Tigers set to douse Dragons flame
August 4th 2008 08:47
A class above - Benji Marshall was full of running against the Bulldogs
The Wests Tigers victory over the Bulldogs could be the fine-tuning performance the club needed to assert a position in the top eight, and regain the form that has made them so wonderful to watch.
Sunday's performance saw the Tigers come up with anything with the football in hand.
And it worked to a charm, tearing the fragile Bulldogs apart.
While Steve Folkes’ men try to find ways to cope with their horrible situation, the Tigers are ready to rock.
On their day, few teams can match their tenacity to spread the football and play with the speed that saw them take the competition by storm in 2005.
Not even an Australian summer can generate as much heat as a Tigers side in full flight.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they were locked up by a chain of doubt and misfortune that saw their opponents score 56 points in a game they were never going to win.
As Canterbury deal with the procrastination surrounding Sonny Bill Williams, the Tigers imagination of finals football looks to be a reality.
After smacking the Bulldogs into next season, Tim Sheens' men must prepare to rip in against the Dragons this Friday night.
The red V had their hearts broken by the Cronulla Sharks, and will be desperate to maintain their position in the top eight.
It promises to be a Friday night full of emotion.
In the suburbs of Manly, the Sea Eagles will seek to disrupt the kinship the Melbourne Storm have had on the Telstra premiership.
While in Wollongong, the Dragons will attempt to lay down a Tigers side who may have just peeked in form at an opportune time.
Whoever emerges victorious from that clash will graduate to the finals at season's climax.
No doubt the budget of success for both clubs will go on show in Wollongong this weekend.
While the Tigers can be quick to blast, they must mingle all their players well for a game likely to go down to the wire.
There will no doubt be a sprinkling of fortune that could decide which team progresses to September
Both sides now understand what is on the line come Friday night. Whoever eliminates the mistake of playing conservative football will win.
The Dragons disposed of the Bulldogs last Monday night by thirty points to nil, despite leading by 26 points at halftime.
The Tigers on the other hand displayed no mercy, and tormented their opposition for the full eighty minutes.
If the Dragons are to compete with their more exuberant counterparts, they must put their opponents to the sword.
It is the only way they will rectify their inability to put teams away when the chance is presented.
If there is one thing the Tigers are good at, it is there persistence. When they start well, they keep going until nothing is left of their opponents.
After their performance on the weekend, they are the ones who look set to shine under Friday night lights.
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