Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg side will head across the ditch to face the New Zealand Warriors at home in the final game of the regular season with their finals hopes firmly on the line.
Six weeks ago, Wests Tigers' hopes at a top eight finish were seemingly done and dusted before an incredible winning run has put Wayne Lambkin's side on the verge of an unlikely finals berth in season 2019.
Wests Tigers have reeled off five straight wins — including a number of stunning upsets over top four sides — to move level with the eighth-placed Dragons heading in to the final round of the season, and will be hoping to make it win number six on Saturday morning and earn themselves a shot at September footy.
The equation for Wests Tigers is simple: win against the New Zealand Warriors and hope that any of three other results later in the day goes in their favour...
Warriors (10th) vs. Wests Tigers (9th)
Saturday, 9:00am AEST at Mount Smart Stadium, New Zealand
Kicking off the final round of Jersey Flegg action, Wests Tigers won't know what their finals fate is by kickoff — making it a relatively easy game to approach.
Incredibly, Wests Tigers kicked off their season with a clash against the Warriors in Round 2 that saw the two sides finish with a thrilling 28-28 draw.
It's been an up-and-down season for the two sides since then; the Warriors have produced some remarkable performances against the Sharks, Roosters and several other top sides, but have also been guilty of dropping points in games they really should have won with just one win from their past four matches.
It certainly won't be an easy game across the ditch for Wests Tigers — since Round 8, the home side have lost just once at Mount Smart Stadium with a two-point defeat to the top-of-the-table Sydney Roosters last fortnight.
Match: Warriors v Wests Tigers
Round 24 -
home Team
Warriors
away Team
Wests Tigers
Venue: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Dragons (8th) vs. Raiders (5th)
Saturday, 12:00pm AEST at Ziems Park, Wollongong
Level on points with Wests Tigers, the Dragons can book their spot in the finals with a win on Saturday given their superior for-and-against. Wests Tigers will be hoping that the Raiders can get the job done on the road, however, with a win for the Green Machine likely to earn Canberra an all-important top four spot.
If that result doesn't go the way Wests Tigers need, there are other alternatives...
Rabbitohs (6th) vs. Roosters (2nd)
Saturday, 2:15pm at Metricon High Performance Centre, Sydney
With a 56-point differential between the Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers heading in to Round 25, this might be a bit tougher to make it work on the day.
Wests Tigers would need to win big against the Warriors and then hope that the Roosters — who can clinch the minor premiership with a big win — do a job over the cardinal and myrtle in their final regular season game.
It does seem unlikely given the attacking prowess that South Sydney have shown this year, but 56 is the magical number if it comes down to this one.
Bulldogs (7th) vs. Thunderbolts (12th)
Saturday, 3:00pm at Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
The final option for Wests Tigers — if the other results haven't gone their way — is another tough one to see happening with the Bulldogs needing to lose against the last-placed Victoria Thunderbolts, whom Wests Tigers just beat on the weekend.
Victoria haven't won a game in New South Wales this season and have won just three games all year, so an upset does seem unlikely — but you never know!
The two sides played out an 18-18 draw when they met earlier this year, while the Bulldogs have won just two games since their Round 17 bye.
If the other results haven't gone the way Wests Tigers need, then it'll be all eyes on Belmore for a last-game miracle to try and make it in to the finals!
