Having won their last six matches, Wests Tigers NYC squad will look to make it an incredible seven wins in a row this weekend against the Penrith Panthers.
Buoyed by the strong form of halves Te Maire Martin and Eli Levido, the hosts this week have built a solid platform in the past two months, and have recorded big wins over a number of strong outfits. They'll need to build on that again this weekend as they take on the defending NYC premiers, and will no doubt be boosted by a strong Leichhardt crowd.
Can the NYC boys make it seven in a row this weekend against the Panthers?
Read on for a full preview of the match including all the key details, team news, match analysis, statistics and more.
Match Details — NYC, Wests Tigers vs. Penrith Panthers
Date — Sunday, July 6, 2014
Time — 12:45pm kickoff
Venue — Leichhardt Oval (Mary Street, Leichhardt)
Team News
Wests Tigers
1. Mason Farrell 2. John Tohi 3. Watson Heleta 4. Jayden Wheelhouse 5. John Ogden 6. Te Maire Martin 7. Eli Levido 8. Dallas Graham 9. Manaia Cherrington 10. Jordan Grant 11. Salesi Funaki 12. Lamar Liolevave 13. Matthew Woods (Interchange: 14. Hala Masila 15. Andrew Kazzi 17. Jeremy Marshall-King 19. Matthew Lodge 24. Daniel Rakvin).
Penrith Panthers
1. Corey Harawira 2. Joshua Jay 3. Brent Naden 4. Peter Tia Tia 5. Eddie Aiono 6. Jarrod Brackenhofer 7. Sam Scarlett 8. Jordan Hall 9. Kierran Moseley 10. Atonio Pelesasa 11. Chris Smith 12. Brendan Attwood 13. Sione Katoa (Interchange: 14. Josh Tangitau 15. Myles Taueli 16. Moses Leota 17. Dave Cowhan 19. Paea Pua).
Last Five Matches
Wests Tigers
R10 — Wests Tigers 34 def. Cronulla Sharks 24
R11 — Wests Tigers 42 def. Brisbane Broncos 10
R13 — Wests Tigers 28 def. Newcastle Knights 22
R14 — Wests Tigers 28 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 18
R16 — Wests Tigers 46 def. Canberra Raiders 16
Penrith Panthers
R10 — Canberra Raiders 34 def. Penrith Panthers 16
R12 — Penrith Panthers 18 def. Parramatta Eels 14
R13 — Penrith Panthers 34 def. Gold Coast Titans 18
R14 — Penrith Panthers 26 def. St. George-Illawarra Dragons 6
R16 — New Zealand Warriors 30 def. Penrith Panthers 13
Player to Watch — Te Maire Martin, Wests Tigers
Martin’s success this year has been well-noted across the board, but it’s only fitting we again mention him as the player to watch this week after the sublime performance he put in against the Raiders. Martin picked up a hat-trick and two try-assists in the big win, and his combination with Lamar Liolevave on the left edge is starting to become one of the most dominant in the league. Martin now ranks second in the league for line-break assists and third for try-assists, so look for him to again leave his mark on the match this weekend.
Coach’s Comment
“I watched them play against the Warriors. They were leading 13-0 at half-time, and while they got beaten, they looked really good in that first half. It’s not easy to win over there and they looked good early. They held the ball well, and I think they’ve dropped a few of those players from NSW Cup down over the past few weeks, which is why they’re going really well. They’re the defending premiers so they’re always going to be a threat. The biggest thing for us is going to be complacency; we can’t just turn up and assume we’re going to win games. We’ve got to be switched on and not drop off. But I’m confident that if we play our best footy, we’ll come away with the win…” (Andrew Webster, NYC Coach)
Team Stats
|
Wests Tigers |
Penrith Panthers |
Position |
3rd (24 points) |
8th (18 points) |
Points For |
408 points (8th) |
333 points (14th) |
Points Against |
334 points (3rd) |
326 points (2nd) |
2014 Home Record |
Played 6: Won 5, Lost 1 |
Played 7: Won 5, Lost 2 |
2014 Away Record |
Played 8: Won 5, Lost 3 |
Played 7: Won 2, Lost 5 |
2014 Total Record |
Played 14: Won 10, Lost 4 |
Played 14: Won 7, Lost 7 |
