Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Benji Marshall Tigers pressure has grown after Wests Tigers fell 24-10 to St George Illawarra at Kogarah Oval on Saturday night, leaving their NRL finals hopes in trouble.
The defeat dropped Wests Tigers to 12th with a 7-9 record, while St George Illawarra claimed only their second win of the season.
The result added to a worrying week for Wests Tigers, with Api Koroisau’s injury deepening their finals concern after he suffered a suspected pectoral injury.
Marshall Takes Responsibility
Marshall said the performance was not good enough after warning his players during the week not to underestimate the last-placed Dragons.
“That’s on me as a coach because I’ve got to go and look at the preparation we had and then how we turned up with that performance today,” he told reporters.
“I’ve got to take accountability as the coach and the end of the day that starts and stops with me.
“We got exactly what we deserved today, to be honest. Our discipline, attention to detail, care wasn’t good enough.
“So full credit to the Dragons because they earned their win and we were poor.”
Tigers Waste Field Position
Wests Tigers had chances, finishing with 39 tackles inside St George Illawarra’s 20-metre zone compared with the Dragons’ 31.
Still, they managed only two tries, with Marshall admitting the attack was too lateral near the line.
“I don’t want to get too deep into it because we were way off, but we legged them out of yardage, penalty after penalty, silly moments, errors, and they capitalised,” he said.
“The last two weeks I thought we were poor, attack-wise, especially in good ball on the try line,” Marshall said.
“Today we were lateral, so side to side, made no inroads down there.
Injuries Add To Tigers Concern
Apisai Koroisau told reporters he was “not sure” about the injury but said he “feels good”.
Jarome Luai is expected back against the New Zealand Warriors after delayed concussion symptoms, while Samuela Fainu could return from a foot issue.
Official updates are available through NRL.
