He’s staring down the barrel of four losses in a row, but Wests Tigers head coach Ivan Cleary has kept a cool head in naming his side to take on the North Queensland Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval this Thursday night.
Armchair critics may suggest he’s being stubborn in persisting with a non specialist hooker, considering the experiment of having Elijah Taylor in the number nine jumper was not exactly a raging success in Auckland, where the Wests Tigers were 26-4 losers.
Some would suggest three losses in a row demand some changes in personnel, if not positions, but other than the return of players from injury, Cleary has stuck by the strategy evident in the disaster across the ditch.
Gun hooker Jacob Liddle is back in the side after missing last week with a sternum injury, but he’s been named on the bench.
Maybe the coach knows something that we don’t, so we will just have to wait and see how the Taylor-Liddle strategy works on Thursdsay night.
Elijah Taylor will also captain the side against the Cowboys.
The return of Russell Packer – finally – to the front row will certainly bolster the Wests Tigers.
Packer returns from a knee injury suffered in Round 5 and will start in his first Wests Tigers game at Leichhardt Oval.
There is no doubt the Wests Tigers lost some of their go forward effectiveness as well as their defensive mojo while the big guy was on the sidelines.
Chris Lawrence is also set to play after failing to return from a head knock just seven minutes into the first half against the Warriors.
Lawrence was the most effective Tigers forward for those first seven minutes, so he was a big loss when he went off for head injury assessment.
There’s still no hint of when the club’s marquee signing Josh Reynolds will return to the playing field.
As soon as possible is what fans will be praying if the Wests Tigers succumb to the Cowboys.
Wests Tigers NRL team v North Queensland Cowboys:
- Corey Thompson
2. David Nofoaluma
3. Esan Marsters
4. Kevin Naiqama
5. Mahe Fonua
6. Benji Marshall
7. Luke Brooks
8. Russell Packer
9. Elijah Taylor (capt.)
10. Ben Matulino
11. Chris Lawrence
12. Robbie Rochow
13. Matt Eisenhuth
Interchange
14. Alex Twal
15. Jacob Liddle
16. Michael Chee Kam
17. Sauaso Sue
Reserves
18. Tim Grant
19. Chris McQueen
20. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak
21. Tyson Gamble
