Media Reports

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WESTS TIGERS SIT IN SECOND SPOT AFTER 26 ROUNDS
By Wayne Cousins, Skilled Park
3/09/2010 10:09:50 PM

Wests Tigers currently sit in second position after 26 rounds of the Telstra Premiership following a 21-18 loss to the Gold Coast Titans tonight at Skilled Park.

The team now awaits results of the rest of the weekend’s matches to see who they play in their home qualifying final next Saturday night at the Sydney Football Stadium. It is the first time since 2005 Wests Tigers will play in the finals.

Wests Tigers appear to have no injuries from tonight’s loss.

In a match played in front of a crowd of 26,103, Wests Tigers were welcomed onto the field by their inspirational supporter in five-year-old Lleyton Giles. Lleyton and his father Wes were invited by the Wests Tigers to travel to the Gold Coast with the club.

Wests Tigers Coach Tim Sheens named Sean Meaney in the centres with Mitch Brown starting at full-back.

Wests Tigers were ambushed from the opening moments of the game.

From a scrum win, Mat Rogers put a downfield kick in the fourth minute that saw the ball bounce up for winger Kevin Gordon who regathered the ball only to lose it 10 metres from the tryline in a tackle by full-back Mitch Brown.
Two minutes later, the Titans opened the scoring with a try to lock Ashley Harrison after hooker Nathan Friend showed the ball from dummy half for Harrison to run through a small gap to beat half-back Robert Lui to score near the posts.
Captain Scott Prince converted the try for a 6-0 lead after nine minutes.
The Titans got their second try three minutes later when a pass from second-rower Greg Bird saw full-back William Zillman beat two defenders from 10 metres out to score behind the posts. Prince converted the try for a 12-0 lead after 12 minutes.
Prince left the field in the 16th minute after being tackled by prop Keith Galloway in passing the ball. It was first reported that Prince had a suspected broken right collarbone.
Wests Tigers first real attacking chance came in the 28th minute when a drop ball by the Titans on the Tigers quarter line saw centre Blake Ayshford pick up a loose pass.
Ayshford stepped, weaved and dummied before finding captain and hooker Robbie Farah in support. Farah raced 30 metres downfield but chose to kick the ball through with the defence coming instead of linking up with five-eighth Benji Marshall. The ball rolled over the dead ball line.
From the next set of six, Mat Rogers popped a field goal in the 29th minute to give the Titans a 13-0 lead.
Prince is now expected to return to the field after Titans medical staff revealed he had popped an ac joint in his right shoulder.
Wests Tigers have had to absorb enormous pressure in the opening half but have not helped their own cause with some poor hands and missed tackles. The side has also seen little ball and little chance to attack inside the Titans quarter.
2nd Half
Wests Tigers opened their account when Marshall, who looked dangerous in open space throughout the first half, ran acrossfield and showed the ball before passing it to Farah. The hooker turned the ball back inside for lock Chris Heighington to run 10 metres to score.
Marshall converted the try to leave Wests Tigers trailing 13-6 after 45 minutes.
Two minutes later, Farah darted out from dummy half to find open space and race 60 metres before passing inside to winger Lote Tuqiri to score under the posts. Marshall converted the try for a 13-12 scoreline after 49 minutes.
Video referee Steve Clark ruled no try to Brown in the 53rd minute after he tried to score from dummy half. His foot touched the sidelines before placing the ball down.
A towering and swirling bomb on the last tackle saw full-back Sean Meaney knocked the ball on in-goal in the 55th minute to give the Titans a repeat set of six from a drop out. The Titans then dropped the ball in the ensuring set.
The Titans stretched their lead in the 57th minute when a cut out pass on the last tackle by Prince saw Kevin Gordon beat the attempted tackles of centre Blake Ayshford and winger Beau Ryan to crash over in the corner for a 17-12 lead.
Prince hooked the ball in from the sideline to convert the try to give the Titans a 19-12 lead after 60 minutes.
Wests Tigers got back to within three points when a grubber kick by Farah saw Friend spill the ball which sat up for second-rower Gareth Ellis to score behind the posts.
Marshall converted the try to leave Wests Tigers trailing 19-18 after 65 minutes.
Prince elected to take a penalty attempt in the 77th minute after Robert Lui was penalised for a high shot on Bird on the first tackle from a scrum win. Prince converted the try for a 21-18 lead after 78 minutes.

