Media Reports

[Guest]

Tigers pip Broncos
July 3, 2010 - 9:57PM

Wests Tigers 16 Brisbane Broncos 14

Many believed Robbie Farah was unlucky not to have been picked for NSW in the Origin III side.

Certainly the Brisbane Broncos surely wished he had after Farah inspired the Wests Tigers' last gasp 16-14 NRL victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

For the record, Michael Ennis was safely tucked away in the Blues camp after being retained as NSW hooker for Wednesday night's dead rubber against Queensland in Sydney.

It ensured Farah ran out for the third-placed Wests Tigers at a wet and miserable Suncorp Stadium - much to the Broncos' frustration.

The Baby Broncos looked to have truly come of age when they were in sight of their seventh win in eight games while leading 14-12 in the dying minutes in front of 30,127 screaming fans.

Enter Farah.

The Wests Tigers hooker showed uncanny poise as he directed a pin-point cross-field kick to Mitch Brown who crashed over in the 78th minute for the match-winning try.

A fifth win in six games entrenched the Wests Tigers (9-6 record) in the top four - and broke hearts in the Broncos ranks.

At one stage battling with a 2-6 record, the Broncos (8-8 record) had jumped from second-last to have a serious crack at the top four in 2010.

However, the Broncos will go into the bye following the Origin dead rubber wondering what might have been thanks to Farah's heroics.

WESTS TIGERS 16 (M Brown C Lawrence B Marshall tries B Marshall 2 goals) bt BRISBANE 14 (G Beale B Te'o tries C Parker 3 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 30,127

 

[Guest]

WESTS TIGERS BEAT BRISBANE 16-14 IN AWFUL PERFORMANCE
By Wayne Cousins
2/07/2010 10:38:19 PM

Wests Tigers turned in a very ordinary performance tonight before escaping with a 16-14 victory over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round 17 of the Telstra Premiership.

In a match the Broncos all but should have won, Wests Tigers were fortunate enough to take the two vital competition points to keep them in third place on 22 points. It was the Wests Tigers' fifth win in six matches.

With big guns Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday and Israel Folau missing because of Origin duties, Wests Tigers started long odds on favourites against the baby Broncos but someone forgot to tell the home side.

In a match played in cold conditions, Wests Tigers wore the Western Suburbs Magpies heritage jerseyafter the NRL knocked back the club's orange and black jerseys.

The NRL believed the jerseys clashed with the Broncos jersey. As the away team, Wests Tigers had no choice in the decision

In team positional changes, Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence moved to five-eighth with Benji Marshall at half-back.

Geoff Daniela moved from the wing to start at centre with Daniel Fitzhenry, originally named at half-back, moving to the wing to replace Daniela.

Wests Tigers got off to a nice start when the Broncos kicked the ball dead from the start.

From the penalty, Wests Tigers went inside the Broncos quarter before Lawrence showed the ball to his left before surging through two defenders to score in the opening minute.

Marshall converted the try to give Wests Tigers a 6-0 lead after two minutes.

Wests Tigers then had to soak up some early pressure inside their quarter but the defence was strong.

The Broncos were given another prefect opportunity inside the Wests Tigers quarter after winger Daniel Fitzhenry threw a forward pass from dummy half in the 13th minute. Just a play earlier, second-rower Todd Payten got down low to pick up a grubber kick in front of his posts.

Fortunately for the Wests Tigers, the Broncos came up with a mistake to let the pressure off.

The Broncos applied some more pressure and it paid off when former Wests Tigers player Ben Te'o ran straight through a gap and the attempted grab by centre Blake Ayshford to score out wide.

Lock and captain Corey Parker converted the try for a 6-6 scoreline after 18 minutes.

Wests Tigers made some very ordinary mistakes through poor handling and play the balls in the opening 30 minutes.

Brisbane were looking dangerous when five-eighth Corey Norman found a crack in the defence 10 metres out in a run in which he almost lost his shorts.

The next play, Broncos half-back Peter Wallace put through a kick which was taken by hooker Robbie Farah, who quickly offloaded the ball for Marshall to race away in open space to score an 85 metre try under the posts.

Marshall converted the try to give Wests Tigers a 12-6 lead.

