On the back of several consecutive victories, Wests Tigers’ NYC team will look to pick back up where they left off when they take on Newcastle this weekend for their Round 13 clash.
The combination of Te Maire Martin and Eli Levido has proven very successful over the past few weeks — especially on the left edge — but their biggest test will certainly come this weekend against the young Knights in front of a good crowd at Hunter Stadium.
Newcastle’s NYC team have been the form squad of the competition, and after two close defeats, will be desperate to bounce back this Sunday afternoon.
Who will emerge with the crucial two competition points?
Read on for a full preview of the match including all the need-to-know details, TV and live stream information, team news, match analysis and more.
Match Details — Wests Tigers vs. Newcastle Knights
Date: Sunday, June 8, 2014
Time: 11:45am AEST (Gates open at 11:30am)
Venue: Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
TV and Live Stream Information
Fox Sports 1 will show live coverage of the match from 11:30am AEST, with a live stream also available via Foxtel Go (subscription required).
Team News
Wests Tigers
1. Mason Farrell 2. John Tohi 3. Watson Heleta 4. Nathan Milone 5. John Ogden 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Eli Levido 8. Dallas Graham 9. Manaia Cherrington 10. Jordan Grant 11. Salesi Funaki 12. Lamar Liolevave 13. Matthew Woods (Interchange: 14. Hala Masila 15. Tyler Cassel 16. Andrew Kazzi 17. Daniel Rakvin 18. Tom Satterthwaite)
Newcastle Knights
1. Bryce Donovan 2. Brody Lam 3. Sione Mata’utia 4. Chance Peni 5. Josh Birch 6. Jacob Gagai 7. James De Saxe 8. James Taylor 9. Danny Levi 10. Luke Yates 11. Joseph Tapine 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Pride Petterson-Robati (Interchange: 14. Harry Pondekas 15. Josh King 16. Bradie Smith 17. Tuiala Togitasi)
Last Five Matches
Wests Tigers
R7 — Parramatta Eels 58 def. Wests Tigers 20
R8 — Gold Coast Titans 36 def. Wests Tigers 14
R9 — Wests Tigers 22 def. Sydney Roosters 18
R10 — Wests Tigers 34 def. Cronulla Sharks 24
R11 — Wests Tigers 42 def. Brisbane Broncos 10
Newcastle Knights
R7 — Newcastle Knights 34 drew with Brisbane Broncos 34
R8 — Newcastle Knights 30 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18
R9 — Newcastle Knights 40 def. Penrith Panthers 22
R10 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40 def. Newcastle Knights 38
R12 — New Zealand Warriors 34 def. Newcastle Knights 22
Player to Watch — Dallas Graham, Wests Tigers
In what will most likely be wet conditions at Hunter Stadium, the forward packs of both teams will no doubt play a major role in this weekend’s clash. Look for Wests Tigers prop Dallas Graham to perhaps have the biggest impact of them all. Graham is averaging 120 metres per game and 33.2 tackles, and currently ranks fourth across every player in NYC for most metres after contact (average of 4.1 metres per run). His ability to bend the defensive line and then get quick play the balls will certainly help Wests Tigers in wet conditions, and against a strong pack, he’ll definitely get through plenty of work on Sunday afternoon.
Coach’s Comment
“Both centres for Newcastle are big and strong. Mata’utai has been playing for NSW for a couple of years in the junior rep years; he’s got really good feet and is big and strong. The other is exactly the same and they’ve both been really going really well. Nathan Milone and Watson Heleta have both been firing in attack of late, but they’re going to need to be on their game defensively this weekend and constantly talking with their inside guys. The centre battle is going to be the highlight of the game and it’ll be won by whoever gets the best ball out wide.” (Balin Cupples, NYC Assistant Coach)
Team Stats
|
Wests Tigers |
Newcastle Knights |
Points For |
306 points (9th) |
418 points (1st) |
Points Against |
278 points (5th) |
252 points (2nd) |
2014 Home Record |
Played 5: Won 4, Lost 1 |
Played 4: Won 3, Lost 0, Drawn 1 |
2014 Away Record |
Played 6: Won 3, Lost 3 |
Played 7: Won 5, Lost 2 |
2014 Total Record |
Played 11: Won 7, Lost 4 |
Played 11: Won 8, Lost 2, Drawn 1 |
