Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall says his side is finally finding its way as the club looks to clinch three straight wins for the first time since Round 6, 2018.
It’s been so long since the Tigers pulled off a trifecta of wins that the last time they did it, Marshall was pulling the strings in the halves.
It’s been over a decade of mediocrity at the Tigers but they’d never been wooden spooners until 2022. Now they are desperately trying to avoid a third straight spoon.
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Marshall has used avoiding the unwanted title as motivation for his young side in the back end of the season and they produced a second straight win on Thursday night.
The 34-26 victory over the Sea Eagles going into the bye means the Tigers’ last game of the season, against Eels in the final round, will likely decide the wooden spoon.
Rookie coach Marshall wouldn’t be drawn on whether the Tigers would have been able to fight back from a 16-0 this time last year like they did against Manly, but said his men are starting to find their way.
“We’re starting to find a little bit of what works for us,” Marshall said.
“Last week we found something and don’t forget we’ve got a team of kids who are still learning how to manage games, how to play games and we’ve got some great leaders who, like tonight, led us home at the back end.
“Lachie Galvin, just the emergence of these guys and then Latu Fainu gets on and his first touch (he scores). He is a great young kid, very silky with the ball, tough in defence, never shirks his responsibility. But you’ve got to remember he’s 19 and it takes time.
“We are NOT happy with 16th or 17th” | 04:26
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“We want to finish the season on a high, we’ve got a bye then Parramatta in the last round so at least we’re giving ourselves a shot at it.
“But I’ll be clear, we’re not happy finishing 16th or 17th. We want to be higher than that but we accept where we are and you’ve got to identify how to move forward and we’ve got a plan and we’re working on it.
“But we’ve got to celebrate the moments like tonight too, we need to enjoy that.”
Tigers skipper Api Koroisau also found praise for 18-year-old five-eighth Galvin who has been a revelation for the club this season.
“He’s one of those kids that just has raw talent, he’s not flustered by what’s happened, he plays what’s in front of him,” Koroisau said.
“When the game is on the line he’s one of those guys that wants his hands on the ball. It’s great to play with someone like that, especially at 18, sometimes they can go missing or quiet but he just takes his opportunities.”
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