Tigers defensive wall will only get stronger, says backrower Robbie Rochow
OVER the first month of the season the reborn Wests Tigers have shown themselves to be made of iron. But according to backrower Robbie Rochow, the black, gold and white wall can get even stronger.
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OVER the first month of the season the reborn Wests Tigers have shown themselves to be made of iron.
The Tigers boast one of the most miserly defences in the NRL — Easter Monday’s win over Parramatta marked the first time they’d conceded more than one try in a match this season.
But according to backrower Robbie Rochow, the black, gold and white wall can get even stronger as the weeks go by.
“If you want to look for an overall statement for our first four weeks — we haven’t defended perfectly,” Rochow told The Daily Telegraph.
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“You can see that our systems are still working (but) we’re still learning our combinations.
“But you can tell no matter what happens, there’s going to be someone covering.
“When you do that consistently in training, when you do it in the games like we have been, that’s where trust comes.
“It’s not from a video (session) or a meeting, it’s doing it every day at training and when we’re on the field at the moment you can tell people are turning up for each other.”
In each of their games so far this season, there’s been moments when the Tigers seem ripe to be busted open, but time and again somebody scrambles from somewhere to save the day.
The players trust one another to go the extra mile, to make the extra step, to pull out what Vince Lombardi called “the second effort”.
It’s the kind of quality a lot of clubs talk about but few truly have, and Rochow believes much of it stems from the leaders in the middle of the field.
“When you’ve got strong guys in the middle of the field it’s a trust thing.
“You trust the guy next to you.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else other than Russ Packer and Elijah Taylor and Ben Matulino in the middle of my field.
“They’re absolute warriors, they’re fit, they’re strong, they’re fast. It gives you a lot of trust, a lot of faith. They never give up and they never stop.”
Rochow, who has been at three clubs in the past 18 months before joining the Tigers, is one of the many success stories under coach Ivan Cleary.
Like Corey Thompson, the Concord rubber man, Rochow came to the club with no promises or guarantees, but has earned a spot on the right edge ahead of expensive import and former Origin forward Chris McQueen.
Many Tigers players espoused the importance Cleary placed on competition in the pre-season.
Rochow is living proof of the virtues of that philosophy and despite his return to the kind of form that he showed during his best days at Newcastle, the 27-year old still strives to win those competitive moments every day.
“Myself and Josh Aloiai will be fighting for a spot for the rest of the time we’re playing together.
“When you’ve got a lot of depth, you’re fit and skilful in your forward pack, your healthy competition is always going to start then.”