Benji Marshall fumes after Tigers rookie's nightmare gifts Rabbitohs simple try
Updated . First published at
The Wests Tigers will be left ruing two moments of madness that potentially cost them victory against the Rabbitohs on the Central Coast.
Benji Marshall's troops hit the front mid-way through the second half but conceded three late tries to eventually lose 42-28.
The first moment that left Marshall fuming was a horror error that gifted the lead straight back to the Bunnies only minutes after the Tigers had themselves taken it.
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Luke Laulilii stone cold dropped this pass moments after the Tigers hit the lead against the Rabbitohs. FOX Sports
Sione Fainu crossed next to the posts in the 55th minute to put the Tigers in front for the first time all afternoon.
Only minutes later, Luke Laulilii – in just his third NRL game – stone-cold dropped a straightforward pass from Jahreme Bula off a kick. It bounced perfectly for Damien Cook on the kick chase, who was able to get it off to Cody Walker to score.
"Just when you thought the Tigers might be past their error-ridden moments," Greg Alexander quipped in commentary for Fox Sports.
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Benji Marshall could only shake his head after Luke Laulilii stone cold dropped a pass immediately after the Tigers hit the lead against the Rabbitohs. Fox Sports
"The bounce couldn't have been better for South Sydney."
Cameras then cut to Benji Marshall in the coaches box, who could only shake his head and clearly muttered, 'F--- me'.
The Bunnies went further ahead minutes later when Peter Mamouzelos from dummy half sold a dummy and dived underneath the Tigers' defence to score under the dot.
It was about this moment Tigers' heads began to drop, and it was to get worse still.
The Tigers are the most sin-binned team in the competition, and this week it was Aidan Sezer's turn, sent for 10 for an ugly hip-drop on Jye Gray.
To rub salt into the wound, it was Gray who found the hole and crossed to put the final nail in the Tigers' coffin.
Earlier, Damien Cook was moved into the centres and put on goalkicking duties after Richard Kennar failed a HIA after he was KO'd in an awkward tackle in the first half.
His head was pinched between teammate Tallis Duncan and Tigers enforcer Stefano Utoikamanu.
Speaking post-match, Marshall acknowledged that costly errors were constantly hurting his side, however he hoped his inexperienced players were learning from them.
"It's been the story of our season," he told media.
"I've said it a few times, we shot ourselves in the foot.
"We're at the stage of the season now where we're just fighting to get through the games and trying to win them [with a big effort] at the end and we just don't know how to do it. That's definitely going to be a learning curve for us.
"But I thought our kids were really good today — some of our senior players could have probably been a bit better and at the end of the day, it's on me more than anyone else."
