Tamou: 'United Wests Tigers to stick together'

Wests Tigers skipper James Tamou has called on his players to stay united following the side’s heartbreaking loss to the Warriors in Round 11.

Tamou was frustrated by the team’s performance on the Central Coast but said they can’t dwell on the disappointment ahead of the Indigenous Round clash against St George Illawarra.

“We’ve got to look forward because now it’s must-win,” Tamou said.

“We’ve had a pretty honest review session and we’ve got to get over that game as quickly as we can and fix some things up and move on to the Dragons.

“We’ve spoken about just sticking together because we’ve got a tight-knit group of boys.

“We’ve got to stay connected and keep working for each other.”

Although Tamou is dissatisfied with where his side is sitting on the ladder following 11 rounds, he said their position isn’t a reflection on the effort they’re inputting throughout each week.

“I’ve said it all year — the effort is there, it’s just a few things that we are letting ourselves down on,” the captain said.

“We’re working hard for each other. It hurts when you’re working hard but still not getting wins.

“We know it’s there and know it can work, we just need to execute at the right times.”

Tamou is hoping Wests Tigers can perform well against the Dragons during Friday night’s Indigenous Round clash.

“This [Indigenous] jersey and this round means a lot to us,” Tamou said.

“This jersey means so much to some kids — it gives them hope because they look up to these players .

“Jimmy the Jet [James Roberts] and Daine Laurie — they wear this jersey with pride. For us to be on their level, we really need to step up — which we know we can do.”