Stat Attack: Wests Tigers defy massive penalty count

The Wests Tigers were penalised 18 times in their thrilling 10-8 win over the Storm at AAMI Park on Saturday night – the most penalties against one team in a match in the period NRL.com Stats has penalty counts recorded.

Despite the lopsided 18-8 count (and losing a player to the sin bin for a second straight week), the Tigers rallied to score a late match-winning try.

From 2002 to now – the period we have match-by-match penalty data – the previous record was the 17 conceded by Cronulla in a horror 74-4 loss to the Eels in 2003, in which David Peachey was sin-binned then sent off, Danny Nutley was sin-binned and Dale Newton also sent off.

However that match appears to be an outlier, with four of the six most-penalised clubs going on to win their games.

Aside from the Tigers' victory last week, the Titans (twice) and Eels have won games despite conceding 15 penalties.