Monday night’s NRL match is between Newcastle Knights and Wests Tigers. The game is to be played at 7pm local time with the match being played at Hunter Stadium. Home team Newcastle Knights are the current favourites for the match and look hard to beat. We take a look at the match preview as well as teams.
Round: Round 1, Monday @ 19:00
Stadium: Hunter Stadium
Stadium: Hunter Stadium
Odds:
Newcastle Knights $1.50 vs Wests Tigers $2.60 at Sportsbet Australia
Newcastle Knights $1.51 vs Wests Tigers $2.60 at Luxbet Australia
Preview:
Two sides that failed to live up to the hype in 2012 will be looking to make significant strides over the coming months and it will be intriguing to see what progress, if any, they have made in the pre-season.
There is no doubt that expectation is high in Newcastle ahead of their first game of the year. While there were no miracles in supercoach Wayne Bennett’s first season in charge, they did begin to find their mojo as the season wore on and if they can find some consistency earlier on in 2013 they could figure prominently come finals time.
Key to that will be keeping their leading players on the park – particularly captain Kurt Gidley who played just five games last year – while Darius Boyd, Danny Buderus and Jarrod Mullen form an enviable spine.
Most impressive though are the forwards Bennett has lured his way over the past 18 months. Last year it was Neville Costigan, Kade Snowden, Adam Cuthbertson and mid-season arrival Willie Mason that bolstered the ranks; now they can boast an equally formidable back row following the arrival of Jeremy Smith, Beau Scott and former Rabbitoh David Fa’alogo during the off-season.
The trial form has been strong, with a 46-10 loss to Parramatta in early February of no great concern given that the Eels fielded a much stronger side. The Knights produced an impressive defensive display to down South Sydney 18-6 in Coffs Harbour and led Cronulla for most of the match in their final pre-season hit-out before conceding three late tries after Bennett had replaced most of his starting 13.
No doubt they will be supremely confident of a first-up win in front of what will be a typically boisterous Hunter Stadium crowd on Monday night.
For Wests Tigers, there remain plenty of questions still to be answered.
In many ways this is a new beginning for the Tigers, having farewelled veteran coach Tim Sheens after 10 seasons and brought in the highly rated but relatively inexperienced Mick Potter in his place.
There have been few more frustrating sides in the NRL since their stunning premiership win of 2005 than the Tigers. Blessed with talent – particularly in the shape of captain Robbie Farah and five-eighth Benji Marshall – they have looked like world beaters at times yet have played in only one preliminary final in the past seven years.
Potter’s first mission will be to mend the fractures that appeared last season when a 10th-place finish saw not only Sheens depart but popular team men Chris Heighington and Beau Ryan shopped out to Cronulla. English international Gareth Ellis will also be missed.
While Braith Anasta’s arrival is something for Tigers fans to look forward to, it is also yet to be seen what impact the shock death of promising young forward Mosese Fotuaika will have on their season. That his funeral was held just five days before the club’s season opener against the Knights will surely have an emotional impact on their preparations.
Still, expect them to play with plenty of passion in Fotuaika’s memory as they look to put their horrendous 2012 behind them.
Former Canberra hooker Travis Waddell will make his Knights debut in place of injured hooker Danny Buderus who is recovering from pre-season back surgery. Smith and Scott will also play their first premiership game for the club, while Anthony Quinn returns home after six years in Melbourne to partner Dane Gagai in the centres (filling in for the injured Timana Tahu).
For the Tigers, impressive young halfback Jacob Miller earns his shot in the halves alongside Marshall to kick off the new season, with Tim Moltzen winning the No.1 jersey.
Young prop Jack Buchanan has earned his shot in the front row after being recruited from St George Illawarra’s Under-20s squad while Potter has named an extended six-man bench that includes fellow recruits Bodene Thompson and Eddy Pettybourne.
Teams:
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS:
Darius Boyd, James McManus, Dane Gagai, Anthony Quinn, Akuila Uate, Jarrod Mullen, Kurt Gidley, Kade Snowden, Travis Waddell, Willie Mason, Beau Scott, Chris Houston, Jeremy Smith
Interchange: Tyrone Roberts, Neville Costigan, Robbie Rochow, Alex McKinnon, David Fa’alogo (one to be omitted)
WESTS TIGERS:
Tim Moltzen, Matt Utai, Blake Ayshford, Chris Lawrence, Marika Koroibete, Benji Marshall, Jacob Miller, Jack Buchanan, Robbie Farah, Keith Galloway, Braith Anasta, Liam Fulton, Adam Blair
Interchange: Matt Bell, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Bodene Thompson, Eddy Pettybourne, Joel Reddy, Aaron Woods (two to be omitted)
