“And that’s the frustrating bit, I’m not critical of Jarome, things happen in football. But I’m more critical of the situation where you keep losing players and they keep their whole formation. That was the frustrating bit.”
Adam Doueihi’s latest injury – a groin issue that ruled him out moments before kick-off – is cause for concern for the Tigers too, though Marshall is hopeful he will be able to take on the Broncos next Saturday.
Samuela Fainu, the Tigers’ player of the year last season, also limped off with a knee injury he has carried since round two and will await scan results.
Fonua Pole scores for Wests Tigers.Credit: Getty Images
“The amount of adversity we had to get through… there were massive efforts from a few of our lads, so as a coach and a club really proud of the effort, even though we got no favours [from the referee], that was pretty obvious,” Marshall said.
Marshall declined to identify any particular calls against the Tigers when pressed because “I don’t want to do what [Raiders coach] Ricky [Stuart] did.
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“I don’t want to risk getting fined and talk about the ref, because I’m not allowed to.”
For a team that has leaked 29 points a game for the past three years, star front-row recruit Terrell May somehow holding up Bunty Afoa over his try line was a sight for the sorest eyes in the game.
That it was followed in the next set by Solomone Faataape swooping onto a Lachlan Galvin grubber, just fruit for the sideboard.
When Latu Fainu strolled through soon after, the Campbelltown crowd were in full voice as an 18-12 deficit was now a six-point advantage to their boys.
They were never exactly comfortable though, and in the end, rightly so. It was still the Tigers. And among a phenomenal 80-minute effort up front, May did drop a deserved try over the line.
Jahream Bula was called back for a 67th-minute try too, for Starford To’a’s obstruction line.
And that was the tale of a game in which the Warriors led three different times in the first 45 minutes.
The Tigers fought back each time to reclaim the lead, until the last, when they just couldn’t again mow the Warriors down. And despite all the obvious improvements in Tiger Town, that was the one that mattered most.
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Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