Parker converted a penalty goal in the final seconds of the first half to leave Wests Tigers with a 12-8 lead at the break in what was a mistake riddled first half from both sides.

2nd Half
Wests Tigers prop Keith Galloway looked certain to score from five metres out in the 42nd minute but the Broncos swarmed on him before Galloway popped the ball out the back door only for the home side to pounce on it.

The Broncos drew level when a crossfield bomb by Ben Hunt saw winger Daniel Fitzhenry fumble it. Winger Antonio Winterstein contested the ball but didn't touch it before Gerard Beale pounced on the ball to score. Parker converted the try to give Brisbane a 14-12 lead after 51 minutes.

Wests Tigers had their opportunities inside the final 10 minutes to score
but kept being denied until some brilliant work by hooker Robbie Farah saw replacement back Mitch Brown score.

With two minutes remaining, Farah put a crossfield kick over the top of the Broncos defence for Brown to stand still to catch it before diving over the tryline to score.

Marshall failed to convert the try from the sideline for a 16-14 lead.

The Broncos had one final shot when winger Lote Tuqiri knocked on. The Broncos put a kick through from a scrum win before Tuqiri forced the ball dead to record a lucky win.

Wests Tigers were very ordinary in all aspects against the much more determined young Brisbane outfit. Marshall's kicking game was also poor.

Marshall admitted his side was lucky to get away with the win.

"We dropped too much drop ball. If we want to get serious in this competition, we need to get our completions in order,'' Marshall said.

"We got the two points in the end but we need to take a good look at ourselves next week."

Wests Tigers now take on Gold Coast Titans at Campbelltown Sports Stadium next Friday night.

TOYOTA CUP
Earlier tonight, Wests Tigers got their Toyota Cup campaign back on track with a hard fought 20-16 victory.

Winger Faleula Finau made a successful return from injury in scoring two tries. Half Liam Ayoub and prop Junior Roqica also scored tries.

Wests Tigers used three goal-kickers in the match with Jay Florimo kicking one from two and Patrick Politoni landing a penalty goal. Forward Ben Murdoch-Masila missed with his only attempt.

The win moves Wests Tigers to second place subject to weekend results.

 

[Guest]

Farah inspires Tigers to victory

Updated July 2, 2010 22:21:00

Slideshow: Photo 1 of 2
Tigers celebrate win over Broncos
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Some Robbie Farah brilliance stole the Wests Tigers a 16-14 victory over Brisbane at a wet and slippery Lang Park on Friday night.

The Tigers, trailing 14-12 with less than three minutes on the clock, were camped on the Broncos' line when Farah chipped a short bomb from dummy half to Mitch Brown, who was lurking down the left flank.

Brown made no mistake about getting the ball across the stripe, giving the Tigers their ninth win of the season and consolidating third place on the ladder.

The defeat cost the Broncos the chance of moving into the top four, although their cause was not helped by their State of Origin contingent being unavailable.

Tigers winger Lote Tuqiri, making his first appearance against his former club since returning to rugby league, admitted the visitors left it late to secure the two points.

"We got out of jail there at the end," he told Grandstand.

"But I guess that's the way we've wanted to play it this year, mentally tough.

"We got there in the end, we just plugged and plugged away. It was awesome to come up here and get the result."

Broncos stand-in captain Corey Parker highlighted the hurt his side felt to lose at the death.

"It was a tough night at the office," he said.

"It's unfortunate we had to lose that way."

After trailing 12-8 at half-time, the Broncos looked to have sealed the result when late inclusion Gerard Beale crashed over in the 50th minute.

Parker's conversion gave the Broncos their 14-12 buffer and although they had a series of attacking chances to extend their advantage on the scoreboard, they were ultimately denied by the quick thinking of Farah.

Early score

The Tigers initially looked like a team that had won four of their last five matches when they jumped to the lead in just the second minute of play.

Likened to Laurie Daley after being switched from centre to pivot for the Broncos clash, Chris Lawrence quickly lived up to the hype when he dummied and crashed over following the opening exchanges.

But their shocking error rate eventually played into the Broncos' hands and it was not a surprise when Brisbane locked up the scores when utility Ben Te'o ran off Peter Wallace to score in the 17th minute.