Despite winning the game, the Titans failed to overtake the Wests Tigers on a poimts differential after both teams finished the regular season on 34 points.

 

[Guest]

Titans earn home play-off

Gold Coast confirmed a home final with a tight 21-18 victory over Wests Tigers at Robina on Friday evening.

The Titans ensured a top four finish with the win, which seemed close to certain at half-time when they led 13-0 after converted tries to Ashley Harrison and William Zillman, in addition to a Mat Rogers field goal.

However, the Tigers fought back in the second half and twice trailed by just a point before the Titans gave themselves enough breathing space when captain Scott Prince landed a penalty goal in the 78th minute.

Prince was a major focus of attention during the first half when he left the field with what was initially suspected to be a broken collarbone, but his condition was not as serious as first thought and he returned to action in the second term.

Alarm bells were ringing after the injury-plagued Prince ran off the field following a heavy tackle by Tigers prop Keith Galloway.

This was especially after Prince was heard telling Titans trainer Trevor Gillmeister as he ran off: "I think I have broken my collarbone".

Prince was relieved to have been cleared to return to the field, although he will undergo medical assessment in the following days.

"I thought I broke it (collarbone)," he told Grandstand.

"So not to worry, everything's seems to be pulling up okay, so we'll see the medical staff tomorrow and see how it pulls up."

While Prince returned in the second half, the jury was out on how effective he would be.

Until the 58th minute, that is.

What looked like a wounded Prince suddenly sprang to life, sprinting down the blind side to send a brilliant cut-out pass for flying winger Kevin Gordon to score what became the match winner.

Hardly satisfied, Prince then thumped over the conversion from the sideline.

On a night farewelling Rogers, the Titans also looked to have said goodbye to a home final after their solid half-time lead evaporated.

Already guaranteed a home final, the Tigers came out swinging after the break, cutting the deficit to just 13-12 by the 47th minute.

A shell-shocked Titans watched as their healthy lead was cut to just one point after Tigers captain Robbie Farah helped set up converted tries to Chris Heighington and Lote Tuqiri.

Prince's heroics made it 19-12 but it was back to one point when Titans rake Nathan Friend spilt a slippery grubber and British international Gareth Ellis pounced to score near the posts in the 64th minute.

Benji Marshall converted prior to Prince clinching the two points with his penalty goal in the shadows of full-time, but the home side still had to weather a barnstorming finish from the Tigers beyond the final siren.

Marshall threatened until the end, throwing the final pass seconds after the hooter, only for the ball to go into touch.

But the 26,103 fans still had plenty to shout about with a push and shove between Marshall and Titans prop Matt White almost sparking an all-in brawl.

It was some revenge for the Titans' heartbreaking 15-14 loss to the Tigers in round 18, sealed by Marshall's 50-metre field goal.

But it was still a gutsy effort by a Tigers outfit ravaged by injury, forcing coach Tim Sheens to dip into the NSW Cup and dust off full-back Sean Meaney, who had played just three minutes of NRL football.

While Prince returned to the field, the Titans were still dropping like flies with Brad Meyers (ribs) and Steve Michaels (shoulder) off the field for treatment by the 55th minute.

 

[Guest]

Titans hold off Tigers
September 3, 2010 - 9:34PM

Titans 21 Tigers 18

A damaged shoulder could not stop playmaker Scott Prince carrying the Gold Coast Titans to a 21-18 NRL victory over Wests Tigers at Skilled Park on Friday night, ensuring a home final.

Alarm bells were ringing after the injury-plagued Prince ran off the field midway through the first half following a heavy tackle by Wests Tigers prop Keith Galloway.

Especially after Prince was heard telling Titans trainer Trevor Gillmeister as he ran off: "I think I have broken my collarbone".

While medical staff cleared Prince to return in the second half, the jury was out on how effective he would be.

Until the 58th minute, that is.

What looked like a wounded Prince suddenly sprang to life, sprinting down the blind side to send a brilliant cut-out pass for flying winger Kevin Gordon to score what became the matchwinner.

Hardly satisfied, Prince then thumped over the conversion from the sideline.

