Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has unloaded on his side following their 24-12 loss to the Dragons, labelling their efforts their “worst performance of the season”.
There were high expectations of the Tigers heading into the clash having won two of their previous three fixtures but they soon unraveled with costly errors.
Speaking post-match, Marshall cut a disheartened figure.
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“I thought that was probably our worst performance of the season,” he told media.
“I’ve talked about standards in every press conference and today we were probably the furthest away from the things we’ve talked out.
“I think we were looking for a soft way to win instead of earning the right”.
Marshall acknowledged that the match was “a good lesson” for his side as the club attempts to lift itself off the bottom of the ladder where it has sat the last two seasons.
“We’re a team that’s still trying to figure out how we win and find our way through it. Today I thought we bumbled around a lot,” he said.
“We practicbeed all week how we wanted to play and we didn’t execute that so it just wasn’t good enough.
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“When you want to play a physical style that’s direct you have to turn up every week with the right head space… I think we’re still understanding that it doesn’t just happen. You have to turn up and make it happen.
“We’re very disappointed because we know we’re better.”
The sold-out crowd at Campbelltown Stadium awakened when skipper Api Koroisau tricked the Dragons’ defence with a look-away pass out of dummy-half to set up Stefano Utoikamanu.
But there was not much else for the Tigers’ supporters to cheer for with Asu Kepaoa the club’s only other try scorer.
When asked about the attendance at Campbelltown, Marshall was blown away by the strong turnout but saddened that the team could not secure a hard-fought win for their fans.
”I told the boys, ‘You have to bring them into the game by playing with energy, being aggressive and making them feel like your team is trying’,” he said.
“I just felt like today it looked like it was St George’s home game the way they were playing. They had more energy and more intent than us.”
With the results, the Tigers’ record this season slumps to 2-3.