NRL 2021: Tim Sheens rejoins Wests Tigers as head of football performance

The Wests Tigers have pulled off stunning move, bringing former premiership winning coach Tim Sheens back to the club with immediate effect.

Tim Sheens jas rejoined the Tigers.

Wests Tigers have made one of their most strategic decisions in their history by welcoming back premiership-winning coach Tim Sheens.

In a surprise move, the Tigers announced Sheens has been appointed as the club’s head of football performance, effective immediately.

“The appointment of Tim, coupled with the recent appointments in our pathways programs, affirms the board’s commitment to engaging the best people who will add value to our organisation in promoting and developing the game of rugby league from grassroots to the elite level,” Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis said.

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Tim Sheens is back at the Wests Tigers.

“In the history of the game, very few have enjoyed Tim’s experience and gravitas and what he will be able to bring to Wests Tigers will greatly enhance the club and create opportunities to be the best that we can be.”

Sheens led the joint-venture club to their sole premiership in 2005 during a 10-year tenure as coach of the Tigers.

“This role is extremely exciting as it allows me to work and utilise my experience, especially around pathways, development and talent identification,” Sheens said.

The move came as a surprise to the Wests Tigers player group. “No I found out when you guys found out,” second-rower Luke Garner told ABC Sport. “It’s exciting. He is an older coach at the club. He has plenty of experience. It’s exciting to have someone of such quality at the club.”

REST OF NRL TO PAY THE PRICE AFTER TIGERS TOPPLE PANTHERS

Take a look out your window to make sure pigs aren’t flying then check again to be certain hell hasn’t frozen over, because Penrith have lost a regular season game.

Apart from the grand final it’s been almost 12 months to the day since the Panthers had their colours lowered and after 27 straight wins in a row their mighty streak is dead.

In the end all it took was Penrith losing seven players due to Origin duty (including three of their four spine players and their entire backrow), missing another starter due to suspension, former Panther Daine Laurie playing the best game of his NRL career so far, Jacob Liddle scoring what is surely the first length of the field try of his entire life and a penalty try to Luciano Leilua.

The last time the Panthers lost a game they had an entire summer to think about it – this time, they’ve only got seven days.

Adam Doueihi of the Tigers taunts Stephen Crichton of the Panthers after a Tigers try. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Nobody is foolish enough to suggest Penrith are still anything but the runaway premiership favourites after their loss to the Tigers but this still an unfamiliar position for Ivan Cleary’s side.

“The thing I was worried about going into the game was cohesion in attack. that’s pretty much how it turned out,” Cleary said after the match.

“Our end of sets were not good. It was a stop start game and we couldn’t build any pressure.

“You take out eight of your best players and it’s like taking out the gearbox and the steering wheel. We’re disappointed but we’ll move on.”

Next week’s clash against the Sharks would have marked a year to the day since Penrith’s last regular season loss and Origin was always going to hit the Panthers like a freight train.

They’ll regroup once the starters are back and every member of the squad would gladly trade a regular season defeat for the chance to go one better than last year.

Add in two out of Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau and Penrith could probably have won. Even with one of them they certainly wouldn’t have finished up on the end of a 20-point loss.

As unfamiliar as this will be for Panthers fans there’s no need to panic – the stars will return and the fine form we’ve all become so used to will follow them.

The win moves Tigers up to 10th spot on the ladder, with finals contention becoming a possibility. Picture: Getty Images.

But it’s still a strange spot to be in. There are regular first graders at Penrith – like Matt Burton and Charlie Staines – who had not lost a match in their NRL careers before they travelled to Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.

And like any team who has got used to riding high the frustrations of trailing got to the inexperienced Panthers, especially in the second half when tensions threatened to boil over more than once.

But perhaps this can be spun another way. Maybe Penrith will play with even greater freedom at the business end of the year now the pressure of an undefeated season – which was always a tall order but was seemingly possible before Friday night – off the table.

And maybe the Panthers who are away in Origin camp will come back with a point to prove, and those who suffered the defeat will rise to another level on the back of some wounded pride.

