Cleary meets Wests Tigers players
Benji fractures wrist
Ivan Cleary’s tenure at the Wests Tigers has started with the new coach addressing the playing group at the team’s recovery session yesterday morning.
In his first task as the coach of the Tigers, Cleary met the team at Cabarita swimming pool to mark the beginning of a new chapter at the club.
Cleary, who was scheduled to be announced as coach at a press conference at Wests Ashfield Leagues Club last evening, will take control of the club until the end of 2020.
The former New Zealand Warriors coach joins the club after a nightmare month in which Jason Taylor was axed as coach, with the team floundering on a four-game losing streak.
Cleary couldn’t have asked for a tougher baptism of fire, making the road trip to Townsville on Saturday for their round six clash against Johnathan Thurston’s North Queensland Cowboys.
The Tigers had plenty of opportunities to inflict damage against the Dragons, but lacked the class to capitalise on their chances.
Moses Suli had an opportunity to reduce an eight-point deficit midway through the second half, but he couldn’t control a Jack Littlejohn grubber – which was compounded by the Dragons scoring at the other end of the field soon after.
‘‘I thought we were in the game,’’ Webster said. Benji Marshall’s NRL return has taken a hit after a scan confirmed he fractured his wrist at the weekend.
Former Kiwis playmaker Marshall scored one try and had a role in three others as he starred for the Brisbane Broncos’ feeder club Redcliffe.
His side, the Dolphins, beat the Jets 28-20, but Marshall’s day was cut short when he came off second best after being smashed in a tackle by prop Billy Mcconnachie.
The Broncos’ medical team estimate Marshall will be out of action for at least six weeks while he heals from the blow.
The fracture is in the radius, one of the two large bones of the forearm, which extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist.
There was at least some positive news,
‘‘We had plenty of ball and plenty of opportunities on their line but we either didn’t execute or got disheartened with what we were doing.
‘‘We dropped the ball over the line and then they go down our end and score.
‘‘We have to get on with the next job – and that’s to defend. We can’t be thinking about it.
‘‘I know they were up 14-0 but we had enough opportunity to score points there in the first and second half.’’ with Marshall unlikely to require surgery to fix any displacement in the fracture.
‘‘It is really unlucky for it to happen like this but that is football,’’ Marshall said.
‘‘All I can do now is concentrate on it getting better and keep training for a return as soon as I am able.’’
Marshall is desperate to get some NRL action with the Broncos after heading north from Sydney when St George Illawarra no longer required his services.
Dolphins coach Adam Mogg believes the 32-year-old is up for it. ‘‘He’s a class player,’’ Mogg said. ‘‘He’s been great for our team. We have a couple of young halves out there that are learning off Benji as well. ‘‘For Benji’s sake I hope he plays NRL. ‘‘But if he doesn’t, it’s a great bonus to us.’’
Skipper Aaron Woods was refusing to give up on the season.
‘‘It’s tough at the moment with everything that’s happening but all we can do is work hard each day,’’ he said.
‘‘I have 100 percent faith in all the boys we have here.
‘‘It’s not as if we’re not trying. I think we just got a little bit frustrated out there tonight.
‘‘We had a lot of opportunities but we just couldn’t capitalise on it.’’