NRL Round 17: Wests Tigers forced to play barely recognisable lineup against Roosters
The Wests Tigers’ hopes of finally winning a game have suffered a fresh series of blows with injuries, suspensions and a roster upheaval conspiring to strip the team of any semblance of a spine.
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Wests Tigers bid to arrest a six-game losing streak is set to become even more difficult with three of their four spine players who played on Friday night set to be unavailable for their next match.
And that does not include co-captain Jarome Luai who missed Friday’s loss to Manly with Luai expected to be again picked for NSW on Sunday night meaning he won’t play for the Tigers against the Roosters next Sunday.
The Tigers’ woes have been compounded with fullback Heath Mason facing a one game ban even with an early guilty plea for making contact with referee Gerard Sutton. Mason was placed on report after knocking over Sutton in the in-goal while competing for a bouncing ball.
The grade two contrary conduct charge will see him suspended for the Roosters clash. Co-captain Api Koroisau also won’t be able to play because of a concussion forcing a major reshuffle for the struggling Tigers.
The Tigers are also resigned to cutting Tallyn Da Silva loose before Monday’s June 30 deadline. Da Silva started at hooker for the Tigers on Friday night. He met with the Knights on Saturday and will spend the next 48 hours deciding if he will join Newcastle, North Queensland, Manly or Parramatta.
The Tigers pulled hooker Tristan Hope from their NSW Cup squad on Saturday. Hope played his only NRL game in round one.
The Tigers new-look spine is expected to feature Hope at dummy half with Adam Doueihi and Latu Fainu in the halves to take on a Roosters side with regular fullback Jahream Bula sidelined for at least another month with a hamstring injury. Luke Laulilii or Charlie Staines are fullback options.
The Roosters will be impacted by Origin but will still have the likes of James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou and Mark Nawaqanitawase. Their forward pack has taken a beating with injuries to Victor Radley and Siua Wong.
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Originally published as NRL Round 17: Wests Tigers forced to play barely recognisable lineup against Roosters
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