‘It’s a tough time’: Wests Tigers coach reveals dour mood after latest loss
Brett Kimmorley has admitted his Wests Tigers side are in “a bit of pain” after collapsing into yet another defeat.
The heavy 12:36 loss to Cronulla, who has eight wins in his last nine games, condemned the Tigers to their 17th loss in a miserable season.
Brett Kimmorley slams his team’s performance in the first half
When the club announced the departure of Michael Maguire a few months ago, there was hope they could make a fresh start before laying the long-term foundations under their new coaching structure next year.
But despite brief improvements under interim manager Kimmorley, the same stale air still circulates around the Tigers.
In the early stages of their match with the Sharks, they were simply blown away. The 15th-place team had no answers about the roll through the middle created by the Sharks’ forwards or their makeshift defense, which did an excellent job of replacing injured players.
“They’re a good football team,” Kimmorley said in praising Craig Fitzgibbon’s men.
“They’re well trained, they’re tough, they’re physical and they’re playing a great field position. At half time it was 26:6. So the game was practically over.”
The coach couldn’t hide his disappointment as he discussed how his inability to apply the intensity required resulted in him conceding two tries in the first 10 minutes.
“We’re struggling and in a little bit of pain,” Kimmorley admitted.
“We challenged them at halftime…we screwed up the first half last week too.”
West’s Tigers are having a ‘rough time’ as injuries mount
“The first 20 minutes has nothing to do with form, structure and skill – it’s just about getting into the game of football and showing some toughness,” said Kimmorley.
“I wanted to see a tough team and one that will react to last week. But we kind of have a reflection of who we were last week.”
The Tigers have won just four games all year, with their last win coming two weeks ago.
However, it was that shock win over Brisbane that came at a price, as Jackson Hastings picked up a season-ending injury during the game.
Without explicitly naming the rotated halfback, it was clear that he was the man Kimmorley was referring to when he mentioned that the Tigers had recently lost a few players and were unable to recover.
“We’ve lost quite a few players over the last few weeks and this win against the Broncos,” the coach noted.
“It’s a tough time.”
James Tamou reflects on Paul Green’s death
Captain James Tamou has had a particularly difficult week after his former coach Paul Green tragically passed away. The front rower won a premiership under Green while with the North Queensland Cowboys.
“Noddy, the guys and the organization of the Tigers have made sure that I’m fine,” said Tamou.
“I got texts and calls but it’s just sad. It’s a sad time.
“We had a conversation about it, that took a bit of weight off.
“But it’s scary to think about. When it’s someone so high in life with everything that’s going on and everything they’ve achieved, with a family and still battling demons.
“It’s a scary thing and I know the NRL is taking the right steps to ensure people can seek help.”
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