Round 13: Wests Tigers v Raiders preview
Tigers host Raiders in first home game at Bankwest Stadium.
After suffering a humiliating 51-6 loss at the hands of the Eels on opening day at the newly renovated ground in Round 6, the Wests Tigers will be hoping for a much better display as they run out of the home dressing rooms for the first time on Friday night.
Sitting just outside the top eight, Michael McGuire's men are coming off a bye after a mixed run of form in the weeks prior. After dominating the Panthers in Magic Round, they went within a whisker of upsetting the Storm in Melbourne before comfortably being held by the Rabbitohs leading into the bye.
They will welcome back skipper Moses Mbye from a groin injury after the fullback played limited minutes off the bench in his Origin debut for Queensland on Wednesday night, although there is some conjecture about him being out of favour with Coach McGuire. If he does line up at the back as named, Corey Thompson will shift back to the wing, with David Nofoaluma pushed out of the 17.
Former Captain Chris Lawrence has been named in the reserves after overcoming a gruesome broken jaw and McGuire earlier in the week confirmed he would come into the game day team.
Slipping outside the top four two weeks ago after back to back narrow losses, the Raiders bounced back last weekend with a win over the Bulldogs despite missing a mass amount of their stars through injury and Origin commitments.
Of the Origin trio that lined up on Wednesday night, Jack Wighton and Josh Papalii are expected to suit up for the green machine, whilst Nick Cotric is considered doubtful after picking up a knee injury. Young centre Sebastian Kris is expected to come into the side if Cotric is ruled out.
Coach Ricky Stuart has also named Jordan Rapana to return from a knee injury on the wing with Michael Oldfield making way and young bulls Corey Horsburgh (injured) and Hudson Young (suspension) will be out of action after impressing in their debut seasons thus far.
Last meeting: Round 22 2018 - Raiders 20 Wests Tigers 22
The Tigers got the points with an Esan Marsters penalty goal proving the difference. Raiders back-rower Joe Tapine scored a double in both games played against Friday's opposition last season.
Who to watch: One man hardly mentioned amidst the New South Wales halves debate, Luke Brooks has been flying under the radar for the Tigers as he continues to build consistency in his game. Averaging 119 running metres for the year, Brooks' willingness to take the line on, combined with the ball-playing that has netted him eight try-assists have been asking plenty of questions of his opposition. His classy left-foot kicks are also a feature. Expect him to have a big game if the Tigers are to prevail in this one.
Making his Origin debut on Wednesday night, Jack Wighton was praised by Blues Coach Brad Fittler for his efforts despite throwing the crucial intercept pass for Dane Gagai's runaway try. Wighton will slot back into the Raiders number six jumper and will be looking to quickly put that moment behind him as he continues his strong season. A key cog in the Raiders resurgence this year, Wighton has caused plenty of havoc on his opposition defenders with his strong running game. With Bankwest Stadium's playing surface appearing particularly slippery in night games, Wighton's deceptively quick footwork could cause plenty of headaches for the Tigers in this one.
The favourite: The Tigers hold a slight edge over the Raiders according to the bookies here.
My tip: Looks like a tight tussle that could come down to the bounce of a ball. Leaning slightly in favour of the home team, particularly if they can reproduce the performance that narrowly went down to the Storm two starts back. Wests Tigers by 2.
