Media Reports

[Guest]

WESTS TIGERS CRUSH PENRITH 30-0 IN NRL
By Wayne Cousins
15/04/2012 4:59:25 PM

Wests Tigers returned to the winners circle today with an emphatic 30-0 victory over Penrith Panthers in round 7 of the Telstra Premiership.

It was the much needed victory the Wests Tigers have been working hard for over the past few weeks following five consecutive losses.

The win was even more commanding considering Wests Tigers lost hooker and captain Robbie Farah with concussion in the 13th minute. The team also were without international second-rowers Gareth Ellis and Chris Heighington, prop Matt Groat, and winger Matt Utai.

The victory also capped off a fine day for Wests Tigers and was the first time this season that the NRL and NYC teams recorded wins on the same day.

Wests Tigers opened the scoring in the 4th minute when five-eighth Benji Marshall showed the ball before holding it up well to send second-rower Adam Blair over out wide. Marshall converted the try for a 6-0 lead after 6 minutes.

Hooker and captain Robbie Farah walked from the field in the 13th minute with concussion after his head collided into prop Dayne Weston's leg. He didn't return to the field, leaving Wests Tigers with three men on the interchange bench.
Video referee Russell Smith ruled no try to Penrith in the 20th minute after full-back Lachlan Coote had his foot on the dead ball line in trying to score from a grubber kick knocked back by Luke Lewis.

Wests Tigers took advantage from the re-start when talented young prop Aaron Woods made a strong break up the middle before offloading to centre Joel Reddy who offloaded for full-back Tim Moltzen to score next to the posts. Marshall converted the try for a 12-0 lead after 21 minutes.

A well held short ball by Marshall put giant prop Ray Cashmere over for a try in the 28th minute in his first game for the Club since 2005 after re-joining Wests Tigers this week from NSW Cup side Illawarra Cutters.

Marshall converted the try to give Wests Tigers an 18-0 lead after 29 minutes. The score remained that way till half-time.

2nd Half
Wests Tigers were solid in the first 20 minutes of the second half in defence with little real attacking opportunities.

The scoring continued for Wests Tigers in the 62nd minute when half-back turned fill in hooker Tom Humble dived over from dummy half after a long run a few tackles earlier by centre Joel Reddy who defused a Luke Walsh crossfield bomb. Marshall converted the try for a 24-0 lead.

Wests Tigers continued the pointscoring in the 75th minute when winger Lote Tuqiri made a break to link up with Marshall who sent full-back Tim Moltzen over in the corner. Marshall converted the try for a 30-0 lead.

 

[Guest]

Tigers stop the rot with rout of Panthers
April 15, 2012 - 5:17PM

An injury-ravaged Wests Tigers ended a run of five successive NRL defeats with a comfortable 30-0 away win over Penrith in a low-key clash on Sunday.

First-half tries from Adam Blair, Tim Moltzen and Ray Cashmere laid the foundations for the win against a woeful Panthers side, who failed to trouble the scorers for a second successive week, in front of a crowd of 15,759.

The Tigers went into the game without influential back-rowers Gareth Ellis and Chris Heighington and lost skipper Robbie Farah for the game after 13 minutes when he was helped off the field with concussion.

However, it made little difference as Tim Sheens' side dominated the first period with Blair going over in the fifth minute after Sandor Earl knocked on in front of his own posts to give the visitors excellent field position.

Farah joined the Tigers' walking wounded list when he put his head in the wrong position when tackling Dayne Weston and was poleaxed by the hip of the big front-rower.

The setback failed to ruffle the Tigers and they extended their lead when Moltzen put the finishing touches to a fine move started by a powerful run from prop Aaron Woods.

Cashmere added a third four-pointer from close range on the half-hour mark after latching onto a no-look pass from Benji Marshall and rumbling his way to the line.

At the start of the second period, the Panthers lost five-eighth Travis Burns, also to concussion, and with it any efficiency in attack, as they failed to score for the second successive week, following Monday's 30-0 loss to Manly.

Young five-eighth Blake Austin butchered the best chance of the game for the hosts midway through the second half but, with the try at his mercy, he inexplicably slipped over, centimetres from the line and lost the ball.

The Tigers made them pay for the error when Tom Humble lunged over from close range after a good run from Joel Reddy with Marshall adding his fourth goal of the day.

The joint venture saved their best until last three minutes from time when Marshall, who was largely subdued for most of the game, broke free and released Moltzen who raced over for his second try.

 

[weststigers4life]

Nice work willow
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[Guest]

All over before half-time as stars regain stripes with solid effort
Glenn Jackson
April 16, 2012

Panthers 0 Tigers 30
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It remains to be seen whether this result will be a season-turning one for Wests Tigers, but it was history-making. In the 12 years of the merger, never had they held a team scoreless. Until yesterday, that is, when they eased the pressure on themselves while piling some more onto their opponents.

Penrith, almost as remarkably, have not scored a point in three hours of football; this was their second consecutive scoreless scoresheet - they lost by the same scoreline, to Manly, last week.

Advertisement: Story continues below One team going from zero to hero; the other from zero to zero.

