Match Details
Match Date	24th Apr, 2015
Opponent	Wests Tigers
Result	Loss 14-38
Coach	Des Hasler
Captain	Aiden Tolman
Venue	Homebush (ANZ Stadium)
Crowd	18,521
Referee	Jared Maxwell Gavin Badger

With a flick of his wrists, Kevin Naiqama put himself in the company of Greg Inglis and Mark Gasnier, setting up the try of the season in Wests Tigers’ victory over Canterbury on Friday night.

It was a magical play that brought back memories of the overhead pass from Inglis that gifted Gasnier a try in the centenary Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground almost seven years ago to the day.

But on Friday night at ANZ Stadium it was the Fijian flyer who etched his name into the history books, setting up one of the most freakish tries in the game’s history in a match that also witnessed a mammoth 54-metre Pat Richards penalty goal.

A James Tedesco grubber kick looked certain to go over the deadball line, but a desperate lunge and flick pass from Naiqama just centimetres off the ground found its way back to the Tigers fullback, who planted the ball down for a try that will be shown on highlight reels for years to come.

A decade ago a Benji Marshall flick pass to Naiqama’s wing partner, Richards, sent Tigers fans into raptures. While this occasion was hardly comparable to Marshall’s grand final heroics, the skill required to pull it off was arguably even higher. It set the tone for a five-star performance from Naiqama, who scored a try and set up two others on a dismal night for the Bulldogs.

Canterbury were critical of the Tigers getting a free interchange for Richards leaving the field for a concussion test midway through the first half. During Channel Nine’s broadcast, commentator Brad Fittler said Bulldogs football manager Alan Thompson questioned why Richards was allowed to leave the field for a concussion test when he only had a cut cheek that required stitches.

Within a minute of returning to the field after the test, Richards booted the monster penalty that gave his side an 18-6 half-time lead.

Canterbury coach Des Hasler sent his team back out on to the field prematurely for the second half for five minutes of warm-up drills, but it did little to lift the demeanour of his side.

Tigers coach Jason Taylor complained about the NRL draw before the clash on Friday night, describing it as ridiculous his side would take on last year’s grand finalists for the second time inside a month. But if there was ever a time to play Canterbury, it was without James Graham, Josh Morris, Brett Morris, Tim Lafai and David Klemmer. The Tigers out-enthused the stuttering Dogs, who had no answers for the attacking brilliance of the exuberant Tigers youngsters.

After Naiqama’s flick pass enabled Tedesco to open the scoring in the fifth minute, Naiqama showed his athleticism to bag a try of his own off a Tedesco grubber centimetres from the touch in-goal line.

After Luke Brooks extended the Tigers lead to 16 points, Curtis Rona and Moses Mbye combined to set up Frank Pritchard for the Dogs before the break. However, the second half began like the first, with the Tigers piling on the points through Tedesco and Brooks.

Pritchard crashed over for his second to reduce the deficit to 32-10 with 20 minutes left, but there was little Canterbury could do to get themselves back into the contest.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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