Match Discussion: Round 1 vs Wests Tigers @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Leumeah / Dharawal

[League Unlimited News]

NRL 2025 - Round 1
Wests Tigers v Newcastle Knights
Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Leumeah / Dharawal (TICKETS)

Friday 7 March 2025
Kickoff 6:00pm AEDT
Live on Fox, Kayo

1. Heath Mason 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Solomona Faataape 5. Jeral Skelton 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Jarome Luai 8. Terrell May 9. Tallyn Da Silva 10. Fonua Pole 11. Samuela Fainu 12. Alex Seyfarth 13. Alex Twal
14. Tristan Hope 15. Royce Hunt 16. Jack Bird 17. Sione Fainu
18. Latu Fainu 19. Charlie Staines 20. Kit Laulilii 21. Tony Sukkar 22. Reuben Porter

1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Kai Pearce-Paul 13. Tyson Frizell
14. Jayden Brailey 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Brodie Jones 17. Mathew Croker
18. Thomas Cant 19. Will Pryce 20. Logan Aoake 21. Jackson Hastings 22. Adam Elliott

Referee: Liam Kennedy​ Sideline Officials: Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski, Jon Stone​ Video Referee: Kasey Badger​

HEAD TO HEAD - 2000 - 2024​

	TOTAL	WST	NEW	DRAWN
ALL MATCHES	38	17	21	0
C'TOWN	10	6	4	0

LAST FIVE MEETINGS​

YEAR	ROUND	RESULT	VENUE	CROWD
2022	Round 21	NEW 14-10	Campbelltown	9621
2023	Round 2	NEW 14-12	Leichhardt	13214
2023	Round 20	NEW 34-18	McD. Jones	18470
2024	Round 10	NEW 20-14	Scully	10107
2024	Round 23	NEW 34-18	McD. Jones	22183

BIGGEST WINS​

YEAR	ROUND	RESULT	VENUE	CROWD
2001	Round 10	NEW 56-6	Marathon	15105
2019	Round 23	WST 46-4	Campbelltown	11107

NEXT FOUR MATCHES​

	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5
WESTS TIGERS	PAR (A)	DOL (A)	WAR (H)	BRI (A)
NEWCASTLE	DOL (H)	GLD (A)	BYE	CBY (A)

 

[Yosh]

Slightly optimistic but always ready for massive disappointment!

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Knights 13+

 

[Zoidberg]

There’s a bit more pressure on the Tigers than us. Expectations due to Luai. Nobody expecting much from us. We should win this if we are serious about making the 8 again.

 

[Woody90]

Going to tip us which is a rarity for me in R1. Lots of hype around the Tigers and that’s hard to deal with when you’re not used to it.

Everyone’s tipping us bottom 4 so we kinda have a free hit at them.


(Watch Luai smash us now lol)

 

[Burwood]

I give it two rounds until O’Brien is criticised in the media for chopping and changing the halves. Every article about the team highlights how he has finally settled on a pairing of Sharpe and Cogger, even though Gamble is a clear front runner and only missing due to injury.

 

[Old dog]

Am hoping that whoever is chosen at 7, Cogger or Gamble gets a decent run of games if for no other reason than to help Sharp adjust to his new position, am leaning towards Cogger but nice to have Gamble as backup if that happens

 

[perverse]

Gamble has been so unlucky. Dropped inexplicably last year and then injured when we desperately needed someone to stabilize the halves. Comes out and has a screamer in the first trial, completely outplaying Cogger in every facet... then gets a niggle and is rested out of concern - only for Ponga and Sharpe to put on a clinic and make Cogger seem like the answer again.

Gamble should be the halfback, but my feeling is they will go with Cogger because they've now at least seen that the team can function properly with him there. It will be considered the "safe bet". All Gamble had to do was be on the park for that last trial and it would have cemented him and then some. Footy is cruel sometimes - to players and to fans.

 

[macavity]

Gamble has been so unlucky. Dropped inexplicably last year and then injured when we desperately needed someone to stabilize the halves. Comes out and has a screamer in the first trial, completely outplaying Cogger in every facet... then gets a niggle and is rested out of concern - only for Ponga and Sharpe to put on a clinic and make Cogger seem like the answer again.

Gamble should be the halfback, but my feeling is they will go with Cogger because they've now at least seen that the team can function properly with him there. It will be considered the "safe bet". All Gamble had to do was be on the park for that last trial and it would have cemented him and then some. Footy is cruel sometimes - to players and to fans.

Cogger also got ran over a few times, which very very rarely happens to the Gambler.

They care about that stuff.

 

[Yosh]

Cogger is way to passive to be a proper halfback. We more of an a hole like Gamble in our spine.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Cogger also got ran over a few times, which very very rarely happens to the Gambler.

They care about that stuff.

100% this. With Sharpe on the left edge being a bit shakey defensively , the team needs a solid defender on the right and that's certainly not Cogger.

Roosters made us look much better than we are. Most teams are gonna run traffic at our halves all game

 

[Yosh]

Lucas and Best are good defensively and Fletcher has no issues putting his body on the line so I think after he finds his feet, he will be fine. Cogger hasn't been able to defend well for a decade in first grade.

 

[Woody90]

Reading the Tigers forum (not LU, their main supporter one), I’m surprised how many are saying we’ll be such easy beats. I mean we’re not great but saying any game will be an easy win when you’re coming off 3 spoons is just wild regardless of who you’ve signed.

 

[perverse]

Reading the Tigers forum (not LU, their main supporter one), I’m surprised how many are saying we’ll be such easy beats. I mean we’re not great but saying any game will be an easy win when you’re coming off 3 spoons is just wild regardless of who you’ve signed.

Echo chamber nonsense.

 

[Joel-22]

I’m tipping us to win. Tigers will still be working out new combinations, we have virtually the same group of players we’ve had for quite a while. Sharpe is really the only “new” player who is in an important position. And he’s shown enough in both trials, has been at the club for a while, and by all accounts had a terrific preseason.

 

[Apey]

I think we'll win. Tigers will take a bit to get going.

 

[Rod]

Reading the Tigers forum (not LU, their main supporter one), I’m surprised how many are saying we’ll be such easy beats. I mean we’re not great but saying any game will be an easy win when you’re coming off 3 spoons is just wild regardless of who you’ve signed.

It's the same every year. We're no world beaters but as I said in another thread every year recently other teams fans pick us to run 13-17th and 4 out of those 5 years we've been 5-8th.

 

[TooheysNew]

Tigers supporters are up there with Sharks and Raiders supporters.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Reading the Tigers forum (not LU, their main supporter one), I’m surprised how many are saying we’ll be such easy beats. I mean we’re not great but saying any game will be an easy win when you’re coming off 3 spoons is just wild regardless of who you’ve signed.

Yeah I had a read at it myself the other day and had a bit of a chuckle when one of them said their forwards should dominate ours lol

 

[Knight Tales]

We’ll win comfortably.