NRL round 25: Tigers maintain form in win over Storm
The Wests Tigers were able to muscle their way to victory over the Melbourne Storm at home in Leichardt Oval over the weekend.
The Tigers pushed their way past the Storm on Sunday recording their 15th win of the season. The two sides were well matched early on as the home side was only able to take a two-point advantage into the half. However, after the break the Tigers were able to play aggressive rugby scoring three tries on their way to a 26-14 victory.
Recap
The Storm were the first to get on the board with a try from Justin O’Neill in the seventh minute, giving the visitors a 4-0 advantage early.
However, Benji Marshall was able to knot the game up for the Tigers after a try in the 13th minute.
The hosts kept the pressure on and Andrew Fifita was able to dart over the whitewash in the 21st minute, with Marshall kicking the conversion to give Wests a 10-4 lead.
The Storm were not going to go quietly however, as William Isa managed his way over the line in the 31st minute to cut the lead to 10-8 heading into half-time.
After the break the Tigers were quick to get started with a second try and conversion from Marshall in the 47th minute to give the home side the 16-8 edge.
The Storm attempted to keep pace with a try in the 57th minute from Ryan Hoffman and the subsequent conversion from Cameron Smith closing the gap to 16-14.
Unfortunately for the Storm the Tigers were able to take control of the game from that point forward. The home side crossed the whitewash twice before the final whistle, with a try from Robbie Farah in the 68th minute and Marshall’s hat-trick try in the 77th minute to seal the victory.
Analysis
The Tigers managed to keep pace with the Dragons, still remaining only two points out of first place in the table. The Tigers have enjoyed fantastic form at the end of the season and are perhaps the League’s hottest team headed into the play-offs.
The Storm were not allowed to garner any points this season and therefore still remain at the bottom of the League table. However, they have 13 wins and have displayed strong play for much of the year, meaning they should once again be a force next season.
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