Not even a re-enactment of the most iconic try in their history could inspire Wests Tigers to the victory that would have kept their season alive at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday, as a late North Queensland rally clinched a gripping 34-28 victory and consigned the Tigers’ finals hopes to the dustbin.
On a day when the Tigers honoured their heroes from the 2005 grand final triumph against the Cowboys, the team brought a capacity crowd to fever pitch with a first-half try that evoked memories of the famous Pat Richards runaway in the premiership decider 20 years ago.
Richards’ try, set up a sublime flick pass by teammate and current Tigers coach Benji Marshall, rates as one of the most replayed rugby league highlights of all time.
On Sunday, Richards’ modern-day counterparts produced an uncanny impersonation. With scores locked at 10-all and North Queensland on attack, deep in the Tigers’ territory, they coughed up possession and Wests back-rower Samuela Fainu snapped up the ball, immediately linking with skipper Jarome Luai.
Luai skirted across field and fired a cut-out pass to centre Taylan May, who produced an audacious, Marshall-style infield flick to winger Sunia Turuva, who motored downfield before passing to fullback Jahream Bula.
Bula outpaced the cover defence to score, lifting the Tigers to a 16-10 half-time lead.
Jarome Luai races clear to score.Credit: Getty Images
The home team recovered from a shocking start in which they conceded tries to Jeremiah Nanai and Semi Valemei to trail 10-0 after only nine minutes.
Adding to their woes, playmaker Adam Doueihi suffered a likely season-ending injury in the 15th minute.
Doueihi was involved in a sickening incident when he got his head in the wrong position attempting to tackle a rampaging Jason Taumalolo.
The in-form five-eighth was helped from the field with a black eye, in a dazed and confused state, before he was reportedly taken to hospital with a suspected fractured eye socket. If scans confirm the Tigers’ worst fears, Doueihi appears unlikely to play again this year.
The Tigers, however, took Doueihi’s setback in their stride and regrouped to equalise after back-to-back tries from mid-season signing Taylan May, in the 16th and 23rd minutes. Then Bula’s try lifted them into the lead.
The Cowboys hit back eight minutes into the second half when May lost the ball in a tackle and Tom Dearden scooped up the dregs and raced away to score.
Just when it appeared the visitors were planning to ruin the party, Bula broke clear in the 59th minute and Tigers skipper Jarome Luai backed up to score in his 150th NRL game.
Two minutes later, the Cowboys did not contest a midfield bomb and it bounced kindly for centre Brent Naden, who gleefully scored to give his team a 12-point lead.
Dejected: Tigers coach Benji Marshall.Credit: Getty Images
The Cowboys hit back with a second Valemei try to make it a six-point ball game with 14 minutes to play.
When Braidon Burns stretched out to score in the 69th minute, and fullback Scott Drinkwater converted from the sideline, it was back to all square.
Two minutes later, the Cowboys were in again after centre Jaxon Purdue raced away to score. Drinkwater again nailed the conversion from touch.
The loss left the Tigers in 11th position, four points adrift of the top eight, with two games remaining. Their for-and-against record means they are done and dusted in the finals race.
“I guess we’re all feeling – probably like all our fans are feeling – deflated, disappointed,” coach Marshall said. “Essentially we had the game in our hands there and we let it slip through.
“I reckon [there were] some comfortable actions in our defence. That wasn’t good enough. I was proud of the way we fought back, but still it’s not going to take away that feeling of how everyone’s feeling at the moment.”
The Cowboys climbed from 15th to 12th on the ladder.
“I thought we set the game up with the way that we started that second half,” was the assessment of Cowboys coach Todd Payten.
“Then they put two trials on us pretty quickly, back-to-back sets. I’ve got to give the players a rap. They didn’t disconnect.
“They stayed tight and just got through their sets and turned away a couple of times and managed to score a couple of tries with some good footy. So, yeah, I’m happy for the lads. It’s a good feeling there at the moment.”
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