Rugby League (Brisbane): Suzuki Brisbane Tigers laments ten-minute period in Wynnum loss
Written by Dan Kelly for TigerTV.net
Rugby League: Brisbane Tigers rugby league coach John Buchanan reflected on a sloppy ten-minute period as the Tigers look to pick up the pieces from his sides Anzac Day loss to Wynnum Manly.
RUGBY LEAGUE: Tigers went down 22-14 at the hands of the Seagulls at Totally Workwear Stadium last Sunday after leading for much of the game.
Tigers rushed out to a 14-0 lead after 22 minutes before Wynnum struck twice in the final ten minutes before half time to make it a 14-8 score line in favour of the Tigers at the main break.
“I thought we started really well, we had a little period ten minutes before half time… we made three errors in that period and conceded a couple of tries” Buchanan said.
“I thought we should have gone in (at half time) leading by a bit more if we were a bit better in the last ten minutes of the first half”.
On this week’s episode of League and More, Buchanan spoke about his choice to carry a back on the bench with the decision coming in handy against the Seagulls.
The Tigers lost Gerard Beale early in the second half causing a backline re-shuffle with fullback Linc Port pushing into five-eighth with bench utility Michael Purcell replacing him at fullback.
“We’ve been carrying an outside back on the bench the last couple of weeks and we’ve been getting away with it”
“I thought Linc (Port) did a really good job slotting in there (in the halves) at the last minute”
Buchanan praised the start by his team he reflected on his teams allowing a side with the class of Wynnum to get back into the game.
“To Wynnum’s credit, they had us coming off our line for the majority of the second half. We had limited opportunities with good ball, and we were fatigued when we did”
“Against really good teams you can’t afford to have a ten-minute lapse… we just had a period where we weren’t good on both sides of the ball. A good team like Wynnum made us pay”
Tigers lock forward Bennet Leslie was also reflective of the costly period leading into half time.
“The last ten (minutes) in the first half we kind of let ourselves lapse a little bit” Leslie said.
“I don’t know if we got complacent, but we let them off a bit and they came home like a steam train”
The Brisbane Tigers have a well earnt bye this weekend before a matchup against the Papua New Guineas Hunters next weekend.
Leslie said he looked forward to the challenge of taking on a Hunters side known for their physicality.
“I take my hat off to them every time I play against them, you know you’re always in for a fight” Leslie said.
“They haven’t changed one bit, they’re still ridiculously tough players”
More details, results and information is available at TheTigers.com.au and QRL.com.au