The Broncos appeared to be in control until the Tigers turned the match on its head in the 33rd minute.

Wallace appeared to have the Tigers on the back foot but his kick was snaffled up just metres from the opposition's line by Farah, who unleashed a rampaging Benji Marshall in a stunning 90-metre effort that gifted the visitors a 12-6 lead.

 

[Cat_amp_Fiddle]

Winners Are Grinners

 

[galahs]

In a match played in cold conditions, Wests Tigers wore the Western Suburbs Magpies heritage jerseyafter the NRL knocked back the club's orange and black jerseys.
>
The NRL believed the jerseys clashed with the Broncos jersey. As the away team, Wests Tigers had no choice in the decision

interesting pen_mouth:

 

[Guest]

Wests Tigers snatch late victory over Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium
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July 02, 2010

Wests Tigers turned an insipid performance in to competition points with a last-gasp try to deny an under-strength Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.

A try in the corner to Mitch Brown from a cross-field Robbie Farah kick in the 78th minute handed the Tigers a 16-14 victory after the Broncos had dominated territory and possession for almost the entire match.

But it was still hard to wipe the smile off Broncos coach Ivan Henjak's face afterwards.

"I am proud of them. We didn't deserve that - sometimes it (footy) is cruel,'' he said.

"I don't think they (Wests Tigers) earned too many of their points tonight.

"We just couldn't put the final touch to it. It was one of those nights - I was proud of them.''

Despite being without their Origin contingent of Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau and Sam Thaiday, the Broncos were in sight of their seventh win in eight games when they led 14-12 in the dying minutes in front of 30,127 screaming fans.

"I don't want to deflect away from those guys (Origin contingent not playing) - we just weren't good enough tonight,'' Henjak said.

''(But) the first eight weeks we were the worst defensive team statistically and in the next eight weeks we would go close to being the best team in points scored against us.

"The players deserve a tremendous rap for the way they turned it around.

"We won't lose any confidence from that performance - if anything it would have grown.''

After trailing 12-8 at halftime, the Broncos looked to have sealed the result in miserable conditions when last minute entry Gerard Beale crashed over in the 50th minute to give the hosts a 14-12 buffer.

But the visitors weren't to be denied thanks to Farah.

"They would probably consider themselves unlucky but I consider that a game where we showed plenty of character,'' Tigers coach Tim Sheens said.

Farah said he followed his instincts in the dying minutes in what proved a match winning play.

"Benji (Marshall) called for a kick and was chasing through for the grubber but I saw the space out wide,'' he said.

"I knew if I put it in the right spot we were a chance - Mitch was good enough to score the try.

"The last five or six weeks we haven't been too pretty in our wins - there's a lot of room for improvement in our game.''

In the only concern for Sheens, Gareth Ellis (groin) is in a "fair amount of doubt'' for next week's clash with the Gold Coast Titans at Campbelltown Stadium.

 

[westTAHger]

wests-tigers ground out a win, in not so favourable conditions.
need to have better ball control & look forward to better performance against titans.

 

[Guest]

Farah's last-minute punt hits the jackpot for Tigers
STEVE MASCORD
July 3, 2010

WESTS TIGERS captain Robbie Farah last night told how he ignored a call from Benji Marshall on one of the last plays in a nailbiting clash with Brisbane before laying on the winning try for replacement Mitch Brown.

After just seven minutes on the field, former Cronulla winger Brown fielded hooker Farah's kick to get the joint venture out of jail with 1:55 left at Suncorp Stadium, when they looked set to fall victim once more to the Baby Broncos.

"It happened pretty quick but the clock was running down and Benji called for the kick," Farah said. "He was obviously chasing through for the grubber. But I saw their winger sort of read it and drop in behind, I saw the space out wide and knew if I put it somewhere in the right spot we were a chance. Mitch was good enough to score the try."

Asked what Marshall would have said if the play didn't come off, Farah shrugged. "I had the ball in my hands - it was my call," he said.

The Broncos were without Maroons Darren Lockyer, Israel Folau and Sam Thaiday plus the injured Justin Hodges. Yet 30,127 of their fans showed up to see them. And against a team boasting NSW snub-ies Farah, Chris Heighington and Chris Lawrence, New Zealand captain Marshall, England back-rower Gareth Ellis and unwanted Maroon Lote Tuqiri, they very nearly won.

