Round 3: Wests Tigers v Warriors preview
It hasn't been the start to the season that either team was after. Both the Wests Tigers and the Warriors and 0-2 after their first two matches, but one of these teams will leave Campbelltown Sports Ground on Friday night with their first win of the season.
It was a very poor weekend for the Wests Tigers who were expecting to compete with the Newcastle Knights after falling short against the Melbourne Storm due to some Jahrome Hughes brilliance in the opening week. However, the Tigers were on the back foot from the get-go conceding in the third and eighth minutes of the match. It didn't get any better throughout the afternoon for the joint venture as the errors piled up. The Tigers finished with an incredible 18 errors compared to just the seven from their opponents on the weekend.
Not only were they coughing up possession, but when the Tigers had the ball, they struggled to threaten the Knights defence and overall lacked direction. If the Tigers play like they did on Sunday, they'll be staring at three losses to open the season. One positive note for the Tigers is that they did play well against the Melbourne Storm in the opening round and a return to that type of performance will give them a good chance of winning on the weekend. This type of inconsistency is what we've come to expect of the Wests Tigers over the past few seasons.
With Jackson Hastings set to miss Friday night's clash due to suspension, who ran for the most metres of any Tiger on the weekend, they'll be looking to Luke Brooks to take on the line and direct the team around the park. Brooks has his critics, but hopefully the 27-year-old can guide his side to their first win of the season.
Joining Hastings on the sidelines, Kelma Tuilagi misses out after failing his Head Injury Assessment on Sunday afternoon. Jock Madden and Luke Garner will start in their place. Jacob Liddle returns from injury, pushing Jake Simpkin to the bench. Skipper James Tamou returns to the starting side with Alex Twal moving the bench which pushes both Alex Seyfarth and Thomas Mikaele out of the 17.
The Warriors fell agonisingly short against the Gold Coast Titans after an intense opening half which saw 34 of the total 38 points scored on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors, like their opponents on Friday, conceded the first two tries of the match during the first 15 minutes. This included a try in the first minute to Beau Fermor after some brilliance from AJ Brimson. The Warriors were able to finish the second half well and finished the first half with a two-point lead. However, Phillip Sami's try in the 57th minute was enough to hand the Warriors the loss.
The Warriors defeated the Tigers on both occasions during the 2021 season and will look to continue this run of form against the joint venture on Friday night. Forwards such as Addin Fonua-Blake and Josh Curran will be a handful for the Tigers defence after barnstorming games on Saturday. Fonua-Blake finished with 186 metres from 14 carries and Curran compiled 152 metres from 16 carries. This Warriors pack will look to get on top of the undisciplined Tigers side, and this'll allow Reece Walsh and Chanel-Harris Tavita to cause havoc against a back-peddling Tigers defence. Walsh, in particular, enjoyed his outings against the Tigers last season and will be hoping for more of the same come Friday night.
The only change to the Warriors line up from Saturday afternoon is Kodi Nikorima returning into the side for Ash Taylor who is only expected to miss the one match with a hip injury.
Last meeting: Round 20 2021 - Wests Tigers 16 Warriors 18
Who to watch: This week's individual battle is between one of the best front rowers in the game and a player five years his junior. The Warriors Addin Fonua-Blake has been one of the best front-rowers in the game over the past four season and has seriously impressed since joining the Warriors last season. The 26-year-old has had a blistering start to the season racking up 337 run metres, six tackle breaks and two line breaks throughout the opening two weeks. Fonua-Blake has consistently averaged approximately 160 run metres over the past four seasons and will be a handful for the Tigers defence in the middle of the park. One of his opposing front rowers is Stefano Utoikamanu who has only appeared in 26 NRL fixtures to date. The 21-year-old has big wraps on him and for good reason as he compiled 120 metres and 28 tackles in their round one clash against the Melbourne Storm. Utoikamanu had a disappointing outing on the weekend, as most Tigers did, compiling just 44 run metres from a measly six carries. The Parramatta junior will be looking to turn his form around this weekend against a forward pack containing the likes of Fonua-Blake, Matthew Lodge and Josh Curran.
The favourite: The Warriors are favoured to come away as victors after two solid performances to start the season, despite both being losses. The Tigers are coming off an awful performance on Sunday which may be a reason to why the Warriors are clear favourites. The Warriors also knocked off the Tigers twice last season.
My tip: Despite the two losses, the Warriors have gone down in a respectable fashion, unlike their opponents who have copped a berating on social media after their awful performance against the Newcastle Knights on Sunday. The Tigers could win if they arrive ready to take it to the Warriors, but with the Tigers it's hard to know what team will rock up on the day. I'll take the Warriors in this one. Warriors by 8.
