Wests Tigers can officially believe again after a 42-22 pummelling of Newcastle kept them in the NRL’s top two courtesy of their best winning streak in eight years.
After 15 years of misery in Sydney’s west, this was a feel-good Sunday at Campbelltown as the Tigers rolled in eight tries to completely dominate the Knights.
Their win means they are now level on points with Penrith at the top of the ladder, having finally claimed three straight victories for the first time since April 2018.
Sunia Turuva bagged a hat-trick and Jahream Bula a double, while Adam Doueihi was superb and Patrick Herbert completed the comeback story of the year.
Terrell May was immense up front with 224 metres and a try, against a Knights side who entered the round in the top four.
Tigers fans have endured several false dawns since they last played finals football in 2011, but on this sunny afternoon in Campbelltown it felt real again as they scored their first victory at the ground in more than 600 days.
Few would have enjoyed it more than Herbert, who played his last NRL game at Gold Coast in 2022 before injury cost him a deal in the English Super League.
Offered a lifeline when he received a call from Tigers coach Benji Marshall while sitting on an excavator in Wollongong late last year, he starred with his first chance at centre.
The 29-year-old provided the play of the game with a basketball-style pass for a Turuva try, offloading just as he was crunched by Wilson De Courcey.
He then celebrated with a try of his own soon afterwards, cutting through and dummying from 30 metres out.
Inside him, Doueihi put Turuva over for two of his tries, the first from an underarm cut-out ball and the second a perfectly-timed pass out in front of the winger.
Doueihi also provided fine lead-up play before Bula’s first, skirting across the field and dummying before helping put the fullback into a small gap on the Knights’ fragile left.
Such was the Tigers’ torment of that edge, Newcastle centre De Courcey was replaced at halftime and winger Greg Marzhew finished with zero tackles and three misses.
The Tigers face an injury-ravaged Broncos next week as they seek four straight wins for the first time since 2012.
Their only concern from Sunday was a knee injury for second-rower Samuela Fainu, who has been a weapon for the Tigers in the back row this year.
Tyson Frizell suffered a rib injury, but that was the least of Newcastle’s concerns ahead of a tough fortnight against the Sydney Roosters and Penrith.
Their attack had been red hot to start the season without Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown, but it was rarely in a position to strike on Sunday until two late tries saved some blushes.
