Finals hopes on the line for Jersey Flegg side
Author
Dan Talintyre
Timestamp
Wed 28 Aug 2019, 11:57 AM
Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg side will head across the ditch to face the New Zealand Warriors at home in the final game of the regular season with their finals hopes firmly on the line.
Six weeks ago, Wests Tigers’ hopes at a top eight finish were seemingly done and dusted before an incredible winning run has put Wayne Lambkin’s side on the verge of an unlikely finals berth in season 2019.
Wests Tigers have reeled off five straight wins — including a number of stunning upsets over top four sides — to move level with the eighth-placed Dragons heading in to the final round of the season, and will be hoping to make it win number six on Saturday morning and earn themselves a shot at September footy.
The equation for Wests Tigers is simple: win against the New Zealand Warriors and hope that any of three other results later in the day goes in their favour…
Warriors (10th) vs. Wests Tigers (9th)
Saturday, 9:00am AEST at Mount Smart Stadium, New Zealand
Kicking off the final round of Jersey Flegg action, Wests Tigers won’t know what their finals fate is by kickoff — making it a relatively easy game to approach.
Incredibly, Wests Tigers kicked off their season with a clash against the Warriors in Round 2 that saw the two sides finish with a thrilling 28-28 draw.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the two sides since then; the Warriors have produced some remarkable performances against the Sharks, Roosters and several other top sides, but have also been guilty of dropping points in games they really should have won with just one win from their past four matches.
It certainly won’t be an easy game across the ditch for Wests Tigers — since Round 8, the home side have lost just once at Mount Smart Stadium with a two-point defeat to the top-of-the-table Sydney Roosters last fortnight.