Gold Coast Titans deliver impressive 30-12 victory against Tigers at Leichhardt Oval
GOLD Coast have ruined the much-hyped Leichhardt comeback of former captain Robbie Farah with a 30-12 win over the Wests Tigers.
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HE was the saviour who couldn’t save his team.
Robbie Farah was heroic in his much-hyped Wests Tigers comeback match on Sunday — one try assist, 43 tackles and 105 run metres.
But it simply wasn’t enough. Farah arrived as Wests Tigers’ finals chances departed.
The big stage was all set too.
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Farah back in Tigers colours at a packed Leichhardt Oval on a sunny Sunday. It was classic stuff.
But Wests Tigers fumbled and bumbled their way through 80 frustrating minutes, which included 17 errors, during a 30-12 loss to Gold Coast.
They completed just 20 from 34 sets. That meant making 139 more tackles than Gold Coast. It was an inept performance.
Wests Tigers are now six competition points outside the top eight with eight games remaining.
After a season which started with success and promise, it appears Wests Tigers will once again be holidaying in September.
And, after Sunday’s effort, they only have themselves to blame.
If the Tigers cannot beat Gold Coast at home in a big game then the joint venture club really has no right to contest finals footy. Gold Coast made 12 errors yesterday but still proved victorious.
The home side pushed the final pass, repeatedly. Each time they created something, things fell apart.
It was a hugely disappointing performance from a team which, before Sunday, still harboured finals aspirations.
Farah was left frustrated, saying: “Really disappointing — it didn’t go to script did it? It was a game we threw away more than anything.
“We looked good times and created a lot of half chances but we just have to learn that instead of pushing that pass, we need to take the tackle and get them on the next play.
“We let them off the hook. On another day, we probably run in seven or eight tries but it wasn’t meant to be today. It’s something we need to learn from and learn pretty quickly because our season hangs in the balance right now.
“Six points behind them (Brisbane) with eight games to go — it’s going to be tough but you never say never.
“It was still a special occasion for me to come back to this club and to play at Leichhardt, which is obviously a special place for me, being a local junior.”
The crowd and atmosphere was buzzing pre-game only for 17,000 fans to walk away dispirited. It was a massive anticlimax.
Wests Tigers led 12-6 during the first half only for the Titans to score 24 unanswered points.
Exasperated by his side’s performance, Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary said: “Very disappointing, we continually shot ourselves in the foot. Obviously there was a big crowd and a big occasion today which must have got to us.
“You’d think at some point we would be able to correct it throughout the game. We couldn’t. It never changed. We were just looking for the quick fix throughout the day. You don’t win games like that.”
Balmain legend Paul Sironen took to social media at full-time to post; “All well & good to get mushy & romantic about a sold out Sunday at Leichhardt BUT you still got to turn up & play smart!”
And Wests Tigers didn’t.
Despite the result, Farah was still the main attraction.
He pulled a mighty cheer when the player’s names were read out to the sellout crowd pre-game.
Fans even stuck around well after full-time to cheer him from Leichhardt.
“We have to take accountability,” said Wests Tigers prop Russell Packer.
“We haven’t played up to our standards but, in saying that, there are eight games to go.
“We have to take the good with the bad. This is life. Not everything goes well. We have to come together as a team — only the playing group can look within and find something to work ourselves back into that competitive form we showed at the start of the year.”
A try to Titans five-eighth AJ Brimson in the 62nd minute — where he regained his own bomb — pushed Gold Coast out to an eight-point lead. Wests Tigers never recovered.
Wests Tigers did score two ripping first half tries — a 60-metre solo effort by centre Kevin Naiqama and a 45-metre cracker to five-eighth Josh Reynolds, where he jinked and slid past half a dozen defenders for a memorable try.
Farah added: “I was brought back here to do a job and help us win games and we couldn’t do that today.”
Victory was well deserved for the battling Titans.
“An old mentor once said to me that an ugly win was better than a pretty loss,” said Gold Coast coach Garth Brennan. ‘That probably summed it up today.”
GOLD COAST 30 (J Arrow A Brimson A Don R James A Taylor tries M Gordon 5 goals) bt WESTS TIGERS 12 (K Naiqama J Reynolds tries E Marsters 2 goals) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: Gavin Reynolds, Jon Stone. Crowd: 16,984.
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