Wests kept their finals hopes alive, but plenty still needs to go right

[Nergal]

 

WESTS kept their finals hopes alive by the slimmest of margins on Thursday night, and now the staff, players and fans are sure to be glued to their TVs over the weekend with results needing to go their way.

Basically they need the Warriors and Broncos to cop a couple of hidings, but here’s a more thorough look at what the Tigers will be cheering for over the final two rounds:

Round 24

Warriors v Panthers at Mt Smart Stadium, 6pm Friday, August 24
Sportsbet odds: Warriors $1.71 Panthers $2.15
Ivan Cleary’s men trail the Warriors by two competition points and 43 points in for-and-against.

If Shaun Johnson and co knock off Penrith they’ll secure a finals berth and the Tigers will have to turn their attention to the Broncos.

So, it’s simple for the Tigers. Like Cleary said after his side’s two-point win over the Sea Eagles, his son Nathan needs to work with new halves partner Tyrone Peachey to spearhead a big win over the Kiwis.

A 13+ result in favour of the Panthers will set up a nerve-racking final round for the Warriors, who’ll have to account for the dangerous Raiders to ensure they keep the Tigers at bay.

Roosters v Broncos at Allianz Stadium, 7.35pm Saturday, August 25
Sportsbet odds: Roosters $1.48 Panthers $2.65
If the Warriors take care of the Panthers this becomes life or death for the Tigers.

Like the Warriors, the Broncos need just one win from their remaining two games to clinch a finals berth.

They’re presently two competition points clear of the Tigers and enjoy a 52-point differential buffer over Wests.

So, the black and golds need the Chooks to not only beat the Broncos, but blow them away and take a chunk out of their strong for-and-against total.

Round 25

Rabbitohs v Tigers at ANZ Stadium, 7.50pm Thursday, August 30
Sportsbet odds: Rabbitohs $1.42 Tigers $2.90
They already did it once in ruthless fashion (22-6 in round 19), and the Tigers will again have to put the high-flying Rabbitohs to the sword.

It’s likely that they’ll survive to next weekend, with the Broncos long odds to defeat the 2nd-placed Roosters.

Then if we take a stab in the dark and guess that the Warriors are already out of the conversation courtesy of victory over the Panthers, and the Broncos lose to the Tricolours by say three converted tries, then all of sudden the differential gap is 34, and a similar result for the Tigers to their previous clash with Souths would heap enormous pressure on the Queenslanders.

Warriors v Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium, 6pm Friday, August 31
Sportsbet odds: Warriors $1.60 Raiders $2.35
If the mountain men were to upset the Warriors in round 24, Stephen Kearney’s charges will have to be wary of the rocks and diamonds Raiders.

By this stage, they’ll know if they’ve already made the finals.

And if their future is still up in the air, they’ll head into their final game of the regular season knowing exactly what they can’t afford to lose by.

This is a very dangerous position to be in, because they could easily slip into a defensive mentality.

The Raiders can deliver a 50-0 trouncing on any given day, so the Tigers will still have a sniff.

Broncos v Sea Eagles at Suncorp Stadium, 4.10pm Sunday, September 2
Sportsbet odds: Broncos $1.47 Sea Eagles $2.70
The Tigers will be hoping the Warriors have already handed over their spot in the top eight, because they won’t want their season to hinge on Manly notching a big win at Suncorp, the way they’re playing.

The Broncos shouldn’t drop this game and certainly not by a significant margin.

But pressure has caused stranger things to happen.

And as we mentioned with the Warriors, if Darius Boyd is leading his men out of the tunnel knowing their season is over if they lose by a certain number, they could be at risk of trying not to lose rather than playing to win.