Wests Tigers NYC Holden Cup side will head into Friday’s Semi Final showdown with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles as firm underdogs, but certainly ready to give their best shot at a title after last week’s confidence-boosting victory.
Made to do an enormous amount of defensive work early in their Elimination Final, Brett Kimmorley’s side showed plenty of determination and courage to hang in the match — eventually emerging with a hard-fought 24-22 victory in the end.
They’ll now take on a Sea Eagles side on Friday night coming off a tough loss to the Penrith Panthers — a short turnaround for both sides after their respective matches.
David Heath’s side have been boosted of late by the return of star fullback Tom Trbojevic, who scored a try, set up another and ran for 143 metres in the 44-24 loss.
His presence out the back is no doubt a threat Wests Tigers will be keeping their eye on, and it’ll be interesting to see how the underdogs go trying to contain the elusive fullback.
For Wests Tigers, halves Te Maire Martin and Jeremy Marshall-King will be looking to continue their strong recent form following Sunday’s Elimination Final win. Marshall-King was a clear man-of-the-match in the victory — scoring two tries and setting one up as well — while the NYC Five Eighth of the Year Martin picked up a try and a try-assist.
How Wests Tigers’ forward pack — led by Junior Tatola and JJ Felise — go in setting the platform for that pair to thrive will certainly go a long way in deciding the result.
It’s definitely shaping as a fascinating sudden death Semi Final on Friday afternoon between two sides desperate to keep their premiership hopes alive in season 2015!
Who will emerge with the two points on offer? Read on for a full match preview including all the key details, team news, analysis, recent history and much more!
Voting is now open for the Ken Stephen Medal! Click here to vote for Keith Galloway!
Match Details
Date — Friday, September 18, 2015
Time — 5:15pm (Gates open at 5:00pm)
Venue — Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match Officials
On-Field Referees — Matt Noyen and Jon Stone
Touch Judges — Lawrie McDonell and Kasey Badger
Video Referees — Steve Chiddy and Henry Perenara
TV, Live Stream and Radio Information
TV — Live via Fox Sports 1 from 5:00pm (subscription required)
Live Stream — Live via Foxtel Go from 5:00pm (subscription required)
Twitter — Click here to follow us on Twitter for all live scores and commentary!
Confirmed Squads
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
|
Wests Tigers |
Tom Trbojevic |
1 |
Veiru Mapesone |
Jesse Bogle |
2 |
Ryland Jacobs |
Addison Demetriou |
3 |
Obed Karwhin |
Jesse Ramen |
4 |
Marion Seve |
Mitch Thomas |
5 |
Jayden Wheelhouse |
Will Pearsall |
6 |
Te Maire Martin (capt.) |
Nicho Hynes |
7 |
Jeremy Marshall-King |
Liam Knight |
8 |
Junior Tatola |
Hugh Pratt |
9 |
Jacob Liddle |
Jyi Seymour |
10 |
JJ Felise |
James Parker |
11 |
Esan Marsters |
Billy Bainbridge |
12 |
Bayley Sironen |
Darcy Cox |
13 |
Matthew Woods (capt.) |
Riley Travers |
14 |
John Tohi |
Luke Garner |
15 |
Pio Sokobalava |
Dallas Koen |
16 |
Raymond Stone |
Moses Noovao-McGreal |
17 |
Thomas Grealy |
David Heath |
Coach |
Brett Kimmorley |
2015 Recent Results
Wests Tigers
R23 — Wests Tigers 54 def. Newcastle Knights 12
R24 — Wests Tigers 46 def. Cronulla Sharks 20
R25 — Wests Tigers 16 drew New Zealand Warriors 16
R26 — Wests Tigers 30 def. St. George-Illawarra Dragons 26
FW1 — Wests Tigers 24 def. Canberra Raiders 22
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
R23 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 46 def. Canberra Raiders 18
R24 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 def. Parramatta Eels 16
R25 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles def. Sydney Roosters 16
R26 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 52 def. Cronulla Sharks 6
FW1 — Penrith Panthers 44 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24
2015 Head-to-Head — Played 1, Won 0, Lost 1
• R15 — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 44 def. Wests Tigers 24 (full Match Report)
Key Stats Leaders
