Wests Tigers and Newcastle Knights will be out to post their first win of the 2023 season when they meet at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Sunday.
MATCHDAY NEWS
MATCHDAY SCHEDULE
Wests Tigers Vs Newcastle Knights
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Date: Sunday March 12, 4:05pm
MATCHDAY TEAM NEWS
Tigers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Brent Naden 4. Tommy Talau 5. Charlie Staines 6. Adam Doueihi 7. Luke Brooks 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. David Klemmer 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Shawn Blore 13. Joe Ofahengaue 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Asu Kepaoa 16. Alex Seyfarth 17. Alex Twal 18. Starford To’a 19. Junior Tupou 20. Tukimihia Simpkins 21. Justin Matamua 22. Brandon Tumeth
Knights: 1. Lachlan Miller 2. Hymel Hunt 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Dominic Young 6. Kalyn Ponga 7. Jackson Hastings 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Jacob Saifiti 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 13. Kurt Mann 14. Phoenix Crossland 15. Jack Johns 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Leo Thompson 18. Brodie Jones 19. Tyson Gamble 20. Enari Tuala 21. Greg Marzhew 22. Dylan Lucas
Referee: Peter Gough
Embed from Getty ImagesMATCHDAY PREVIEW
David Klemmer will be out for revenge on his former club when he turns out for the Wests Tigers against Newcastle Knights this Sunday at Leichhardt Oval.
A lot of focus has been on Klemmer leading into the game. The Knights Player of the Year in 2022 opened up about his unhappy exit from the Hunter club.
“I came out and I just wanted to see where I sat with the Knights and obviously the CBA wasn’t done at the time and they didn’t know how their salary cap was going to work”, Klemmer told the Fox League podcast during the week.
“They just said, ‘if you can go out and get an offer’ and they wanted to have the final say and obviously the Tigers were really keen to get me down there.”
If Klemmer is fired up for the contest, the Tigers forward pack will energise and allow for fellow new recruits Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i to get the upper hand in the forward battle against the Knights pack boasting the Saifiti brothers and Tyson Frizell.
While Klemmer has headed south, Jackson Hastings moved up the Pacific Motorway to Newcastle.
Hastings was arguably one of the Tigers most influential players in 2022, with that field goal against Parramatta on Easter Monday providing a major boilover at the time. With a chance to have a stranglehold on the seven jersey, he’ll be looking for a big game against his old club.
And it just may be the halves battle between Hastings and Luke Brooks that’s key to who gets up in what could be a close contest.
Souths Newcastle junior Lachlan Fitzgibbon is set to play his 100th NRL game after a frustrating last few seasons hampered by injury.
Both teams will be desperate to post their first competition points for 2023 after recording opening round losses. With any luck it won’t develop into a dour struggle like it did when these two sides last met at Campbelltown where the Knights won 14-10.
Newcastle won both games in 2022, the Tigers both in 2021 and the Knights won both in 2020. Will it be the Tigers who will prevail this time?
LAST TEN MATCHES
Wests Tigers 6, Newcastle Knights 4.
MATCHDAY PREDICTION
Tigers by 6 points.
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Very good and helpful