With Wests Tigers relocating to Brisbane — and likely to play home games at Suncorp Stadium — for at least the next month due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Sydney, we took a walk down memory lane to remember the club’s most memorable matches at the famous venue.
From nail-biting one-point wins to heartbreaking losses and a number of memorable upset victories along the way — Wests Tigers have experienced the highs and lows of playing at Suncorp Stadium.
Round 23, 2003
Wests Tigers 12 def. Brisbane Broncos 10
Wests Tigers enjoyed a thrilling two-point win in their first ever clash at Suncorp Stadium — defeating the Broncos 12-10 — but they were forced to do it the hard way after trailing 10-6 at half-time.
With rookie five-eighth Benji Marshall a late inclusion into Tim Sheens’ line-up, Dene Halatau shifted into the centres with John Wilson moving to lock.
Chris Heighington and Robert Miles scored for the home side, while Luke Covell’s late conversion proved to be the difference.
Round 15, 2008
Brisbane Broncos 19 def. Wests Tigers 18
In front of 27,864 fans at Suncorp Stadium, the Broncos and Wests Tigers produced a Friday night blockbuster that went down to the wire.
With just over 10 minutes remaining on the clock and Wests Tigers trailing by six points, the away side produced a stunning try to level the scores. It started with a breathtaking cut-out pass from Benji Marshall to Dean Collis, who made a break down the right edge before kicking towards the goalposts for Liam Fulton to gather and score — setting up a grandstand finish.
Unfortunately for Wests Tigers, it was representative fullback Karmichael Hunt who kicked the winning field goal for the Broncos.
Round 12, 2016
Wests Tigers 19 def. Brisbane Broncos 18
Wests Tigers continued their mid-season resurgence with an upset 19-18 win over the Broncos — but it was a result that hung in the balance until the final seconds.
After failing to put the Broncos to the sword for the final quarter of the game the visitors bought themselves a seven-point buffer courtesy of a Mitchell Moses field goal five minutes from full-time, but any celebrations were premature.
The Broncos regathered a short kick-off from the restart and Ben Hunt hit Lachlan Maranta with an inch-perfect cross-field kick to set up a thrilling finish.
Hunt had a last-gasp shot to send the game into golden point, but the field goal attempt was unsuccessful, giving Wests Tigers a one-point victory.
Round 5, 2019
Wests Tigers 22 def. Brisbane Broncos 16
With just over a minute left on the clock and scores locked at 16-all, no one expected to see what came next.
With Wests Tigers setting up for a field goal, but unable to get the shot away on fifth tackle, the ball ended up in the hands of Michael Chee Kam — 35 metres out.
The bench utility looked left, then right, and with no one to pass to, he decided to have a run himself. Breaking a number of tackles and then putting a big right step on Broncos fullback Darius Boyd, Chee Kam managed to find the line to secure a thrilling win for Wests Tigers.
Round 9, 2019
Wests Tigers 30 def. Penrith Panthers 4
Wests Tigers had a fun night at Suncorp Stadium during the first edition on the NRL’s Magic Round as they recorded a comprehensive 30-4 win over former coach Ivan Cleary’s Panthers.
Michael Maguire’s men shocked the Mountain Men as Wests Tigers scored five tries in the opening 17 minutes.
Moses Mbye started in the party after four minutes, before Luke Brooks, Esan Marsters, Corey Thompson and Robert Jennings all found the line for a 26-4 lead at the break.
Round 4, 2020
Gold Coast Titans 28 def. Wests Tigers 23
As much as we’ve tried to erase this game from our memory, last year’s heartbreak loss to the Gold Coast still stings — so we’ll keep this one short.
Holding a three-try advantage with a quarter of the game remainder, it looked like a comfortable two points for the Wests Tigers — with the game being played at Suncorp Stadium due to regulations surrounding COVID-19.
But three late tries to the Titans, including Phillip Sami’s late match-winner, broke the hearts of the Wests Tigers.
Round 10, 2021
Wests Tigers 36 def. Newcastle Knights 18
Our most recent visit to Suncorp Stadium resulted in two competition as Wests Tigers kept their perfect Magic Round record intact with an 18-point win over Newcastle.
Michael Maguire’s men again raced out of the blocks on a fast surface with Luke Brooks, James Tamou and David Nofoaluma all scoring in the opening 14 minutes.
The Knights fought back, but a double to Adam Doueihi and a Tommy Talau try ensured Wests Tigers would make it a perfect two from two against the Knights in 2021.
