Tigers Freeze Out Warriors In
Christchurch

The Wests Tigers proved today what an exciting football side they can be by thrashing the New Zealand Warriors 50-4 today on a freezing day at Jade Stadium in Christchurch.

With the temperature hovering around 7-8 degrees the Tigers warmed themselves up by playing some good solid football in the 1st half and went to the sheds with the game pretty much wrapped up at 34-0.

The massacre continued early in the second half with the Tigers scoring two tries in the 15 minutes to lead 44-0. It wasn't until the 58th minute that the Warriors troubled the scoreboard attendants when Mark Tookey pounce on a dropped ball to score in the corner.

That was only a slight hiccup as 12 minutes later, man of the match Brett Hodgson was in under the posts to complete the scoring for the day and end a day that the Tigers and their fans will remember for a long time.

In an outstanding team performance there was no real standouts as all of Tigers players had tremendous games which will give coach Tim Sheens a lot of selection headaches when the likes of Scott Prince and Scott Sattler return.

For the Warriors, it is back to the drawing board and they will need to drastically improve their marker defence if they are to stop similar hidings in the coming weeks.

Jade Stadium Referee: Shayne Hayne Video Referee: Chris Ward Touch Judges:Paul Holland, Ben Cummins

WESTS TIGERS 50 Tries: Heighington 2, Galea, Elford, Skandalis, Halatau, Mears, Wilson, Hodgson Goals: Hodgson 7/9 defeated WARRIORS 4 Tries: Tookey Goals: Hohaia 0/1

By the clock: 0 min: Kick Off

4 min: Try-Tigers: Tigers lock Ben Galea gets through some soft defence to score the Tigers first try of the afternoon from close out. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion. Tigers 6-0.

10 min: Try-Tigers: Shane Elford pounces on a grubber kick put in by Brett Hodgson to score near the corner. Brett Hodgson hits the posts with the conversion attempt. Tigers 10-0.

12 min: The Warriors are penalised for being offside at the kick off.

14 min: Try-Tigers: Big bustling prop John Skandalis barges over the line despite the attention of 2 Warriors defenders. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion to reach 600 career points in 1st grade. Tigers 16-0.

16 min: News: Possession: Tigers 86%, Warriors 14%.

18 min: News: Darren Senter and Louis Anderson have a disagreement but referee Shane Hayne is quick to put an end to the matter.

21 min: News: Referee Shane Hayne speaks to opposing captains Darren Senter and Monty Betham about the continous niggle in the tackles after they are completed.

31 min: Try-Tigers: Tigers centre Dene Halatau sprints 55 metres out of dummy half to score under the posts. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion. Tigers 22-0.

35 min: Try-Tigers: After a spectacular movement which went through 7 sets of hands Tigers second rower Chris Heighington scores under the posts. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion. Tigers 28-0.

38 min: Try-Tigers: Interchange player Robert Mears takes advantage of some poor marker defence from the Warriors to run 20 metres out of dummy half to score. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion. Tigers 34-0.

Halftime Report: In a very lopsided first half the Tigers are doing all the simple things right and it will be an absolute miracle for the Warriors to come back.

Halftime Stats: Possession: Tigers 74%, Warriors 26% Missed Tackles: Warriors 21, Tigers 4

46 min: News: Warriors interchange player Tevita Latu is down on the ground receiving attention from the Warriors trainer for what appears to be an arm injury.

47 min: Try-Tigers: 5/8th John Wilson scores a soft try out of dummy half to add insult to injury for the Warriors. Brett Hodgson is successful with the conversion fro close to the posts. Tigers 40-0.

55 min: Try Tigers: Chris Heighington scores his second try in the corner after running onto a neat around the corner pass by Shane Elford. Brett Hodgson is unsuccessful with the conversion. Tigers 44-0.

58 min: Try-Warriors: Mark Tookey gives the Jade Stadium crowd something to cheer about when he scores in the corner after Tigers winger Jason Moodie spills a crossfield bomb from Stacey Jones. Lance Hohaia is unsuccessful with the conversion. Tigers 44-4.

70 min: Try-Tigers: Fullback Brett Hodgson caps off a great game to score under the posts after backing up a break made by Shane Elford. Brett Hodgson is successful with the goal as the Tigers hit the half century. Tigers 50-4.

75 min: News: Warriors captain Monty Betham is given a verbal warning by referee Shane Hayne after opening his mouth once too often.

Fulltime Report: In an absolute massacre the Tigers proved that in 2004 they are real deal. The most impressive thing about this afternoon's performance for the Tigers was that they were to able to win convincingly without stars Scott Prince, Scott Sattler and Benji Marshall. ----------------------------------------- Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - B Hodgson (Tigers) 2 - R Mears (Tigers) 1 - J Skandalis (Tigers) -----------------------------------------