Wests Tigers will head to Mount Smart Stadium this Sunday to take on the New Zealand Warriors knowing that they need to win to keep their finals hopes alive.
While Jason Taylor’s men will know the fate of their potential finals berth prior to the match — if Penrith lose to the Gold Coast Titans they cannot make the finals — Sunday’s game will no doubt see a sense of urgency from Wests Tigers as they look to bounce back from a comprehensive last-start 40-10 defeat to the Penrith Panthers at Pepper Stadium.
Level on points with the Warriors prior to Sunday’s game, a loss for either side would spell the end of their finals hopes heading into the final round of the regular season.
With James Tedesco (jaw) still sidelined, David Nofoaluma makes the move to fullback for the first time in his career — switching with Jordan Rankin, who moves back to the wing. Meanwhile, the Warriors will also see some changes in the backs, with Tuimoala Lolohea and Solomone Kata both named to make their return to the first-grade side.
When they met earlier in the year, it was Wests Tigers who came away with a 34-26 win over the Warriors, but much has changed for both sides since that Round 1 encounter.
With both teams coming into the match on the back of two-game losing streaks and desperate to keep their finals hopes alive, it’s shaping as a fascinating encounter indeed!
Don't miss our last home game of the year against the Raiders at Leichhardt Oval!
Match Details
Date — Sunday, August 28, 2016
Time — 2:00pm AEST (4:00pm local time)
Venue — Mount Smart Stadium, New Zealand
Match Officials
On-Field Referees — Gerard Sutton and Alan Shortall
Touch Judges — Jeff Younis and Shane Rehm
Review Officials — Ashley Klein, Steve Chiddy and Luke Patten
TV, Live Stream and Radio Information
TV —Fox Sports 1 (AUS, subscription required) and Sky Sports 2 (NZ)
Live Stream — Foxtel Go, NRL Digital Pass (subscription required)
Radio — AM 873 2GB, AM 702 ABC Grandstand
Confirmed Squads
New Zealand Warriors |
|
Wests Tigers |
David Fusitu’a |
1 |
David Nofoaluma |
Tuimoala Lolohea |
2 |
Jordan Rankin |
Blake Ayshford |
3 |
Tim Simona |
Solomone Kata |
4 |
Kevin Naiqama |
Manu Vatuvei |
5 |
Josh Addo-Carr |
Thomas Leuluai |
6 |
Mitchell Moses |
Shaun Johnson |
7 |
Luke Brooks |
Jacob Lillyman |
8 |
Aaron Woods (capt.) |
Nathaniel Roache |
9 |
Dene Halatau |
Albert Vete |
10 |
Sauaso Sue |
Bodene Thompson |
11 |
Josh Aloiai |
Ryan Hoffman (capt.) |
12 |
Chris Lawrence |
Simon Mannering |
13 |
Elijah Taylor |
Ata Hingano |
14 |
Kyle Lovett |
Sam Lisone |
15 |
Ava Seumanufagai |
Ben Matulino |
16 |
Tim Grant |
James Gavet |
17 |
Joel Edwards |
Bunty Afoa |
18 |
Michael Chee Kam |
Andrew McFadden |
Coach |
Jason Taylor |
Unavailable Players
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS — Ken Maumalo (hamstring), Isaac Luke (knee), Charlie Gubb (suspension), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (knee), Sione Lousi (knee)
WESTS TIGERS — James Tedesco (jaw), Matt Ballin (knee), Nathan Milone (knee)
2016 Recent Results
Wests Tigers
R20 — Wests Tigers 25 def. St. George-Illawarra Dragons 12
R21 — Wests Tigers 23 def. Parramatta Eels 8
R22 — Wests Tigers 26 def. North Queensland Cowboys 14
R23 — Gold Coast Titans 19 def. Wests Tigers 18
R24 — Penrith Panthers 40 def. Wests Tigers 10
New Zealand Warriors
R20 — Canberra Raiders 26 def. New Zealand Warriors 22
R21 — New Zealand Warriors 20 def. Penrith Panthers 16
R22 — New Zealand Warriors 24 def. Gold Coast Titans 14
R23 — South Sydney Rabbitohs 41 def. New Zealand Warriors 22
R24 — North Queensland Cowboys 34 def. New Zealand Warriors 6
Last Time They Met — Wests Tigers 34 def. New Zealand Warriors 26 (Rd.1, 2016)
Wests Tigers led from start to finish last time they faced the Warriors, with Curtis Sironen, Kyle Lovett, David Nofoaluma, James Tedesco and Tim Simona all scoring in the opening 40 minutes to give the home side a 28-4 half-time lead. The Warriors would do their best to fight back in the second half, before a second try to Tedesco in the final minutes sealed the win for Wests Tigers over the then-premiership heavyweights (click here for more).
The History
· Against the Warriors — Played 26, Won 13, Lost 13, Drawn 0
· At Mount Smart Stadium — Played 10, Won 4, Lost 6, Drawn 0
Player to Watch — David Fusitu’a, Fullback, New Zealand Warriors
He might have plied his trade on the wing for most of the season, but a recent switch to fullback for David Fusitu’a means the livewire back will be around the footy much more this weekend, which could lead to success for the Warriors. One of the best sideline finishers in the game, Fusitu’a is the Warriors second top-try scorer of the year with 11 in 16 games, with 14 linebreaks and an average of 135 metres per game, and will no doubt be in the thick of whatever the home side’s attack produces on Sunday.
Three Final Facts
— Tim Simona has scored five tries in his last four games against the Warriors
— Wests Tigers have not beaten the Warriors twice in the same season since 2011
— Wests Tigers average 27.8 points for in their last 10 games against the Warriors
