A beautiful Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt was missing only one thing yesterday, a Wests Tigers win. A couple short of a 17,000 strong attendance witnessed Wests fumble their way out of a contest with the now league leading Panthers and in turn proved the 2014 Tigers have along way to go before they become contenders.
Forget the fact the Panthers are now leading the league, the Tigers could have and perhaps would have won yesterday's game had they performed better. Not a lot went right for the Tigers. Early on they were guilty of overplaying their hand, barely completing 50% of their sets in the first half. Time after time the Panthers were invited down the field and to be honest 0-12 at half time was not a fair reflection of proceedings.
It never really got any better for the Tigers in the second half. Luke Brooks and Blake Austin tried but the errors mounted as Penrith barely needed to hit third gear in what must've been a surprisingly easy afternoon for the men from the mountain. Penrith simply played the percentages. it wasn't always exciting but it was effective. Their consistency paid off in the end.
So whilst the Panthers sit pretty at the top of the ladder the Tigers now slip to 10th and possess the worst for and against record of seven sides which all sit on 20 points, though Souths who play tonight can move up to 22 points. The Tigers next face Manly on Friday night at Brookvale Oval, a daunting task to say the least.
What yesterday showed was that again this Tigers side may have a lot of potential, and it may be scary good to think how they may do in two years time. Right now though they're not that good. Without Robbie Farah the direction in attack is near non existent. Luke Brooks certainly tries but he's a marked man and can't be expected to make it happen every set. The loss of James Tedesco and Tim Simona has certainly hurt this area too.
Moving forward though the Tigers are now placed in a position where they have no choice but to look towards the future. No, this doesn't mean 2014 is over but due to injuries to Tedesco and now Braith Anasta, the Tigers may now turn to a structure that looked more likely to happen in 2015.
Braith Anasta looks set for some time on the sidelines after partially tearing the bicep in his arm which now means Blake Austin is set to wear the number 6 jersey in his absence. Mitchell Moses who debuted admirably at fullback yesterday will likely retain the number 1 jersey as well. Moses' role in 2015 is anyone's guess right now?? Thankfully Robbie Farah will return to the side to help negotiate the remainder of 2014. His presence will be vital for as long as Anasta is out.
With 9 games remaining the Wests Tigers remain well in the battle to make the top eight but the problem lies in a horror draw home. The Tigers still need to play the Bulldogs (x2), Roosters, Storm, Sea Eagles and Cowboys (Townsville). There's no doubt Wests need to find something extra in the push towards home. Injuries aside there's still plenty of talent on offer but a lot of it lacks the experience that our rivals over the next 2 months possess. It may just be that we fans adopt the "we're close enough if we're good enough" approach or simply use the next 2 months as preparation for 2015.
Missing the finals from here would be disappointing but at the same time not exactly unexpected. It's been an admirable effort from the team in 2014 but the next 2 months are going to really test the potential of these kids. Will it be sink or swim? I'm expecting a little of both.
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