The Wests Tigers suffered a 36-22 defeat to the Dolphins at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Round 16 of the NRL Telstra Premiership.
The orange, black, and white drew first blood early in the contest through Sione Fainu and went into the sheds with the game well in the balance.
Benji Marshall’s side lost both Jock Madden (HIA) and Patrick Herbert (shoulder injury) throughout the first half, causing a reshuffle across the backline.
The Tigers fought back from behind on two occasions to be within striking distance of the visitors, however the Dolphins proved too strong in the end, claiming a 36-22 victory.
Key Stats:
Jarome Luai: The five-eighth had a strong afternoon, playing a heavy hand in all four of the Tigers tries.
Terrell May: The front rower recorded another impressive stint, running for over 150 metres, breaking two tackles and offloading on three occasions.
Tackles: The Tigers forwards put plenty of effort in defensively, with Koroisau, Sukkar, Fainu, and Seyfarth recording 40+ tackles each and Terrell May exceeding 50.
The Moments:
7th minute: Tigers open the scoring as Jarome Luai dribbles a perfectly weighted grubber kick into the in-goal with Sione Fainu in pursuit to plant it down. Jock Madden slots the conversion for a six-point lead.
17th minute: Kodi Nikorima plays short to Herbie Farnworth who crosses the stripe. Jamayne Isaako converts to tie it up at six apiece.
24th minute: Jock Madden leaves the field for a HIA, replaced by Heath Mason. Madden is later ruled out of the contest.
30th minute: The Tigers find their second as Luai fires a long ball to Starford To’a who steps inside his opposite man before beating another four defenders enroute to the try line, making it 10-6 in favour of the home side.
36th minute: An injury to Patrick Herbert forces him from the field, replaced by Heamasi Makasini.
37th minute: Brad Schneider plays Connelly Lemuelu through a gap for the Dolphins second. Isaako converts to give his side a 12-10 advantage.
43rd minute: Dolphins strike early in the second half with Nikorima assisting Tevita Naufahu to cross in the corner. Isaako adds the extras for an 18-10 lead.
52nd minute: A carbon copy of their opening try, the Tigers score another as Luai pokes a grubber beyond the try line and Sione Fainu is there to pounce. Heath Mason’s conversion is successful to cut the deficit to two.
66th minute: Trai Fuller skips through the line to score the Dolphins’ fourth. Isaako converts for a 24-16 lead.
71st minute: The Dolphins make a break through the middle with Nikorima claiming the try and Isaako converting to make it 30-16.
75th minute: The Tigers score a spectacular try, with Luai firing an attacking bomb into the air and Alex Seyfarth soaring through with the catch to score. Mason adds the extras to cut the deficit to eight.
77th minute: The Dolphins close out the match with a try to Isaako, sealing a 36-22 victory.
What they said:
NRL Head Coach, Benji Marshall
“We stuck to our game plan at the start, but there were a few moments there at the backend… that cost us.
“I’m proud of the boys and the resilience we showed… but there’s a lot of things we can do better.
“We lost the game, but we’ve got to get ourselves back together for next week.
