NRL 2023: Gold Coast Titans win 22-10 over Wests Tigers, Bunker break down at Leichhardt Oval
Despite some moments of brilliance, the Tigers rebuild is clearly still a work in progress, with a bizarre pre-game switch backfiring, while the Titans suffered a massive injury blow.
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Twenty minutes into the final match of NRL round one between Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans, many of the 14,667 fans loudly supporting the home side wondered one thing: Where’s Api?
Well, they knew where he was. As was Api Koroisau’s way at Penrith Panthers, the Tigers’ star recruit began the match on the bench, the heavy lifting done early by Jake Simpkin.
Yet with his team down 12-2 and David Fifita running rampant, fans wondered when the State of Origin rep and club captain would make an appearance on the field.
The answer was in the 25th minute. Koroisau would go on to play 47 minutes in a game the coach Tim Sheens said the Tigers lost more than the Titans won 22-10.
Sheens explained that Koroisau was underdone after a limited pre-season.
“Joe [Ofahengaue] hasn’t played a game and Api hasn’t either. Both coming off injury.
Jake has played two games and then we put Api on. Joe the same,” Sheens said.
Asked if it was the plan going forward, Sheens said: “Let me start getting over this before I start thinking about that.”
Fifita would run for 192 metres and was a handful on the left edge while AJ Brimson scored a fine try and was good under the high ball for the Titans who enjoyed their fourth win in a row over the Tigers and their third win straight at Leichhardt.
Conversely Tigers fullback Daine Laurie was rocks and diamonds, allowing a bomb to bounce for a critical second half try yet scoring a fine try himself.
Sheens said it was “early season and tough football” for several of his players.
“Particularly the guys who’ve come back and haven’t had a lot of pre-season. Api’s one of those. No excuses for him.
“But some guys started the second of November and others well into January. It’s been a little bit [about] bringing Api into our system and making sure our halves are on the same page
“And we had a little bit of success with that. And a little bit of clunkiness.
“But again, round one, and we didn’t throw it in ... if the effort’s not there I would be worried,” Sheens said.
Sheens said he would be operating with similar kid gloves with star English import John Bateman.
“I won’t commit too much on that. John’s just landed, basically, he’s settling in, still doesn’t know the players.
“I’m not going to push him if we don’t think he’s ready. If it was a grand final this week he’d have played, put it that way.
“But we’ve invested four years in him and I’m not going to ruin the opportunity early by pushing him through because we’ve lost a game,” Sheens said.
Koroisau said it was great playing in front of such a passionate home crowd.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I was getting sprayed last time I was here!”
Before the match Koroisau said he was amazed that so many people were watching the NSW Cup game won 44-18 by Western Suburbs Magpies over Sydney Roosters and featuring a cracking solo try by Magpies fullback Jahream Bula.
Koroisau said he’d been warned that effort plays would be appreciated.
“The crowd really gets behind you. You really feel it. They were riding us hard. It’s really disappointing that we let them down. But it’s only round one. Hopefully we see them again next week,” Koroisai said.
The Titans will sweat on a report on their captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui while Kieran Foran suffered a leg injury that Titans staff believe is “worse than a cork.”
BUNKER DEBACLE: LEICHHARDT’S EMBARRASSING TECH BLUNDER
—Michael Carayannis
Technical problems means the bunker will not be in use for the clash between the Tigers and Gold Coast at Leichhardt Oval.
Instead former referee Shayne Hayne will help officiate from inside the venue like what used to happen before the bunker was introduced.
Hayne was at the ground to be the referees’ coach but the experienced official will slot back into a decision making role after the problem was unable to be rectified before the 6.15pm kick-off. Hayne will use a modified officiating system.
An NRL spokesman confirmed the glitch.
“The NRL has a modified officiating system at Leichhardt Oval due to connectivity issues outside the NRL’s control,” the spokesman said.
“Video officiating will be carried out from the venue. The NRL has sought a full explanation from providers for the cause of the issues.”
SHEENS: TIGERS WON’T BE ONE TRICK PONIES
—David Riccio
A phenomenal 38 years after coaching his first ever game, Tiger Tim is back where he belongs.
From the rubble of a wooden spoon, a decade of failed recruits and a plethora of coach sackings, a new era begins on Sunday for the Wests Tigers under the direction of a 72-year-old who prefers trick plays over lawn bowls.