How quickly fortunes can turn. Five straight losses for the Tigers were not quite forgotten, but certainly cast aside for a while as they produced a consistent performance, and a defensively sound one. That said, it was something bordering on a miracle that the Panthers did not score a point, having given themselves a number of sound opportunities to do so, but the Tigers' defence should be credited too.

''We've been losing games on our own terms, not by the other teams,'' Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall said.

That is largely true. Sometimes, having wounded troops is cancelled out by having wounded pride. The Tigers, without Gareth Ellis and Chris Heighington - and captain Robbie Farah for most of yesterday's match - have been stung by criticism of their form, which had been poor over the competition's opening six rounds.

They were expected to win yesterday, but that was largely irrelevant - they have been expected to win most of their matches this season. But on this occasion, the Tigers started well and gained confidence, in complete contrast to Penrith. They started poorly, and were unable to find their own missing confidence.

For the Tigers, the passes that had previously been going awry began to stick. Marshall's short ball gave his fellow New Zealander Adam Blair a fifth-minute try. The Tigers lost Farah not long after; the skipper went into a tackle on Penrith prop Dayne Weston awkwardly, and his head collided with the hip of his opponent.

But while the Tigers had struggled previously in the two matches they were without their skipper, they had gained enough momentum and confidence in the opening minutes not to fall away again.

Aaron Woods's offload after 21 minutes was a case in point. Elsewhere this season Woods's ball would have fallen to the grass, but Joel Reddy stormed onto it, ultimately giving fullback Tim Moltzen a try. Moltzen, more than anyone in the Tigers' outfit, needed a shot of confidence, having struggled under the high ball against Brisbane last round.

It was a 12-point turnaround too. Fullback Lachlan Coote was denied a try by video referee Russell Smith moments earlier, having put little more than a toenail on the dead-ball line as he grounded the ball.

The Tigers effectively put the game to bed just before the half-hour mark, when Marshall produced a carbon-copy of the play that gave them their first try; a Marshall short ball to Ray Cashmere.

The Tigers roped Cashmere in from the Illawarra Cutters as their young forwards struggled to cope without some senior players around them. His contribution was hardly game-breaking but it was still an effective one.

The Tigers had similar contributions across the park, which was telling for them. Few players stood out. No one was exceptional, but importantly, no one was dreadful.

Halfback Tom Humble was another solid performer. He put the result beyond doubt, during a rather forgettable second half, with a try. Once again, it came not long after the Panthers almost scored themselves. Had Blake Austin pinned his ears back, he would surely have scored, but he attempted to step Moltzen, and his left foot dug into the turf.

The hole wasn't big enough for him to crawl into. Humble scored soon after.

A team which has been humbled so far this season has suddenly woken up.

 

[Guest]

Benji marshalls the troops as team effort ensures Tigers finally fire without Farah
Michael Chammas - SMH
April 16, 2012
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THE Wests Tigers have learnt how to win without hooker Robbie Farah, who was yesterday named in the City Origin team despite suffering concussion in the win against Penrith.

The Tigers have struggled in the past when their captain has been missing, the latest lean patch coming after Farah was suspended for two matches for a dangerous throw on Dragons skipper Ben Hornby in round three, but yesterday they finally figured out the way to play without him.

Farah was taken from the field in the 13th minute after getting his head in an awkward position trying to tackle Penrith prop Dayne Weston, taking no further part in the match.

In the past, without their skipper the Tigers have been guilty of trying to replicate the brand of football they usually play with him in the team. But yesterday afternoon at Centrebet Stadium they reeled in the tricks, most of them anyway, and ground out a convincing victory to end a five-game losing streak.

They were never methodical but always in control.

Halfback Tom Humble, who copped a nasty hit to the throat and came from the field in the second half before returning to score a try, spent a lot of time at dummy half.

While stand-in skipper Benji Marshall said it wasn't pretty, they did what they had to do considering their dummy half was on the sidelines.

''We didn't really have a choice [but to play simple football] with Robbie going off there,'' he said.

''I had to sort of go into first receiver and shuffle Tommy into hooker, so we had everyone all over the place today. But the most important thing is we got the two points, and that's all we needed.''

While Aaron Woods, who was also picked in the City team, was superb in the engine room for the visitors, it was the Tigers' outside backs who made plenty of metres through the middle.

The Tigers were able to chew up 60 metres a set consistently, preventing the Panthers from getting themselves back into the contest.

''It was difficult losing Robbie early, he just controls that ruck for us,'' Marshall said. ''But at the same time, I thought our forwards really stood up and our right edge was outstanding carrying the ball forward, Beau Ryan in particular was solid in D [defence] and solid in attack. The boys all had a dig.''

City coach Brad Fittler, who visited the Tigers' shed after the match to check on the fitness of Farah, wasn't concerned, convinced the Tigers dummy half would be fit to take his place in Mudgee on Sunday.

It's expected Farah will have to pass a cognitive test this week to play in the annual clash, but Tigers assistant coach Steve Georgallis echoed Fittler's view,

''He should be fine,'' he said. ''[The reason he didn't come back on the field] was more precautionary than anything. He'll be right, just slight concussion.''

