Tigers hope mini-camp kickstarts attack

The Wests Tigers are hoping their three-day camp in Campbelltown last week will kickstart a stuttering attack that flatlined in their last-start defeat to North Queensland.

Before last weekend’s bye, a Robbie Farah-less side were shutout 8-0 by the Cowboys in a dour struggle that extended their losing streak to three and left them in a share of last spot.

And while coach Jason Taylor has vehemently pointed to his side’s improving defence this year, the scoreless effort means they have now totalled just 16 points since their last victory over the Bulldogs in round eight.

Second-rower Curtis Sironen said the team needed to find the correct symmetry in their style of play.

“Our defence is definitely something we’ve been trying to work on and last (Saturday) night we did defend, but it went the other way. We couldn’t score any points,” he said.

“It’s just about finding that balance.”

The Tigers gathered for a pre-planned getaway in the western suburbs last week, sandwiching long sessions around a team screening of the State of Origin series-opener.

“We were out at Campbelltown and were getting touched up a bit. It was really good. We needed it,” Sironen said.

“Everyone was fresh and the bodies weren’t too knocked up so we got some training done and we all got a bit of a (bonding) there.

Sironen said they had also pinpointed their next five weeks of football, which include four home games, as pivotal to their finals aspirations.

They host the Titans at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.

“It’s almost at that halfway mark, so we just re-assessed where we’re at and what we want to get out of the next couple of weeks,” he said.

“We’ve got another bye so we’ve got a 4-5 game block here so we can knuckle down.”

Taylor has been unyielding in his defensive priorities at Concord this year, often pointing to their competition-worst record in defence last season.

And while they still remain in a share of last spot, Sironen said they were yet to hit the panic button on this campaign.

“(Taylor) said that since the Tigers won the grand final, the one and two teams in defence have either won the comp or come first or second,” he said.

“So you need to be up there to be a chance, statistically.

“That’s something we’ve worked towards. If our attack can come with it, then we’re gonna give ourselves a better shot.

“We know we’ve got plenty of time. It’s not really panic stations at all. Hopefully we can start with the Titans.”

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