Wests Tigers Intrust Super Premiership team have made it four in a row with a convincing 42-24 win over the Newtown Jets at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.
With a great crowd in attendance at Leichhardt, it was a complete team performance from Paul Stringer’s side against the fifth-placed Jets, with the home side showing plenty of dominance in attack to eventually come away with a 18-point win in the end.
After surviving several early attacking raids from the home side, Newtown began the match in perfect fashion with a kick back on the inside finding Jesse Sene-Lefao under the posts, with the front rower crashing over to make it 4-0 after nine minutes of play.
Kurt Capewell made no mistake from in front to make it 6-0.
Sene-Lefao would have his second moments later when Jordan Drew broke through the line before offloading for the forward to score out wide, making it 12-0 after 14 minutes.
After building pressure on the Jets’ line with several repeat sets, Wests Tigers would finally get on the board when Robbie Farah darted from dummy half to find Tyler Cassel close to the line, with the back-rower improving the angle to score under the posts.
Justin Hunt added the extras to cut the Jets’ lead to 12-6 after 20 minutes of play.
Wests Tigers would level the match after 23 minutes when Jack Littlejohn found himself in space close to the line — Hunt converting to make it 12-12 in a matter of minutes.
And after continuing to build pressure on the Newtown line, Wests Tigers would have their first lead of the day when Jordan Grant showed superb athleticism and agility for a big man to cut back against the grain and burrow his way over close to the line.
Hunt converted to give Wests Tigers an 18-12 lead after 34 minutes.
Sunday afternoon footy returns to Leichhardt Oval when we take on the Cowboys!
Newtown would hit back immediately, though, with Anthony Moraitis crashing over to make it 18-16, with Capewell’s unsuccessful conversion leaving the score as such.
The ensuing kickoff from Hunt would fly out on the full, giving Newtown one last attack before half time, and a penalty blown against Farah in the ruck would allow Capewell the chance to level the scores at 18-all at half-time, which he would do with ease.
After Jets fullback Travis Robinson was penalised for a questionable obstruction in his own end of the field, Wests Tigers would take full advantage as Hunt grabbed his first try of the day with some great individual skill, beating several to score next to the posts.
The halfback converted to extend the home side’s lead to 24-18 after 50 minutes.
A big run from Michael Chee Kam would put Wests Tigers on the attack, and speedster Josh Addo-Carr would finish off the move the next play as he dove over next to the posts — giving Hunt another simple conversion to push Wests Tigers’ lead to 30-18.
Newtown looked to hit back with several sets on the home side’s line, but even that would turn into points for Wests Tigers as Addo-Carr grabbed his second try of the day with a 95m intercept, with Hunt’s conversion taking the score to 36-18 after 62 minutes.
Wests Tigers would continue to pile on the points, and it was Curtis Sironen’s turn to get into the action as he steamed on to a short ball close to the line to crash over.
Hunt continued his perfect record with the boot, making it seven-from-seven to give Wests Tigers a commanding 42-18 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Newtown would grab a consolation try in the final minutes as Moraitis put Drew over untouched to make it 42-24, but it would be all in vain for the visitors as Wests Tigers held firm to record their fourth win in a row and moved to equal second on the ladder.
FULL TIME — Wests Tigers 42 (Addo-Carr 2, Cassel, Littlejohn, Grant, Hunt, Sironen tries; Hunt 7/7 goals) def. Newtown 24 (Sene-Lefao 2, Moraitis, Drew tries; Capewell 4/5 goals)
