Tigers stun Dolphins with late blitz in NRL comeback win

The Wests Tigers have made it back-to-back wins for the first time under Benji Marshall, storming home with three tries in the final 12 minutes to defeat the Dolphins 30-18 in Redcliffe on Saturday evening.

Down 18-6 late in the first half, the Tigers clawed their way back with a gutsy and resilient second stanza, sparked by the electric Apisai Koroisau.

The Tigers captain laid on a crucial try for Alex Seyfarth before icing the game himself with a clever dummy-half dart in the 75th minute.

“That’s captaincy at its best,” Kevin Walters said on Fox League, with commentator Dan Ginnane describing Koroisau as “head and shoulders above the rest tonight”.

The Dolphins had controlled the early stages, with tries to Jack Bostock, Herbie Farnworth and Kodi Nikorima setting up an 18-6 lead.

Tallyn Da Silva’s try just before the break gave the Tigers a lifeline, and they came out of the sheds with renewed purpose, with the top NRL bookmakers giving them a $2.00 chance pre-game.

Despite a sloppy start to the second half, the rugby league visitors found their groove late, with Sunia Turuva bagging a double, Seyfarth crashing over off a Koroisau pass, and the skipper sealing it with a solo effort.

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Coach Benji Marshall praised his side’s defensive grit and adaptability.

“That was stressful … but the fight and determination in the second half into the wind — I was really proud,” Marshall said, dedicating the win to Georgia Richardson, daughter of club official Shane Richardson, who is in hospital.

The only sour note came with a suspected hamstring injury to Jeral Skelton and a crusher tackle report on Turuva, who was otherwise a standout on the wing.

Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf was left to rue missed chances and poor discipline.

“We beat ourselves a little bit in that second half,” Woolf said.

“We’ve left two games out there.”

Tom Gilbert echoed the sentiment.

“We probably lacked smart decisions in how we handed over the ball … they wanted to stay in the contest a bit more.”

The Dolphins will now look to regroup ahead of Friday night’s Battle of Brisbane against the Broncos, while the Tigers face the Warriors on Sunday.

The Tigers have now moved into second on the NRL ladder, however are still marked a $41 chance to win the Premiership with the top NRL betting sites.

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