Benji Marshall stars as Wests Tigers down Parramatta Eels 30-20
FOUR rounds in and the conversation had turned from the poor old Wests Tigers to everyone now wanting Ivan Cleary to talk his team up as genuine premiership contenders.
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HAPPY anniversary, Ivan Cleary.
Monday marks a year to the day since Cleary was appointed as Wests Tigers coach.
At the time the Tigers were in crisis.
The NRL’s basket case.
A club that hadn’t made the finals since 2011.
And in that time they had punted three coaches including Jason Taylor, Mick Potter and Tim Sheens.
Now look at them.
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“It definitely feels a lot better than the previous few years or especially this time last year,” veteran Chris Lawrence smiled.
You can say it’s the return of Benji Marshall, or the development of Luke Brooks.
Big Russell Packer and Ben Matulino have certainly added some upfront presence.
And all over the park, they have a squad of players just doing their absolute best.
For themselves, and their teammates.
But if it wasn’t for Cleary, you just know the Tigers wouldn’t be where they are today.
They often say a football team is a reflection of their coach.
When the NRL draw came out last October no one gave the Tigers a hope in hell of sitting where they are right now.
No one, that is, except those within the club.
Handed the worst draw of any team that included playing the top four teams from 2017 over the first four rounds, almost everyone was ready to write them off.
But as Cleary explained in the aftermath of yesterday’s win over Parramatta, there was no use complaining.
“It is hard to put performances together for any team (early in the season),” Cleary reasoned.
“So we looked at it as a bit of a positive.
“It was a really good chance if we started the year well, regardless of results, that we could get some confidence.
“You either do that or you go home crying I guess.”
It’s amazing what can be achieved at a football club when a coach takes excuses out of the equation.
Four rounds in and the conversation had turned from the poor old Tigers to everyone now wanting Cleary to talk his team up as genuine premiership contenders ahead of this week’s return showdown with premiers Melbourne.
Cleary was having none of it.
“Don’t know, we will find out,” he said.
With that answer, he gave the club’s fans further reason to hope.
Under his guidance, the one certainty is that the players won’t lose focus.
Or faith.
In each other, or their coach.
WESTS TIGERS 30 (C Thompson 2 M Eisenhuth K Naiqama R Rochow tries T Lolohea 5 goals) bt PARRAMATTA 20 (K Auva’a J Hoffman G Jennings W Smith tries M Moses 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Gavin Reynolds. Crowd: 30,420