The inclusion of NRL veteran forward Matthew White a bonus for Easts Tigers

THE inclusion of an NRL veteran forward is a major bonus for the Easts Tigers, although he might not be there for long.

Prop Matt White during his time with the Gold Coast Titans. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

EASTS Tigers Intrust Super Cup coach Scott Sipple is counting his blessings while he can.

With several young and inexperienced forwards in the team and a mounting injury list, the inclusion of NRL veteran prop Matthew White has proved a significant bonus for Sipple and the Tigers.

The Melbourne Storm contracted forward led from the front in Easts 30-18 win over Wynnum Manly, especially when the Seagulls mounted a comeback after trailing 20-0 at halftime.

White gained invaluable meters for the Tigers when his team was struggling with no interchange for the last 30 minutes and also scored an important second half try brushing of several defenders to find the line

But Sipple said he did not think they would have the 31-year-old, who has played 153 NRL games with the Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans, for much longer.

“If he keeps playing like he did on the weekend, I don’t think it will be very long until he’s back in the NRL,” he said.

“He was huge on the weekend. Our forward pack is pretty young, so to have him in there leading the way was great.

“When Wynnum made a run, he steadied the ship.”

White signed a one-year deal with the Storm in August after being released from the last year of his contract with the Titans, where he played six seasons and made 125 appearances.

“He was sort of always going to join us for a bit at the start of the season but he had some injuries and only just got back,” Sipple said.

“I think he played around 70 minutes on the weekend and after a couple of weeks where he gets some more minutes in his legs, I can’t see him being in this competition much longer.

“But we’re definitely happy to have him when he’s here.”

White has been named for the Tigers team to face the Northern Pride on Sunday and will line up against former North Queensland Cowboy Dane Hogan while fellow Storm teammate Christian Welch has also been named on the bench for the Tigers,