WESTS TIGERS LEAD SHARKS 18-0 IN NRL TRIAL
By Wayne Cousins
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Wests Tigers have added two more players to the bench for tonight's final trial against Cronulla Sharks at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford.
Hooker Chris Corby and full-back Jake Mullaney have been promoted to the team. Winger Daniel Fitzhenry is out with a groin injury. Geoff Daniela replaces Fitzhenry.
John Morris has been named at hooker for the Sharks to play against his club of the past three years for the first time. Wests Tigers full-back Mitch Brown is playing against his former club also for the first time.
Wests Tigers half-back Tim Moltzen made a mistake in the first set of six by kicking the ball out on the full from a last tackle clearing kick. Fortunately for the Tigers, the Sharks dropped the ball in the next set.
The handling in the opening five minutes has been ordinary in the humid conditions.
Wests Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs was penalised for a shepherd five metres out from the line in the seventh minute.
The Sharks were denied a try in the 12th minute when Wests Tigers full-back Mitch Brown dropped a Trent Barrett bomb for second-rower Reece Williams to score. Referee Jason Robinson penalised a Sharks player for pushing Brown away from the ball after he spilt it.
Wests Tigers got a repeat set after Barrett knocked down a pass five metres from the Sharks line.
The pressure told on the Sharks when some quick hands found lock Chris Heighington who crashed through two defenders to score out wide.Moltzen converted the try for a 6-0 lead. Heighington and Moltzen are both Central Coast juniors.
It became 10-0 in the 21st minute when five-eighth Robert Lui split a tackle from a dummy half pass from Farah. Lui passed the ball back inside for Farah to score next to the posts. Moltzen converted the try for a 12-0 lead.
A perfectly placed kick by Lui into the Sharks' left hand corner trapped the winger in-goal to give Wests Tigers a repeat set three minutes later.
Heighington was denied his second try when he was involved in a shepherd from a Farah pass.
Lui is having a fine all-round game and is thriving running off breaks from Farah.
Farah set up the third try when a flat pass from dummy half saw prop Keith Galloway charge through two defenders to score next to the posts. Moltzen converted the try for an 18-0 lead after 36 minutes.
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