On a night farewelling retiring dual international Mat Rogers, the Titans also looked to have said goodbye to a home final after watching a 13-0 halftime lead evaporate.

Already guaranteed a home final, Wests Tigers came out swinging in the second half, cutting the deficit to just 13-12 by the 47th minute.

Prince's heroics made it 19-12 but they still had to weather a barnstorming finish from the Tigers - beyond the fulltime siren.

Dangerman Benji Marshall threatened until the end, throwing the final pass seconds after the hooter, only for the ball to go into touch.

But the 26,103 fans still had plenty to shout about with a push and shove between Marshall and Titans prop Matt White almost sparking an all-in brawl.

It was some revenge for the Titans' heartbreaking 15-14 loss to the Wests Tigers in round 18 - sealed by Marshall's 50m field goal.

But it was still a gutsy effort by a Wests Tigers team ravaged by injury, forcing coach Tim Sheens to dip into the NSW Cup and dust off fullback Sean Meaney who had played just three minutes of NRL football.

Down 13-0, Wests Tigers made their intentions clear early by scoring two tries in as many minutes.

A shellshocked Titans watched as their healthy lead was cut to just one point after Robbie Farah helped set up tries to Chris Heighington (45th minute) and Lote Tuqiri (47th).

While Prince had returned to the field, the Titans were still dropping like flies with Brad Meyers (ribs) and Steve Michaels (shoulder) off the field for treatment by the 55th minute.

The Titans fans were back on their feet when Prince set up Gordon's 58th minute sideline try.

But it was back to one point when Titans rake Nathan Friend spilt a slippery grubber and British international Gareth Ellis pounced to score near the posts.

Prince's injury couldn't stop the Titans grabbing a 13-0 halftime lead with tries to Ash Harrison (7th) and Anthony Laffranchi (11th).

 

[Guest]

Tigers hope to learn from their slow start and then teach doubters a lesson
Glenn Jackson
September 4, 2010

WESTS TIGERS players hope to learn something out of their disastrous first half last night against the Gold Coast but then intend to hand out a lesson to the rest of the competition.

The Tigers were defeated by the Titans last night but held onto second place. However, depending on results, Penrith can still secure that position. Even though the Tigers have made their first finals series since 2005, five-eighth Benji Marshall said they still had a point to prove to some of their peers. "I don't know if we've got the respect of a lot of teams yet," he said. "We've got these semi-finals to prove that we're worthy to be there. I think when it comes down to it, now that we're in the semi finals, we'll find another gear again.

Since the Tigers' grand-final win in 2005, which some felt was a fluke, the club has given the doubters ammunition by underachieving.

"It's been a while since we played in the semis, so I'm definitely excited about it," hooker Robbie Farah said. "Come Monday I'll be pretty excited to go to training, instead of going to Mad Monday."

That said, the Tigers were hoping to learn some lessons out of their pointless first half – but were comforted by the fact it occurred during the last match of the regular season rather than the first final. "We were lucky not to be down by 30," Marshall said.

The Titans led 13-0 at half-time, but the Tigers struck back to stay within arm's length and ultimately finished higher on the competition ladder than their opponents, even though they had been defeated by them.

"We don't want to have a first half like that again," coach Tim Sheens said. "We did everything wrong. But they showed plenty of courage in the second half."

Farah added: "We couldn't play any worse. I can assure you next week we'll be starting a lot better. I think it's important that it was a strong second half and we can gain some sort of momentum going into next week. We can't finish any lower than third, and that's a positive. We could have easily been beaten by 30 after that start. But we've got to learn from that. Like any mistakes that you make, it's important that you learn from them and ensure it doesn't happen again."

The Titans showed courage. They overcame the loss of halfback Scott Prince with a shoulder problem for most of the first half. Prince thought he had broken his collarbone but received painkilling injections to return after the injury was diagnosed as an AC problem. "It was pretty sore and I thought the worst," Prince said. "I came off to get the doc to check it, and he thought I was running in to go to the toilet. I got back on and Gilly [coaching assistant Trevor Gillmeister] reminded me I was a soft bugger. But I'll just strap it up and give it the magic touch next week."

The Titans had injury problems elsewhere, with Brad Meyers (ribs), Steve Michaels (shoulder), Ashley Harrison (broken nose) and Mat Rogers (hip) suffering at times.