The Panthers have plenty of injury concerns of their own, with Lachlan Coote the latest to join the casualty ward. He is in doubt for City-Country with a rolled ankle.

Travis Burns, who started the game at hooker, left the field in the first half with concussion, compounding the absence of regular hooker Kevin Kingston, as well as Michael Jennings, Michael Gordon, Nathan Smith, Tim Grant and Etu Uaisele, Chris Armit and Nigel Plum.

They haven't score a point in 180 minutes of football, with coach Ivan Cleary labelling his team's recent poor form as a confidence crisis.

''We've had a pretty steady stream of injuries since round one,'' he said.

''I think … you can prepare as well as you can, but unfortunately we had a bit of a confidence crisis today. It was pretty obvious in the way we played and started the game.

''The boys really kept trying, led by Luke Lewis, but when things are going bad they're going bad and … we butchered tries that were just going to happen. I guess that sums up where we are at the moment.''

 

[Guest]

Five things we learnt from yesterday's game
Michael Chammas
April 16, 2012
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1\. Luke Walsh needs to work on his kicking game.
It was once his strongest asset but Penrith halfback Luke Walsh is struggling to produce the right last tackle option when the Panthers are attacking the line. He kicked two cross-field kicks too deep in the first, allowing the Tigers to take it back to the 20 metre line. He has all the skills but his decision-making is off at the moment.

2\. Penrith's right-edge defence need to communicate better close to the line.
Benji Marshall terrorised the Panthers' right edge, especially in the first half, laying on two identical tries that could have easily been stopped if Penrith were communicating better on their own line. Marshall shaped and looked to go behind the decoy runner, but instead opted for the flat ball, putting Adam Blair and Ray Cashmere in for similar four-pointers.

3\. The Tigers have found a way to be effective without Robbie Farah.
The Wests Tigers struggled without their hooker and captain when he was suspended for two matches earlier in the year. But yesterday, after losing Farah to concussion in the 13th minute, they still managed to go forward. The key was plenty of dummy-half running from their outside backs.

4\. Blake Austin cost his team any chance of an unlikely comeback.
The stand-in Panthers five-eighth did very well to break the Tigers defence and looked destined to score his team's first try of the afternoon, 18-0 down with 18 minutes to play. But for some reason he tried to step back inside fullback Tim Moltzen when he could have strolled over if he continued on his path. The Tigers scored from the ensuing set and put the result beyond doubt.

5\. Tim Moltzen has taken a step in the right direction.
He was one of the form players of the competition at the end of last year but Tim Moltzen has been the shadow of that player this season. But yesterday the Tigers No.1 played arguably his best game of the year, bagging a double and saving a few more with some brilliant takes at the back. He was named on the bench for City last year, but yesterday he was rightly overlooked. It could be the trigger that motivates him in coming weeks.

 

[Guest]

Past errors make me a target, says Moltzen
Michael Chammas
April 16, 2012
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TIM MOLTZEN'S first half from hell against Brisbane on Good Friday seemed like a distant memory yesterday afternoon, but the Tigers No.1 doesn't expect a reprieve, firmly believing he'll remain the target of an aerial onslaught from his opponents for the rest of the year.

In complete contrast to his performance at Allianz Stadium just over a week earlier, Moltzen bagged a double and was confident under the high ball at Centrebet Stadium, thwarting several Penrith bombs to help keep the home side scoreless and break his team's five-game losing streak.

It doesn't take long for opposition teams to declare certain fullbacks as the weak link in the chain, just ask Canterbury No.1 Ben Barba, who is still peppered with high balls after a few forgettable moments last season.

While he bounced back yesterday, Moltzen knows it is not going to stop teams using the ploy against him in the coming rounds. ''I think that's what's going to happen for the next few weeks, and probably for the rest of the year,'' he said.

''It's something I have to keep working on. We knew, coming to Penrith, they liked to put the high balls up and Lachlan Coote is good under the high ball chasing through. That was something we worked on during the week.''

Moltzen was quick to admit he had one of his worst games against the Broncos last round, and copped plenty of criticism for allowing the ball to bounce on several occasions. But he wasn't making excuses, describing it as warranted criticism.

''I was pretty disappointed with last week's game and I copped a bit of flak for it, which was deservedly so,'' he said. ''It's just a bit of a confidence thing I guess. It's a bit of a transition, changing and chopping positions, but I'm getting used to it again. I was a little bit better this week but I've got a lot to improve on, definitely looking to get better and better each week.

''I did a fair bit of work during the week and I spoke to the coach. Sheensy [Tim Sheens] was really good and told me to forget about it and focus on this week and that's what I did. I just wanted to prove to myself that I was up to it.''

 

[happy_tiger]

Chopping and changing positions isn't an excuse for letting bombs bounce Thats a really weak excuse Must admit that was Moltzen's best game for the season though

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Chopping and changing positions isn't an excuse for letting bombs bounce Thats a really weak excuse Must admit that was Moltzen's best game for the season though

Had two good showings in the last three games, hopefully he's on track for a few more consistent performances.