A rich man doesn’t know how to be poor, and some unfortunate team – possibly Cronulla next Friday – will bear the brunt of Penrith’s frustrations.

But who’s to say? We can’t really know how the Panthers react to a loss. It doesn’t happen very often anymore.

MATCH REPORT

—Martin Gabor

Leichhardt loyalists have endured some awful afternoons on the hill in recent years as they’ve watched their side botch all the big games, but the boos were replaced by boisterous bravos as the Tigers handed the Panthers their first loss of the season.

Two months after they were taunted by their fans after an embarrassing effort against the Cowboys, the Tigers claimed their best win in years in front of a heaving crowd that couldn’t have been any prouder.

“The boys definitely spoke about it,” Michael Maguire said of his side’s lean record at Leichhardt.

“We’re aware about it and it hurts, but it was nice to see the fans here enjoy the game.”

Wests Tigers fans enjoyed the action and the result at Leichhardt Oval. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

Much-maligned halfback Luke Brooks was brilliant from the outset, repeatedly putting Luke Garner in space with nifty footwork before he came up with a textbook try-saver to deny Dylan Edwards.

But it was the aggression he showed in the next set that typified the Tigers’ hard-edged approach as he fearlessly took it to the world’s best prop after James Fisher-Harris tackled him as he kicked.

“I’m just really pleased for Brooksy,” Maguire said.

“It was probably a month ago where I spoke of the barrage that he does cop, but it’ll be nice to see the compliments that he’ll be getting now. That’s part of being a halfback in most teams, but he’s really worked hard on his game.”

The Tigers were far from perfect as they conceded 11 penalties and six restarts, but the fans’ frustrations later turned to joy when the hosts were awarded a penalty try with 16 minutes to go after Luciano Leilua was hit high by Robert Jennings.

“I’ve got no views. Not one that I want to share anyway,” Ivan Cleary said.

UNLUCKY 13

It took 357 days, seven players missing through Origin, a powerhouse prop out suspended and a date with their fierce rivals to end Penrith’s incredible regular-season winning streak.

Chasing their 13th win in a row to start the year – and 28th straight in the regular season – the Panthers were simply outplayed by a Tigers team that smelled blood in the water and happily went in for the kill from the opening whistle.

Diehard fans will lament the toll Origin took on this amazing team, but they went into the game as favourites and had plenty of chances to get the job done.

But things are always a fraction off when you have so many guys filling in and playing slightly out of position, and Penrith lacked their usual fluency with basic errors and broken set plays costing them on the night.

“I thought we defended well throughout the 80 minutes, but our end of sets were not good,” Cleary said.

“When you take eight of your best players out and pretty much the whole steering wheel and the gear box, it was going to be difficult.”

Daine Laurie played arguably his best game as a Tiger, getting the win over his old team. Picture: NRL Photos.

GREAT DAINE

We’ve marvelled at his silky skills in attack this year, but Friday night was a coming of age in defence for Daine Laurie as he put on a masterclass at the back against his former team.

The pint-sized custodian came up with two huge plays in the first half to smash Charlie Staines into touch a metre out before he chopped down a rampaging Robert Jennings to keep the Tigers’ line intact.

But it was his courageous take in the second half when he was tackled in the air by Viliame Kikau that would have impressed his teammates the most, which is why they all rushed in angrily to protect their fullback who had earlier opened the scoring.

“I thought a number of players came up with some big plays, but Daine out the back (stood out),” Maguire said.

Despite having lower possession the Tigers were better with ball in hand than the understrength Panthers. Picture: Getty Images.

OFF THE BUS

The roar across the inner-west when Jacob Liddle charged down a grubber in the first half and then raced 95 metres to score was deafening, but it had nothing on the colourful farewell Tigers fans delivered to Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.

Diehard supporters have long memories of how he left the club, and they were quick to remind him as they sprayed him with obscenities, blew him kisses and gave him middle finger salutes as they celebrated the epic win.

“I didn’t really notice,” the coach said.

Originally published as NRL 2021: Tim Sheens rejoins Wests Tigers as head of football performance