Throwback Thursday: Sydney Cricket Ground

Saturday’s match could well be the final NRL game at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the Roosters shift their operations across to the newly-renovated Allianz Stadium in the coming weeks.

Wests Tigers have a rich history on the hallowed turf, with the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies winning six Grand Finals at the SCG, including the inaugural NSWRL decider in 1916.

As a joint-venture, Wests Tigers have played eight matches at the iconic venue and we’re going back to revisit two of the club’s most memorable victories at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

2013

On the 50th anniversary of the famous 1963 Grand Final between the Magpies and Dragons, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra returned to the Sydney Cricket Ground to face off on a glorious Sunday afternoon.

Leeson Ah Mau scored the first try of the match for the Dragons, before Joel Luani levelled the scores by ducking over from dummy-half.

Playing in their famous black-and-white strip, Benji Marshall emulated the skills of Magpies five-eighth Arthur Summons by stepping through the line and passing to Braith Anasta for the visitors' second try.

Playing in his debut match, Luke Brooks then sent Curtis Sironen through the defence with a terrific no-look pass to give his side a twelve-point lead.

Leeson Ah Mau looked to have narrowed the deficit with his second try of the match, but James Tedesco denied the prop with a heroic swipe at the ball.

Instead, Curtis Sironen made the most of some broken play to send Tim Simona away on a length-of-the-field run to extend the lead to eighteen points on the stroke of halftime.

A pair of tries to Adam Quinlan and Ben Creagh to start the second half saw the Dragons pull within four points, but Luke Brooks was quick to quash any hopes of a comeback.

The 18-year-old halfback put a deft grubber through the line for Tim Simona to complete his double, before throwing an audacious dummy and scooting through the line for the first try of his NRL career.

Brooks’ four-pointer sealed the win for his side as they held the Dragons scoreless for the remainder of the match to emerge victorious by 16 points.

2019

After a late season resurgence, Wests Tigers needed a victory against the Dragons to keep their season alive in 2019.

Six years after his debut game, Luke Brooks scooped up a Ben Hunt grubber and ran 60 metres to get his side off to the perfect start.

Brooks was eventually caught by Tristan Sailor, but a spiral pass from Benji Marshall allowed Paul Momirovski to open the scoring in the right corner.

Euan Aitken levelled the scores in the 16th minute, but Luke Brooks soon set up another try with a one-on-one strip and delicate grubber kick to Luke Garner.

Leading by four at the break, Wests Tigers started the second half with a length-of-the-field intercept try to Paul Momirovski.

The Dragons hit back in the 48th minute through Gareth Widdop, but that effort was quickly met with an attacking onslaught from the visitors.

Benji Marshall sent Paul Momirovski crashing to the line to complete his hat-trick before the Kiwi wizard stepped through the defence for a four-pointer of his own.

Luke Brooks rounded out a terrific performance with a full-field try and Elijah Taylor put the cherry on top of a dominant victory with a comical run to the line that included several dummy passes to no one.

The win set up a final round showdown with the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval, with the winner claiming the last remaining spot in the top eight.