The Tigers’ attack was disjointed and their defence lazy and ill-disciplined as the Sharks cut them to shreds with ease. The Tigers’ backs as a whole failed to do any real heavy lifting early in the sets and the props were hardly putting their hands up to make an impact.
Incredibly with only 10 minutes to go, not a single Wests Tigers player had run for 100m. By that stage in the game, the Sharks’ entire back five had well and truly surpassed that mark, as had two of their forwards.
By the end of the match, only Adam Doueihi cracked the triple digits for run metres. In comparison by the time the full-time siren had sounded, 11 Sharks players had reached that same mark.
While in defence, the story wasn’t much better. Throughout the game, the Tigers’ poor discipline and lack of defensive pressure was on full display for all to see. And in the first half, Api Koroisau was sent to the sin bin for a ruck infringement, taking their tally to a staggering 14 players marched from the field this season.
The Tigers’ loss was made worse with skipper Api Koroisau coming off with a calf injury, while Alex Seyfarth and Stefano Utoikamanu also left the field with head knocks. The only downside for Cronulla – who strengthened their grip on a top-four spot with the big win – was the loss of young forward Jesse Colquhoun to a suspected ACL injury.
