The Wests Tigers put on an exciting show for 17,153 fans at Leichhardt Oval this evening, convincingly defeating 2025 minor premiers the Canberra Raiders 33–14.
Despite being a man down for 10 minutes and going into halftime trailing 14–10, Benji Marshall’s side showed strong resolve on both sides of the field. They held their opposition scoreless in the second half while adding 23 points in attack.
Adam Doueihi scored his 500th point in Wests Tigers colours, finishing with two tries, four conversions and a field goal.
It was an ANZAC Round classic, as the Tigers played with grit and speed, ultimately delivering for the lively capacity crowd.
Key Stats:
Wingers: 19-year-old Luke Laulilii scored his second double in as many games at Leichhardt this season, with 156 running metres, while Sunia Turuva delivered seven tackle breaks, a line break and ran for 192 metres.
Adam Doueihi: It was a historic night for the Wests Tigers stalwart, who brought up 500 points in orange, black and white, scoring 14 points from two tries, three conversions and a field goal.
Alex Twal: The powerhouse lock delivered a strong full 80-minute performance, including 168 run metres, 19 hit-ups, three offloads and 56 tackles.
Run Metres: The Tigers continued their trend of strong yardage, with nine players surpassing 100 run metres. Terrell May lead with 201 metres, 61 of those post-contact.
Offloads: The Tigers continued their fast brand of football, recording 11 of the match’s 17 offloads.
The Moments:
6th minute: Api Koroisau launches a cross-field chip into the left corner on the last tackle. The ball rolls in the in-goal and is grounded by Luke Laulilii, scoring the opening try. Adam Doueihi converts from wide out to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
16th minute: The ball goes coast to coast through the hands of the Tigers, with Jarome Luai finding halves partner Adam Doueihi, who bursts through Ethan Sanders on the right edge to extend the lead to 10-0. The try is unconverted.
26th minute: After review from the Bunker, Api Koroisau is sin-binned for 10 minutes for a hip-drop tackle on Noah Martin.
28th minute: The Raiders capitalise on the extra man, with Matt Timoko scoring in the middle. Sanders converts, narrowing the score to 10-6.
33rd minute: Kaeo Weekes crosses on the left edge, giving the Raiders a 12-10 lead.
36th minute: Api Koroisau returns to the field.
37th minute: Jarome Luai is penalised for an escort. The Raiders take the two points, extending their lead to 14-10 heading into halftime.
41st minute: Taylan May powers over for his second try of the season, carrying defenders with him. The conversion is missed, levelling the score at 14-14.
46th minute: A Jarome Luai short ball finds Samuela Fainu, who offloads mid-tackle to Adam Doueihi. Doueihi crosses to bring up his 500th club points and converts to give the Tigers a 20-14 lead.
62nd minute: Backline movement sees Taylan May link with Luke Laulilii, who steps Timoko and scores. Doueihi converts, extending the lead to 26-14.
75th minute: Doueihi slots a field goal from in front, pushing the lead to 27-14.
79th minute: Royce Hunt seals the win, charging onto a short ball from Alex Twal and running 35 metres to score. Doueihi converts to close out the match. The Tigers conclude a historic ANZAC Round match with a 33-14 victory.
What they said:
NRL Head Coach, Benji Marshall
"On ANZAC Round, I just thought it was just such a resilient performance from our team, to be down at halftime, fight back, and essentially play the way that we talked about playing the whole preseason in the second half, and just fight to the end.
On behalf of the Tigers, thank you to all our servicemen and women for everything that they sacrifice and have sacrificed and put on the line for us to live the life that we do.
Benji Marshall NRL Head Coach
