Report: NRL Round 18 vs Roosters

After leading by as much as 18 points in the second half, the Tigers held off a fast-finishing Roosters outfit in a dramatic final five minutes to snap a six-game losing streak and register their sixth win of the season.

Led by a masterful performance from classy five-eighth Adam Doueihi and buoyed by a try from each of the Fainu brothers (a feat never achieved before in NRL history), the Tigers stunned the home crowd early with three first-half tries and a defensive grit that set the tone for the afternoon.

It was a dream start for the Tigers, who opened the scoring in the 9th minute when Charlie Staines finished off a short-side raid after a brilliant offload from Starford To’a.

After Doueihi slotted a penalty goal, a spilt ball from Roosters halfback Hugo Savala was pounced on by Latu Fainu, who sprinted 50 metres to extend the Tigers’ lead to 14-0.

With the Roosters still reeling, the Tigers struck again in the 29th minute through Sione Fainu, who twisted and powered his way over from close range off a clever pass from Tristan Hope.

At 20-0, Wests were brimming with confidence, but the Roosters clawed their way back into the contest with two quick tries before the break, through Daniel Tupou and Mark Nawaqanitawase, trimming the margin to 20-10 at half-time.

Doueihi continued to orchestrate the Tigers attack in the second half, laying on a beautifully timed short ball for Samuela Fainu to score in the 43rd minute, restoring a 16-point buffer.

Another Doueihi penalty goal followed, before the Roosters hit back through Savala and Nawaqanitawase to close the gap to 28-22. However, a third penalty goal for Wests Tigers in the 78th minute proved decisive, nudging the visitors ahead by eight with under two minutes to play.

A late try to James Tedesco in the dying seconds added drama to an already chaotic finish, but it wasn’t enough to deny the Tigers, who celebrated a well-earned 30-28 win, their first since Round 9.

The victory was built on execution, resilience, and energy across the park. The Fainu brothers were immense, Sunia Turuva looked assured in his first game at fullback, and Alex Twal led courageously in his debut match as an NRL captain.

Wests Tigers will look to carry the momentum into next week's match against the Warriors as they aim to string together consecutive wins for the first time since May.

Wests Tigers 30 (Staines, L. Fainu, Si. Fainu, Sa. Fainu tries; Doueihi 7/7 goals) defeated Roosters 28 (Nawaqanitawase 2, Tupou, Savala, Tedesco tries; Smith 4/5 goals) at Allianz Stadium.