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The Wests Tigers came into the clash against North Queensland with everything to play for but have played a horrid first half which saw the side booed off the field at halftime.
On a day that the Tigers farewelled Western Suburbs Magpies legend Tommy Raudonikis, the first half was as uninspired as it gets as the winless Cowboys ran out to a 28-6 lead at halftime.
While the home side came back to make it a 34-30 thriller, it was a mountain too high for the Tigers as the Cowboys claimed their first win of the season.
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The Tigers have only one win themselves this season but Wests didn’t seem to be playing for Tommy.
The result was the most points the Cowboys have ever scored in the first half of a game in Sydney.
But with a packed house willing a Tigers victory, the fans were far from happy with the performance the home side put in with the crowd raining down boos late in the half.
Tigers coach Michael Maguire was equally angry with the half, slamming his pen into the table as he cursed out nightmare first half after the Cowboys scored their fifth try as Murray Taulagi pickpocketed the Tigers.
Fox League commentator Warren Smith said “Michael Maguire is in Craig Bellamy-mode” with the Storm coach well known for his coaches box outbursts.
The moment that exemplified the dire first half was the final play when new forward Joe Ofahengaue dropped the ball within 10m of the line in the shadow of halftime.
It turned out to be the final play of the half with the fans furious.
“Disastrous way to end the first 40,” Smith said. “You can only imagine what Michael Maguire will be saying when he gets downstairs in just a few moments time. He might need a need a moment or two to compose himself.”
Social media was quickly to tear the Tigers a new one.
Whatever Maguire said in the halftime break appeared to inspire the side, scoring three tries in six minutes to bounce back to 28-20.
But while the Tigers looked to have scored another one through David Nofoaluma, it was denied after James Roberts was found to have obstructed the Cowboys line on the decoy run.
Fans chanted “bulls***” but it was fair enough as Roberts found himself in the line and stopped Coen Hess from making an attempt.
Straight up the other end the Cowboys made it a potential 12-point turnaround scoring through bench forward Lachlan Burr.
While the Tigers looked threatening throughout the remainder of the game, the Tigers had given the Cowboys too much of a lead.
Tommy Talau scored with eight minutes remaining to make a game of it.
The Tigers were ruing wayward goalkicking, with five-eighth Adam Doueihi missing three of his five conversions.
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