own in-goal.

Widdop grabbed he extras to level up at six apiece and took a brief lead for his side with a penalty goal two minutes later after Luciano Leilua was taken out by Momirovski in pursuit of a cross-field kick from Hunt.

Luke Garner re-took the lead for his side, winning the race to a grubber from Brooks, with Momirovski slotting the conversion for a 12-8 lead nine minutes before the break.

Momirovski plucked a wayward pass from Widdop out of the air and raced 90 metres four minutes after the resumption to quickly push the lead out to 10.

Widdop briefly got his own back with a try after Corey Thompson spilled a kick from Hunt, but it was his side's last joy of the match.

Momirovski sealed his hat-trick 10 minutes later with Benji Marshall, Brooks and Thompson both getting across before time was up to seal the result.


https://www.illawarramercury.com.au...ll-turns-sour-as-tigers-thump-dragons/?cs=302
 
W

Wittenberg

Juniors
Messages
1,140
That is the worst game I have ever seen Lafai play. He is slow but combine that with being incredibly lazy today and the result was disgraceful. I know he was injured badly this year but he should not have been picked over the past five weeks if he is unfit. Many want Aitken gone and hope that he has actually been asked to look elsewhere, to be honest if only one of them can leave, I vote that it should be Lafai.
 
Dennis Papaioannou

Dennis Papaioannou

Bench
Messages
2,866
Wittenberg said:
That is the worst game I have ever seen Lafai play. He is slow but combine that with being incredibly lazy today and the result was disgraceful. I know he was injured badly this year but he should not have been picked over the past five weeks if he is unfit. Many want Aitken gone and hope that he has actually been asked to look elsewhere, to be honest if only one of them can leave, I vote that it should be Lafai.
Click to expand...
There have been plenty that bad.
Today's performance is just fresh in your mind.
 
Dennis Papaioannou

Dennis Papaioannou

Bench
Messages
2,866
Wittenberg said:
Can’t agree re Sailor in the sense that he had a very average game. He did put in though. I do like how he trails our players up the middle and maybe this will bring rewards in future. His two kicks were very poor and led to Tiger’s tries and both he and Lomax were stripped and these strips resulted in Tiger tries as well. Perhaps he is deceptively fast, because he certainly does not look like he has the pace of Field or Dufty. He showed courage and good judgement under the high ball and only spilt one kick but his returns with the ball had little if any impact. He was tossed around the way Dufty is but at least he tried to hit the ground quicker. If he’d been playing behind and for the Tigers his game may have looked better but based on today I do not think he is a fullback, at least not yet. Early days I know but was underwhelmed. Down the track he might find his place in the halves. I hope he proves me wrong with a preseason under his belt.
Click to expand...
Good summation.
Any way you look at it, he is not the solution to our fullback problems.
Not even close.
 
B

Blood Shot Eyes

First Grade
Messages
6,008
Gareth67 said:
42-14 , I cannot believe it :flushed: I went and had a snooze at 18-14 and I now see the final damage that is the difference between a team with ambition and one that is merely going through the motions.
Click to expand...
Believe it its very very real....and expect the same for at least another 2 years.....there is no ambition by most on the field....the only real ambition in our set up is our Imposter that wants to be a coach one day...unfortunately for us we all know hes never going to make it. ...end of story
 
Slippery Morris

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,459
getsmarty said:
Add to that the lowest the club has finished in 70 odd years.....Surely these fools can see that change needs to happen.
Click to expand...

Not only lowest finish but with a strong squad that was tipped top 4 by many league experts. That is when they knew JDB was going to be out and still tipped them as top 8 at least. Saints have had a much weaker squad than this one in the past with a worse injury toll and did not finish this low. That in itself is a strong indicator in how bad he has gone. This result is purely due to Marys' poor team selection and use of the players and nothing else.

Good example is Maguire at the Tigers. Has Packer, Matulino and Reynolds but picks juniors ahead of them because they played crap when they were in FG. He did not persist. Gave the kids a run and stuck with them. If that was Mary he would have kept playing Packer, Matulino and Reynolds and they would be 15th.
 
Dennis Papaioannou

Dennis Papaioannou

Bench
Messages
2,866
Slippery Morris said:
Not only lowest finish but with a strong squad that was tipped top 4 by many league experts. That is when they knew JDB was going to be out and still tipped them as top 8 at least. Saints have had a much weaker squad than this one in the past with a worse injury toll and did not finish this low. That in itself is a strong indicator in how bad he has gone. This result is purely due to Marys' poor team selection and use of the players and nothing else.

Good example is Maguire at the Tigers. Has Packer, Matulino and Reynolds but picks juniors ahead of them because they played crap when they were in FG. He did not persist. Gave the kids a run and stuck with them. If that was Mary he would have kept playing Packer, Matulino and Reynolds and they would be 15th.
Click to expand...
That's all true except for Reynolds.
When he came on he tore us apart and he lifted the whole Tigers team with him.
 
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