Tim Sheens's side did manage to lead 12-8 at half-time. But 10 minutes into the second session, with the rain beginning to fall, Broncos replacement Ben Hunt hoisted a bomb, teammate Antonio Winterstein went up for it and late inclusion Gerard Beale claimed a try. Captain Corey Parker gave his side the lead with the conversion from next to the posts.

And then the much older, more experienced, Tigers tried desperately to stop the home side from putting the game away. Brisbane second-rower Ashton Sims went close to doing so. Tigers interchange forward Andrew Fifita knocked on in attack. Winterstein cleaned up a kick just in the nick of time.

But with the clock ticking down, hooker Farah kicked to the western wing. Brown took the kick, spun in a tackle and dived over to spare his side's blushes.

Brisbane were without their galaxy of stars and in the first half it looked as though the Tigers were going out in sympathy for their depleted opponents. Kicks went out on the full and the ball was lost in the ruck three times as both teams bumbled their way through the opening exchanges.

It was Parker's kick-off that went out that allowed the joint venture side to score after just one minute, makeshift five-eighth Lawrence throwing a dummy and carrying Ben Te'o and Josh Hoffman over the line with him from close range. Marshall's conversion for 6-0 was straightforward but the next 17 minutes was best forgotten as Brisbane and the Tigers struggled to complete sets let alone score points.

One of the more unsightly gaffes was Tigers winger Daniel Fitzhenry throwing a forward pass to halfback Marshall from dummy-half less than 10 metres from their own try line. When Lawrence was ruled to have fumbled in the ruck - he hotly contested the call - the Broncos finally managed to score. Peter Wallace put centre Te'o over at 18 minutes, with Parker levelling the scores. Any momentum Ivan Henjak's side had built from that try was erased when the Tigers found touch from the kick-off.

Broncos winger Jharal Yow Yeh thumped Tigers fullback Wade McKinnon in a legitimate bellringer in the 28th minute and soon afterwards, Te'o roared into the clear but was run down by returning Bronco alumni Tuqiri.

The Tigers relied on the Farah-Marshall combination to extend their lead in the 34th minute, Farah collected a tactical kick on the full and the ball was hurriedly shovelled to Marshall, who left the recovering defence in his wake as he raced 85 metres to score between the posts.

A penalty right on half-time allowed Parker's goal to narrow the margin to four.

 

[Guest]

Wests Tigers beat Brisbane Broncos in NRL round 17 clash

* By Josh Massoud
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* July 03, 2010 12:00AM

IN HIS other life as a spear-fishing enthusiast, Mitch Brown's biggest catch thus far has been a sizeable bream.

"I only use a hand-spear, so I don't get to catch that many big ones," he said.

Last night, however, Brown eclipsed that haul with his fingertips, which landed Wests Tigers two premiership points that could prove more precious than any bounty the ocean has to offer.

With just two minutes remaining and his side headed for defeat against an under-manned yet overly committed Brisbane side, the former Shark proved to be an unlikely saviour when he reeled in a precise Robbie Farah cross-kick to hand the visitors an against-the-odds win.

Incredibly, Brown had only entered the rain-soaked fray four minutes earlier and travelled to a healthily populated Suncorp Stadium after going around for NSW Cup feeder side Balmain before a handful of fans at Leichhardt Oval the previous weekend.

But the centre's presence out wide was still enough to overshadow Tigers superstar Benji Marshall, who desperately called for Farah to execute a grubber on the inside as the Tigers rolled the dice for the final time.

"I thought the grubber was on, so I was up a bit flatter than normal and got in front of him [opposite winger Jharal Yow Yeh]," Brown said after his eighth appearance for the Tigers this season. "From there it just happened.

"And that was a bit better than playing in front of 50 people at Leichhardt Oval."

More accustomed to producing plays to befit big occasions, Farah said he was compelled to ignore Marshall after noticing the panicked Broncos stampede had left two Tigers roaming free on the left.

