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| Tigers hand Hodgson happy send off | ||
| Written by: Jamie Rose | ||
| September 7th 2008 05:20 PM | ||
Hodgson will join the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League competition in the UK after an astonishing 12-year career in the NRL for the diminutive fullback. In a game which had no bearing on the make-up of the top eight for this years final series, it was the Tigers who came out firing against a tired looking Coast outfit. Wests raced to a rather easy 18-0 lead after the first half hour of the match in which exciting prospect Tim Moltzen scored a brace of tries and his centre partner Chris Lawrence crossed for one of his own as the Tigers looked set to end their disappointing season on a high. However, some individual brilliance from Scott Prince, in which he kicked and regathered to score, gave the Titans a slight hope of a comeback, down 18-6 at half time. The Tigers extinguished any hope of a Titans comeback with tries to Taniela Tuiaki and Beau Ryan in the second half, before a late try to Titans centre Brett Delaney added some respectability to the score, 28-12. Hodgson was again at his brilliant best for the Tigers proving that he still has what it takes to play at the top level. He was everywhere, denying Titans comeback raids single-handedly on many occasions. Benji Marshall was also magnificent for the Tigers, orchestrating a number of their tries and guiding them around the park. The match marked the end of the season for both sides who will look to rebuild in the off season after what can only be described as a season of what-ifs, as inconsistency and injuries to key players plagued both sides at crucial points of the season. Match Details Wests Tigers 28 def Gold Coast Titans 12 Round 26 - Sunday September 7th, 2008 3:00pm Venue: Skilled Park Referee: Bernard Sutton Touch Judges: Matt Cecchin, Rod Lawrence Video Referee: Chris Ward Crowd: 20,723 Halftime: Titans 6 Tigers 18 Gold Coast Titans 12 Tries: Scott Prince, Brett Delaney Goals: Scott Prince (2/2) Wests Tigers 28 Tries: Tim Moltzen (2), Chris Lawrence, Taniela Tuiaki, Beau Ryan Goals: Brett Hodgson (4/5) LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Match 3 Points: Brett Hodgson (Tigers) 2 Points: Benji Marshall (Tigers) 1 Point: Tim Moltzen (Tigers) Leagueunlimited.com Live Commentary Good Afternoon and welcome to Skilled Stadium for the leagueunlimited.com live coverage of the match between the Gold Coast Titans and Wests Tigers. The game has no bearing whatsoever on the make-up of the top 8, but still looks on paper to be one of the entertaining matches of the round with plenty of attacking players in either side. In a late change for the Titans, Luke Bailey is out of the side. Named in the side after 11 weeks on the sidelines, Bailey pulled up sore after training during the week and wont take his place. Will Matthews moves into the run-on side and Billy Ngawini onto the bench. James Stosic is also out for the Titans with Selasie Berdie taking his spot on the bench. While for the Tigers, the match will be full of emotion, looking to send captain Brett Hodgson out a winner in his last match in Wests Tigers colours. Daine Laurie is out for the Tigers, his spot taken by Shannon Gallant. And a late positional change with Bronson Harrison coming back to the bench and Corey Payne into the run-on side. Line-ups for today's game are: TITANS: 1. Ben Jeffery 2. Jordan Atkins 3. Gavin Cooper 4. Brett Delaney 5. Esi Tonga 6. Mat Rogers 7. Scott Prince (c) 16. Will Matthews 9. Clint Amos 10. Michael Hodgson 11. Anthony Laffranchi 12. Daniel Conn 13. Ashley Harrison Interchange: 15. Aaron Cannings 17. Luke Swain 20.Billy Ngawini 18. Selasie Berdie TIGERS: 1. Brett Hodgson (c) 2. Taniela Tuiaki 3. Tim Moltzen 4. Chris Lawrence 5. Beau Ryan 6. Benji Marshall 7. John Morris 8. Todd Payten 9. Dene Halatau 10. Bryce Gibbs 16. Corey Payne 12. Chris Heighington 13. Liam Fulton Interchange: 14. Rocky Trimarchi 15. Ben Te’o 11. Bronson Harrison 22. Shannon Gallant Conditions on the Coast are perfect for a fast, flowing game of footy with a big crowd expected for this. Play to get underway shortly. Scott Prince leading the Titans onto the park. 1st min: Were underway here at Skilled Stadium with the Titans having first use of the football. 1st min: Titans complete first set with Rogers kicking downfield on the last tackle. 1st min: PENALTY TITANS: Tigers offside. Good chance for the Titans, attacking from 30m out. 2nd min: Try saving tackle from Brett Hodgson on Gavin Cooper, held up over the line. Titans still with the ball. 4th min: PENALTY TIGERS: Titans holding down in the tackle. Tigers chance to attack from 30m out. 4th min: TRY Wests Tigers Titans defence opens up for Tim Moltzen, who storms onto an inside ball from John Morris to race away and score. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful. Wests Tigers 6-0 7th min: Titans lose the ball coming out of their own end. Tigers with another chance to score, a srum feed only 10m out. 9th min: Pass goes over the sideline from Brett Hodgson, a let off for the Titans there. 10th min: Hodgson takes a huge bomb from Scott Prince. Tigers working it out of their own half. 11th min: Ryan loses the ball for the Tigers after a half break. 11th min: Kick goes too deep from Prince. Tigers 20m tap. 12th min: PENALTY TIGERS: High tackle Laffranchi. 13th min: Titans dropout. Some promising play from the Tigers here, causing plenty of problems for the Coast defence. 