Round 17: Roosters v Wests Tigers preview
Can the Tigers break another hoodoo?
After Benji's babes racked up back-to-back wins in Rounds 3 and 4 against the much more highly fancied Sharks and Eels, things were looking up in Tigers Town, but then they lost 9 straight games, falling to the bottom of the table once again, the last 2 losses saw their newly determined defence fall apart as they lost 42-28 v the Cowboys and then 56-14 to the Dragons after the bye.
But they bounced back brilliantly, beating the Titans 18-10, a team who the Tigers had beaten just twice in their last 12 encounters. Then last week the Tigers came against an even bigger hoodoo opponent, Canberra. The Raiders had won 14 of the last 16 games, racking up big scores on a regular basis (Canberra had scored 523 points in those 16 games, an average of 32.7 points per game). The Tigers though were clinical in defence in the first half, while showing plenty of composure, capitalising on the Raiders errors. The Tigers extended their lead even further at the start of the second half, before Alex Seyfarth was sent to the sin bin, whereby Canberra finally started to get back into the contest somewhat. The Raiders scored 4 tries in the final 20 minutes, but it was too little too late as the Tigers ran away 48-24 victors. This week they come up against their biggest hoodoo side of all, the Sydney Roosters. The Roosters have racked up 21 wins in their last 23 games against the Tigers, and scoring an average of 33 points per game in the process. The Tigers 2 wins in that run were in Round 1, 2018 and Round 20, 2011.
The Roosters have won 6 of their last 8 games after a very inconsistent start to the season which saw them win 3 of their opening 7 games. These last 8 games though has seen their attack improve out of sight, scoring 282 points at an average of 35.25 points per game, while remarkable, 6 of their last 9 opponents finished the game having scored 18 points (while 1 other scored 16). Last week the Roosters came up the new and improved Bulldogs, who are playing with a greatly improved defensive grit, yet the mighty Tricolours attack still scored 26 points to record an 18 point victory, even with 2 players marched in the 72nd and 78th minutes, they still didn't concede a try.
They are in red hot form in attack while their defence is solid enough to keep opposition sides honest. And for this match they will be bolstered by the returns of Angus Crichton (Second Row), Connor Watson (Lock), Spencer Leniu (bench) and Lindsay Collins (bench). The Tigers will have David Klemmer returning via the bench while Justin Olam is on the extended bench, but behind the recently returned Adam Doueihi, who last week made a brilliant return from a years absence due to injury.
Last meeting: Round 26 2023 - Roosters 32 Wests Tigers 8
Who to watch: Adam Douehi formed a very potent attacking combination with Api Korisau and Lachlan Galvin last week which will likely develop even further over the year. Connor Watson will be high on confidence after his Origin call up while Angus Crichton, Spencer Leniu and Lindsay Collins all played strongly in the first Origin and are expected to do the same again in origin 2 and still back up for this match.
Favourite: Both sides are playing some very open and entertaining football at present, and while the lowly Tigers will be regarded as no chance, anyone can tell you that a young team high on confidence can achieve some amazing results, while at the same time, be erratic in form. The Roosters are a star-studded outfit also in strong form, but they are also seasoned professionals. They will be the clear favourites to win here.
My tip: If the Roosters rest a few of their Origin stars then the Tigers may be able to stay in this game. Roosters should still win but a confident Tigers side might keep it competitive. Roosters by 12.
