Twenty minutes into the ultimate match of NRL spherical one between Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans, most of the 14,667 followers loudly supporting the house facet puzzled one factor — Where’s Api?
Well, they knew the place he was. As was Api Koroisau’s method at Penrith Panthers, the Tigers’ star recruit started the match on the bench, the heavy lifting accomplished early by Jake Simpkin.
Yet together with his group down 12-2 and David Fifita operating rampant, followers puzzled when the State of Origin rep and membership captain would make an look on the sphere.
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Tigers Press Conference | 08:28
The reply was within the twenty fifth minute. Koroisau would go on to play 47 minutes in a sport coach Tim Sheens mentioned the Tigers misplaced greater than the Titans gained 22-10.
Sheens defined that Koroisau was underdone after a restricted pre-season.
“Joe [Ofahengaue] hasn’t played a game and Api hasn’t either. Both coming off injury.
Jake has played two games and then we put Api on. Joe the same,” Sheens mentioned.
Asked if it was the plan going ahead, Sheens mentioned: “Let me start getting over this before I start thinking about that.”
Fifita would run for 192 metres and was a handful on the left edge whereas AJ Brimson scored a high quality attempt to was good below the excessive ball for the Titans who loved their fourth win in a row over the Tigers and their third win straight at Leichhardt.
Conversely Tigers fullback Daine Laurie was rocks and diamonds, permitting a bomb to bounce for a vital second half strive but scoring a high quality strive himself.
Sheens mentioned it was “early season and tough football” for a number of of his gamers.
“Particularly the guys who’ve come back and haven’t had a lot of pre-season. Api’s one of those. No excuses for him.
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“But some guys started the second of November and others well into January. It’s been a little bit [about] bringing Api into our system and making sure our halves are on the same page
“And we had a little bit of success with that. And a little bit of clunkiness.
“But again, round one, and we didn’t throw it in … if the effort’s not there I would be worried,” Sheens mentioned.
Sheens mentioned he could be working with comparable child gloves with star English import John Bateman.
“I won’t commit too much on that. John’s just landed, basically, he’s settling in, still doesn’t know the players.
“I’m not going to push him if we don’t think he’s ready. If it was a grand final this week he’d have played, put it that way.
“But we’ve invested four years in him and I’m not going to ruin the opportunity early by pushing him through because we’ve lost a game,” Sheens mentioned.
Titans Press Conference | 08:27
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Koroisau mentioned it was nice taking part in in entrance of such a passionate house crowd.
“It’s amazing,” he mentioned. “I was getting sprayed last time I was here!”
Before the match Koroisau mentioned he was amazed that so many individuals had been watching the NSW Cup sport gained 44-18 by Western Suburbs Magpies over Sydney Roosters and that includes a cracking solo strive by Magpies fullback Jahream Bula.
Koroisau mentioned he’d been warned that effort performs could be appreciated.
“The crowd really gets behind you. You really feel it. They were riding us hard. It’s really disappointing that we let them down. But it’s only round one. Hopefully we see them again next week,” Koroisai mentioned.
The Titans will sweat on a report on their captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui whereas Kieran Foran suffered a leg damage that Titans employees imagine is “worse than a cork.”
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