Jason Taylor's side have suffered a 36-4 defeat to the Sydney Roosters in their Round 9 clash at Allianz Stadium on Friday, May 8.
See the five key facts to come out of the match below, with full match report and details here.
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1. Roosters Target the Right
Perhaps most telling through the hat-trick scored by Roosters winger Daniel Tupou, it was clear that Trent Robinson's men targeted Wests Tigers' right-side defence on Friday night, with great success. Not only did Tupou cross, left edge back-rower Boyd Cordner did too, with the Origin hopeful also adding a try-assist for Sio Siua Taukeiaho. Combined, Wests Tigers right side defence of Kevin Naiqama, Delouise Hoeter, Mitchell Moses and Kyle Lovett combined for a staggering 96 tackles, compared to the left side defence of Pat Richards, Chris Lawrence, Luke Brooks and Curtis Sironen, which combined for just 56 tackles.
2. Forwards Held Quiet
Aaron Woods has set the bar high for himself in 2015 — averging more than 200 metres per game — but the Australian international, by his standards, was held relatively quiet on Friday night. He still racked up a highly impressive 126 metres from 14 hit-ups as well as 38 tackles, but aside from Martin Taupau (142 metres, 22 tackles), Wests Tigers forwards were largely held quiet. No other player in the pack made more than 100 metres on the night — compared to six from the Roosters — while combined, the pack only recorded six tackle busts and two offloads as the 2013 premiers delivered a strong performance on the night.
3. Recent Record Extended
Much was made of Wests Tigers' poor record against the Roosters heading into the match, and again it proved true as the home side recorded a 36-4 win. Wests Tigers have now won just eight of their 27 matches against the Tricolours, and have won just one of their past 11 matches. The last time Wests Tigers posted a win against the Roosters was in 2011, which was also the last time that the Roosters didn't win a match by more than 13 points. Wests Tigers also continued their recent woes at Allianz Stadium, with just one win at the venue in their last 11 matches.
4. Halatau Breaks his Drought
Scoring his side's only try for the night, Dene Halatau crossed for his first try of the year, and broke his try-scoring drought — grabbing his first try since re-joining the Club at the start of 2015. Having scored 22 tries in his career, Halatau's last try before Friday night came in Rd.24, 2013 for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs against South Sydney Rabbitohs. That try was also just Halatau's second try against the Roosters in his career.
5. Scoreboard Ticked Over, Again
Seemingly destined to be shut out, Halatau's late try ensured that Wests Tigers managed to get on the scoreboard — a feat they've achieved in every game in over two years (lost 26-0 to Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Rd.4, 2013). Through the opening nine rounds of the 2015 competition, only two teams have been held scoreless so far (Gold Coast, Newcastle).
