After a big first day of action at the 2016 NRL Auckland Nines, Wests Tigers are one win away from making a second finals appearance at the competition.
Despite dropping their opening game of the day in disappointing fashion to the Penrith Panthers, Jason Taylor's side quickly bounced back with a thrilling 13-12 upset win over the reigning premiers, North Queensland Cowboys, to keep their finals hopes alive.
Should Wests Tigers beat the Newcastle Knights tomorrow in their final pool match, they'll qualify for the finals in either first or second position in the Rangitoto Pool.
That match will take place at 11:25am local time (9:25am Sydney time).
The day might have finished on a positive note for Wests Tigers, but they will head into the second day with a few injury concerns and players unavailable.
Captain Chris Lawrence will continue to be assessed overnight after picking up a hip injury in the Club's opening game. He did not feature in Wests Tigers' win over the Cowboys, but the Club is optimistic he may return in Day 2 of the competition.
Young forward Tyler Cassel will also be unavailable after he was ruled out with concussion.
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2016 Auckland Nines Results
Game I — Penrith Panthers 23 (Blake 3, Watene-Zelezniak, Mansour tries; Panthers 1/4 goals) def. Wests Tigers 7 (Simona tries; Cherrington 1/1 goals).
Game II — Wests Tigers 13 (Littlejohn, Cherrington tries; Littlejohn 2/2 goals) def. North Queensland Cowboys 12 (Gela-Mosby 2, Winterstein tries; Cowboys 0/3 goals)
Auckland Nines Rangitito Pool
North Queensland Cowboys 28 def. Newcastle Knights 12
Penrith Panthers 23 def. Wests Tigers 7
Newcastle Knights 15 def. Penrith Panthers 14
Wests Tigers 13 def. North Queensland Cowboys 12
| W | L | F | A | +/- | Pts | |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 1 | 1 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Penrith Panthers | 1 | 1 | 37 | 22 | 15 | 2 |
| Newcastle Knights | 1 | 1 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 2 |
| Wests Tigers | 1 | 1 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 2 |
What's Next?
Wests Tigers vs. Newcastle Knights, Sunday, 11:25am local (9:25am AEDT)
If Wests Tigers win the match, they will progress through to the quarterfinals.
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