14th min: TRY Wests Tigers Liam Fulton gets a good ball away under pressure to find Tim Moltzen, who is over for an early double. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful. Wests Tigers 12-0 17th min: Wests Tigers make a mistake from the kick-off. Can the Titans hit back here? 18th min: Delaney loses the ball over the sideline and the Tigers are back with the ball. 18th min: Bit of a mistake-athon at the moment, with the Tigers now losing the ball on the 1st tackle from the scrum. 19th min: VIDEO REF: Possible Titans try. 19th min: REFS CALL: Penalty to the Titans. Esikeli didn't get the ball down, but the Tigers were offside. 20th min: Delaney loses the ball again, this time in a 1 on 1 tackle and the Tigers now have the ball. 24th min: Both sides exchanging blows at the moment. Mat Rogers almost turns nothing into something for the Titans, but Hodgson is there to save the day. 25th min: Kick too deep from the Tigers. Titans 20m restart. 28th min: VIDEO REF:Possible try to the Tigers. 28th min: NO TRY: Titans goal line dropout. Jeffery gets there in the nick of time, after a kick from Marshall comes off the posts. 29th min: TRY Wests Tigers It doesn't matter, because a few plays later the Tigers are over. Lawrence scores a great centre's try after hitting the ball hard off a Marshall pass. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful. Wests Tigers 18-0 31st min: Tigers complete first set after the try. Hodgson kicking on the last. 33rd min: Foward pass from the Tigers. Titans with the ball here. 35th min: TRY Gold Coast Titans Scott Prince is over for the Titans to finally get the home side on the board and give them a sniff. Conversion attempt by Scott Prince successful. Wests Tigers 18-6 38th min: PENALTY TITANS. Coast have the ball from 5m out. 39th min: PENALTY TITANS: Tigers not getting off the tackled player. 39th min: PENALTY TITANS: Another Gold Coast penalty. Hodgson spoken to by the ref. Titans must score here. 39th min: Jeffrey loses the ball and the Tigers are off the hook. HALF TIME: Wests Tigers 18 Gold Coast 6 It's all the Wests Tigers as they dominated the majority of the first half. The Titans still with some hope after a great individual try from Scott Prince and they have also been denied held up over the line a couple of times, so they will hold some hope of getting back into the match in the 2nd half. Teams back onto the field for the second half. 41st min: Todd Payten brings it back off the kick off and we are underway for the last half of the year for these two sides. 42nd min: Hodgson takes a huge bomb from Scott Prince in his in goal. Tigers 20m restart. 43rd min: Marshall finds touch 3m out from the Titans line on the last tackle. Titans scrum feed. 45th min: Prince kicks out on the full. The Tigers have the ball 10m inside Titans territory. 46th min: TRY Wests Tigers Tuiaki is over for the Tigers after a lucky deflection for the Tigers off a Marshall kick, lands in the hands of Moltzen who flicks it on to Tuiaki, who dives over to score. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful. Wests Tigers 24-6 49th min: Marshall kicks downfield as the Tigers complete their first set after the try. 50th min: Kick too deep from the Titans on the last. Tigers 20m restart. 51st min: Another Marshall kick finds the sideline to give both sides a breather. Titans scrum feed 20m out from their own line. 53rd min: Another kick from the Titans goes dead and the Tigers get a chance to regather. 20m restart. 54th min: VIDEO REF: Possible Tigers try. 54th min: NO TRY: Knock on Tigers. Unlucky there for the Tigers after a bit of individual brilliance from Benji Marshall. 57th min: PENALTY TIGERS: Titans not getting off the tackled player. Tigers on the attack, 20m out. 58th min: TRY Wests Tigers A great kick from Benji Marshall finds Beau Ryan on the fly who is over for his first of the afternoon and at the same time denying the Titans any chance they had of a comeback. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson unsuccessful. Wests Tigers 28-6 61st min: Prince called back after racing away to score off a Benji Marshall pass went to ground. Ruled to have come off a Titan hand. 62nd min: Intercept by the Titans. Titans with the ball coming out of their own half. 63rd min: Hodgson again there to save the day after a Billy Ngawini break. Ngawini looking around but finding no support. 64th min: Tigers starting to play some adventurous football. 65th min: Tigers 20m restart after a cross field kick from Harrison is too big. Mat Rogers down injured. 67th min: Marshall again finds touch on the last tackle, happy to give his side a break with a comfortable lead. 69th min: TIGERS PENALTY: Harrison takes out a player off the ball. 69th min: Pass goes over the sideline from the Tigers. Titans working it out of their own half. 72nd min: Atkins takes the high ball on the last tackle from the Tigers under no pressure. Titans again working it out of their own half. 73rd min: Rogers makes a break, again finding no support, kicks ahead for himself, only to be denied by the Tigers. 74th min: Tuiaki flies high to defuse a bomb from Harrison. 75th min: Marshall finds touch once again, winding down the clock. Titans ball 40m out from their own line. 77th min: TRY Gold Coast Titans Delaney scores a consolation try for Titans, shrugging off Tuiaki before diving over. Another try saving tackle by Brett Hodgson on the previous tackle on Will Matthews. Conversion attempt by Scott Prince successful. Wests Tigers 28-12 FULL TIME: It's all over here as the Wests Tigers have run out 28 to 12 victors. |
