NRL round-24: Tigers win close one over Eels
The Wests Tigers were able to win a tight match over the Parramatta Eels on the road at Parramatta Stadium in Sunday’s final match.
The Eels may have been distracted by the possibility of Quade Cooper signing with a club, allowing the Tigers to take a four-point lead into the break, which proved to be the difference-maker. The Wests Tigers were solid through a tough second half, and were able to finish off the match with a 20-18 victory.
Recap
The game started off slow, with the first score coming from the Tigers’ Chris Lawrence in the 20th minute, followed by a conversion courtesy of Benji Marhsall, giving the visitors a 6-0 lead.
The Tigers added to their advantage with a try from Beau Ryan in the 31st minute, making the game 10-0.
The Eels would answer back late in the half, by way of a try from Krisnan Inu in the 38th minute. Luke Burt tacked on the conversion to cut the lead to 10-6 heading into the break.
After the break Ryan crossed the whitewash for his second try of the night, giving the Tigers a 14-6 lead early in the second stanza.
The game fell quiet for a while as both teams had several cracks at scoring, but could not seem to eke their way over the line.
The stand-off was broken with a try from Andrew Fifita in the 62nd minute, which Marshall added his second conversion of the night, bringing the score to 20-6.
The Eels mounted a bit of a comeback, starting with a try from Justin Horo in the 69th minute and then a try from Anthony Mitchell in the 72nd minute. However, even with Burt scoring the extra points on both scores, the Eels still found themselves down two points as the clock ran out.
The Eels played a strong game against one of the League’s top teams, however their inability to get on the board early in both halves cost them in the end.
The Tigers meanwhile continued to show why they are one of this year’s favourites heading into the post-season. The visitors were able to spread the ball around, receiving a particularly strong game from Ryan, who tallied two tries and was third on the club in all-run-metres.
Analysis
The loss puts the Eels in a tough spot. Although they are only two points out of the play-offs, a lot will have to go their way if they hope to qualify. Nevertheless, the Parramatta side needs to stay focused and win their final two matches if they have any hope of getting into the post-season.
The Tigers are sitting in third spot, just two points out of first place. If they are able to win their final two matches they have a good chance of taking over the top of the table by season’s end.
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