Wests Tigers young guns steal the show to trump South Sydney Rabbitohs

JASON Taylor says the race to this year’s NRL finals is still alive after the Wests Tigers blew away the Rabbitohs 30-14.

The Tigers celebrate scoring a try.

JASON Taylor says the race to this year’s NRL finals is still alive after the Wests Tigers put a week of controversy behind them to blow away the Rabbitohs 30-14.

After another week where the headlines were about Taylor and his ongoing problems with Robbie Farah, it was the Tigers’ stars of the future who put on the real show in a scintillating six tries to three victory.

While Farah started the game off the bench, young gun halves Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks stole the spotlight while flying fullback James Tedesco certainly didn’t do his State of Origin hopes any harm.

But South Sydney’s forgettable season went from bad to worse with superstar Sam Burgess and Bryson Goodwin joining a growing casualty toll, while Blues coach Laurie Daley will be sweating on the fitness of Adam Reynolds.

Both Burgess (shoulder) and Goodwin (suspected broken arm) left the field in the first half and did not return while Reynolds appeared off his game all night and finished in obvious discomfort with a knee injury.

Michael Maguire was adamant that the little halfback’s Origin hopes were not a concern but there is no question Reynolds’ kicking game was just not at his usual standards.

But for the Wests Tigers there was plenty to be excited about with two of their touchdowns genuine contenders for tries of the year.

Although Taylor said there was more to the win than attacking flair.

“That is not the aim to be honest (to be entertaining),” Taylor said.

“It is a different style for us.

“It is a style of footy that wins in the NRL.

“It is tougher. It has got more grit about it. It has got more fight about it.

“We came up with some nice plays for tries and that is what you guys remember but what we remember is the way the scores were close for a long time.”

But it was one of those nights where the Tigers turned up to play and almost everything they did turned to gold.

They led 14-4 at half-time after three outstanding first half tries which included one that went the length of the field from a kick-off.

Brooks and Moses combined brilliantly all night but for Taylor the win was about more than the tries or the individual brilliance.

“When we played Souths last time we came here and just blew them off the park with brilliant plays,” Taylor said.

“Luke Brooks’ kicking was as good as I have ever seen from any half in my experience.

“And that is how we won.

“But you can’t back that up.

“The composure that we are playing with is what I am excited about and then we can find some high quality plays on the end of that.

“But it is what leads to that and how we get to that I am excited with.”

Farah himself celebrated in the second half with a runaway 40-metre try but overall he played within himself and to the obvious game plan his coach had set out for him.

Now on 12 competition points, the Tigers have the bye this week before they travel to Melbourne on the Sunday after State of Origin 2.

Probably needing six wins from their remaining 10 games to make the playoffs, Taylor said of the challenge: “I would imagine that the top eight is going to be lower than it has ever been, just with the tightness of the competition.

“But who knows.

“We kept ourselves in the touch with that win tonight.

“It is a really important win.”

David Nofoaluma of the Tigers celebrates scoring a try with teammate James Tedesco.

But while Souths are also on 12 competition points, they not only have a mounting injury toll that already includes John Sutton, George Burgess and Luke Keary, but an extremely tough road ahead.

After Parramatta next Friday night, the coming month includes the likes of the Panthers, the Cowboys and the Broncos following Origin 3.

“The boys have put a lot energy and effort into everything we have been doing,” Maguire said.

“But the boys still showed a lot of fight.

“That is one thing I love about this group.

“They have shown a lot of character around the things we are going through at the moment.

“I guess we are losing one or two players each week but I guess that is one thing that will make this club very strong.

“There is a lot of character amongst the boys.”

Originally published as Wests Tigers young guns steal the show to trump South Sydney Rabbitohs