"It all happened pretty quick," Farah said. "The clock was running down. Benji called for the kick and wanted to chase through the grubber. But I saw their winger had come up and left space out wide. Mitch was good enough to pick it up and score."

Both Farah and coach Tim Sheens conceded the Tigers had used a "get-out-of-jail-free card" to make a triumphant escape from the greasy Cauldron. Although they trailed 12-8 at halftime, the Broncos dominated field position and territory after conceding a try to new Tigers five-eighth Chris Lawrence in just the second minute.

Minus more than a third of their salary cap in star Origin trio Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday and Israel Folau, Brisbane's youngsters stepped up admirably as the Tigers struggled to maintain ball control.

Half Peter Wallace produced his best kicking game of the season, and when Gerard Beale put the Broncos in front for the first time from a bomb with half an hour remaining a courageous victory beckoned.

But in the face of relentless attack, the Tigers defence was equally brave. As Brisbane pressed for the match-winner in the final 15 minutes, desperation tackles held up Ashton Sims and prevented Norman from grabbing a double after a Wallace bomb deflected from the posts.

Sheens was beaming at his team's ticker afterwards, especially after losing strike forward Gareth Ellis to an adductor strain that will keep the Englishman out for at least a week.The coach also revealed that Farah was a doubtful starter after sustaining an ankle injury in last weekend's heavy loss to St George Illawarra.

"We're proud of our blokes," Sheens said. "We were under duress. We went into the game with a few issues and a new five-eighth in the side."

Although Lawrence was quiet after his blockbusting start, Sheens said he was encouraged enough with the local junior's scrumbase effort to persist as the Tigers look to cement their top-four spot over the next month.

**"I was happy with how the halves went," Sheens said. "Benji has been playing first and second receiver all year. But I keep naming him at six because if I name him at seven everyone gets up me."**

WESTS TIGERS 16 (M Brown C Lawrence B Marshall tries B Marshall 2 goals) bt BRISBANE 14 (G Beale B Te'o tries C Parker 3 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referees: Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 30,127.

 

[Guest]

Wests Tigers win over Brisbane eases Origin pain for Robbie Farah

By Laine Clark
July 03, 2010

For Robbie Farah, winning a game that "we didn't deserve" made up somewhat for missing out on the New South Wales Origin jumper he believed he had earned.

Still smarting from his Blues selection snub, Farah regained his composure to prove the difference in the Wests Tigers' last gasp 16-14 win over the Broncos in Brisbane on Friday night.

"It is very disappointing not to be there (in NSW camp), but it helps when you come back here and get away with the two points,'' Farah said.

"It would be even worse if I wasn't making Origin and we were losing footy games - things are a little bit rosier.

''(But) we didn't deserve to win that game, I don't think.

"They (Broncos) would be looking at it as two points that got away.''

The Wests Tigers (9-6 record) remained in third spot with their fifth win in six games, ensuring one of Farah's most difficult weeks at least had a happy ending.
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Farah considered himself unlucky not to be part of the sweeping changes made to the NSW side for the third Origin against the all-conquering Maroons in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Certainly the Broncos hoped he had been picked after Farah capped a classy display in the wet by setting up the 78th minute match-winning try for bench back Mitch Brown.

For the record, it was Michael Ennis tucked away in NSW camp after being retained as the Blues No.9.

Not that Farah has given up hope on usurping his great rival.

"It hurt me pretty bad not getting the opportunity to play Origin this year,'' Farah said.

"I always thought I was a chance. Especially after they lost the first two games.

"I have been happy with my form to be honest.

"But it wasn't to be. That's the way they decided to go.''

However, Farah warned his rival not to get too comfortable in the Blues jersey.

"We are going for the same jumper - we will keep at it each other for the rest of our careers I would say,'' Farah said.

"As long as we are still playing we will both be scrapping over that Origin jumper - I enjoy it.''

The Wests Tigers enjoyed 2005 premiership success by blinding sides with their brilliance.

But Farah said the latest Wests Tigers model were prepared to get ugly in a bid to again savour title glory.

"The last five or six weeks we haven't been too pretty in our wins,'' he said.

"But we have spoken about sometimes it is not always about the performance - it is about the result.

No matter how ugly it has got to be just do anything you can to win the game, and that is what we are doing.''