Match Preview: Round 10 vs. Knights

Wests Tigers will look to bounce back from a last start defeat to the Roosters when they take on the Newcastle Knights this Sunday for their Round 10 clash.

Jason Taylor’s side suffered a 36-4 defeat to the Roosters last Friday night, leaving them on the edge of the top eight, and they’ll be keen to build on an impressive recent record against the men from the Hunter this weekend when they take the field on Sunday.

Wests Tigers have won seven of their last eight Sunday afternoon games against Newcastle — and five of the last seven at Hunter Stadium too — despite the Knights chalking up 100 points in their last three games against the joint-venture.

After losing five games in a row now, the Knights will certainly be desperate to bounce back into the winners circle, and their chances of doing just that will no doubt prove by having a strong crowd behind them on Sunday afternoon at Hunter Stadium.

As Wests Tigers learned firsthand last week, playing side currently experiencing a run of defeats is no easy task, and they’ll no doubt be keen to ensure they learn the lessons from last week’s defeat to the Roosters and put them into practice this time around.

It’s shaping as an intriguing battle, but who will walk away with the two competition points? Read on for a full preview including all the team news, analysis, stats and more.

Tickets are ON SALE now for our Round 11 clash against the Cowboys on May 23! Be there and celebrate the 2005 Grand Final!

Match Details

Date — Sunday, May 17, 2015

Time — 4:00pm AEST (Gates open at 11:30am)

Venue — Hunter Stadium, Newcastle

Match Officials

Referees — Gaving Badger and Ashley Klein

Touch Judges — Nick Beashell and Tim Roby

Video Referees — Jared Maxwell and Steve Folkes

TV, Live Stream and Radio Information

TV — Live coverage via Channel 9 (check local guides)

Radio — AM 702 ABC Grandstand, FM 104.9 Triple M (check local guides)

Live Stream —NRL Digital Pass (subscription required)

Confirmed Squads

Wests Tigers are unchanged from the side that went down to the Roosters in Round 9, while the Knights are again set to be without representative playmaker Jarrod Mullen. Kurt Gidley will partner Tyrone Roberts in the halves, while Dane Gagai moves to fullback and Sione Mata’utia into the centres — as per last week’s last change. Joseph Tapine has been named on an extended interchange bench while David Fa’alogo starts.

2015 Recent Results

Wests Tigers

R5 — Wests Tigers 22 def. Parramatta Eels 6

R6 — New Zealand Warriors 32 def. Wests Tigers 22

R7 — Canberra Raiders 30 def. Wests Tigers 22

R8 — Wests Tigers 38 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14

R9 — Sydney Roosters 36 def. Wests Tigers 4

Newcastle Knights

R5 — St. George-Illawarra Dragons 13 def. Newcastle Knights 0

R6 — Cronulla Sharks 22 def. Newcastle Knights 6

R7 — Parramatta Eels 28 def. Newcastle Knights 22

R8 — North Queensland Cowboys 26 def. Newcastle Knights 24

R9 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 30 def. Newcastle Knights 10

Match History

•       Against the Knights — Played 19, Won 10, Lost 9

•       At Hunter Stadium — Played 11, Won 5, Lost 6

Three Key Facts

•       Wests Tigers haven’t led at half-time in their last seven games against Newcastle.

•       Chris Lawrence needs one try to be the Club’s all-time try-scorer against Newcastle.

•       Akuila Uate has scored seven tries in his last three games against Wests Tigers.

2015 Key Player Stats