Ahead of Sheens’ comeback to the coach’s box for the Tigers against Gold Coast, the vigorous mentor has provided an ominous warning to rivals about marquee signing John Bateman.
Before that though, he promised one thing to a legion of desperate fans who haven’t experienced finals footy since the premiership-winning coach was last in charge, back in 2011.
“A safety-first attitude won’t win you a premiership,’’ Sheens said.
“Nothing great in life is achieved in life without taking some risk.
“We won’t be sitting still.’’
EYE OF THE TIGER
Sheens has been appointed head coach for 2023 and 2024 before his assistant and club legend Benji Marshall takes over in 2025.
Sunday is the culmination of three months of the duo attempting to transform the club from a fractured mess into a stabilised and united group that are willing to play for each other and their coaches.
Sheens gave no promises on just how quick we’ll see an upward swing in performance.
“We’re not spruiking anything yet. We haven’t won anything yet and we ran last, last year,’’ Sheens said.
“I’m not here to predict this or that. But we’re working hard to get ourselves going in the right direction.
“I’ve been in the business for 30 to 40 years and it does change all the time.
“You’ve got to move with it, in fact you’ve got to stay ahead of it.
“It never stops. We can’t be doing what we did yesterday.’’
POMMY JOHN
Missing from Sunday’s opening round is marquee signing from the UK John Bateman.
Reports last week suggested the workaholic forward could miss up to the first two months with a foot problem.
Sheens scoffed at the suggestion before offering this stunning appraisal of the 29-year-old.
“It won’t be two months,’’ Sheens said.
“I’m not playing him because he doesn’t know the players. He’s only just settled into the country, he’s still learning the players first names and who they are.
“He’s had less than two weeks with us. We’ve invested four years in this kid. So I’m not worried about how long it takes me to get him on the field, but it’s not an injury.
“I’ll tell you this, on the wrestling mat the other day not one player could beat him.
“Strength wise, grit wise and determination, not one player that he wrestled could beat him and even though they outweighed him in most of the instances.
“And all he talks about is defence. He comes from the (defence focused) Wigan system.
“He is going to be a very hard-nosed professional for us.
“When he’s ready I’ll play him. “He’s on a return to play program. I won’t give away anything, but if it was a grand final this week, I reckon he’d play.
“He might wrestle me into the ground next week to play. He is a determined athlete.’’
TRICK-SHOT TIGERS
Sheens, like his assistants Marshall and Robbie Farah, prefer to coach outside the norm, as opposed to coaching within it.
Scrum-base trick-play, a kick and chase and all sorts of trickery is on the cards for the Tigers.
“We’ve got a couple of things planned,’’ Sheens smiled.
“But in saying that, it’s early days for the team. Half the squad is different, the staff is completely new, so it’s going to take us all time.
“If we try and push everything down everyone’s throats in the first two weeks, it’s not going to work.
“We’ve got some ideas that we’ll keep on hold until we build the combinations among the team.
“I haven’t had Brooksy run in a game, I haven’t had Api run in a game.
“So we’re moving forward with a degree of conservatism, but in real terms that’s not in Robbie, Benji or my DNA.’’
PARTY LIKE IT’S 2005
Much has been written and said about the Tigers playing a brand of footy that resembles the club’s historic grand-final winning 2005 side.
Sheens, who will coach the club for the 250th time on Sunday, is agitated by the storylines.
“One thing is for sure, I haven’t gone back and said, this is what we did in 2005, this is what we’re going to do,’’ Sheens said.
“That’s almost 20 years ago.
“The all-out attack thing is funny because we defended really well against Canberra (trial match) and no one mentioned it.
“It was only about the seven tries we scored. But we only let them score one.’’
TIGER CUBS
Aside from Bateman missing, Sheens has named his strongest possible line-up to tackle the Titans.
Yet despite fanfare over the club’s big name recruits, Sheens reserved his greatest excitement for two other “new buys”.
“The two that I have been really happy with are Tommy Talau and Shawn Blore,’’ Sheens said.
“We didn’t have them at all last year due to long-term injury. When people talk about our new recruits, they are our new recruits.
“They add big body size to the team and I like what they bring.’’
Sheens added that the club was in the process of negotiating a new contract for the off-contract Talau.
Originally published as NRL 2023: Gold Coast Titans win 22-10 over Wests Tigers, Bunker break down at Leichhardt Oval
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