The Wests Tigers have made it two from two in the Witzer Pre-season Challenge, running out 26-12 winners over the Penrith Panthers at Leichhardt Oval.
It was a strong performance from the Tigers, who picked up where they left off the week prior against the Sydney Roosters, this time with a host of senior players making their first appearance for 2026.
There were some late changes for Benji Marshall’s side ahead of kick-off, with Kai Pearce-Paul omitted from the match day squad as a precaution due to calf tightness, and Kit Laulilii ruled out as he goes through HIA protocols.
The sides exchanged blows in the early stages of the first half, with Adam Doueihi imposing himself on the game in the halves alongside Jarome Luai.
After a tight first half, both teams began to ring the changes, making use of their large match day squads.
The Tigers would go on to finish the match with three straight tries to round out a strong set of pre-season hit outs.
The moments:
9th minute: Brian To'o opens the scoring down the right edge. Nathan Cleary converts and it's an early 6-0 lead to the visitors.
15th minute: Samuela Fainu is awarded a try after a kick and regather. The Bunker rules that he’s knocked the ball on, but only after Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards infringes first.
16th minute: An attacking raid on the right edge sees Jahream Bula taking an Adam Doueihi offload and scooting out to score.
19th minute: Tigers go back-to-back with Heamasi Makasini streaming down the left-hand side after some sharp build up from Jarome Luai, the young winger beats multiple defenders to score a spectacular try.
22nd minute: Blaize Taulagi kicks for Paul Alamoti who brings the ball down over the head of Bula and score.
69th minute: The Tigers make their way in front on the scoreboard after a Javon Andrews kick into the in-goal is chased by Lachlan Broederlow to claim a try.
80th minute: Heath Mason chases another good Andrews kick into the in-goal and gives the Tigers their third second-half try in a row. Madden's conversion attempt is successful after the siren to seal a 26-12 win.
What they said...
Jarome Luai:
“I take a lot of pride in my edge and my combinations and getting the best out of them. There are some pretty good weapons out there and it’s my responsibility to let them shine and do their thing. I think they did a good job tonight.
“The way the boys have been training they’re really ramping it up, we’ve got some good competition there [with the NSW Cup squad] so they’ll keep us on our toes and we’ll get some reps in the bank before Round 2.”
Benji Marshall:
“Just getting through unscathed, with no major injuries – which is a good thing. It’s been a long pre-season, so to see some of those guys get out there and have a go, I’m really happy with it.
“One thing we’ve talked about is making sure we wear the jersey with pride. I think that’s something you can’t take for granted. Playing NRL is a privilege and playing for this Club is privilege. We need to make sure we represent that every time and I thought in particular those young blokes in the second half did that.”
