Wests Tigers vs Gold Coast Titans Verdict
Gold Coast's numbers are better than their position on the ladder and I'm backing them to be competitive in this one. They are ranked ninth in defence and fourth in opposition Linebreaks and can cover a +5.5 line.
- Away Underdogs are covering at a 54% rate this season and the Titans have covered 6 of the last 9 against Wests including 3 of 4 on the road.
- 6 of the last 9 games between these sides have been decided by 8 pts or less.
- Phillip Sami has scored in 5 of his last 6 games vs Wests for a total of 7 tries.
- The Tigers are ranked 12th in opposition Points and 14th in Opposition Linebreaks this season.
Head to Head
Gold Coast have won six of the last nine games including the most recent matchup in Round 27 last season 36-28. Wests have won the last two games at Leichhardt.
The most recent game went Over the Game Total, breaking a streak of five straight Head to Head Overs. Six of the last nine games have been decided by eight points or less.
Wests Tigers Form - Tigers Thrashed
The Tigers backed up their tight win over the Bulldogs in Rd 13 with a pitiful display last weekend against the premiership favourites Penrith Panthers, going down 68-0 at Commbank Stadium.
Wests finished the game having had just 36% of Possession, 900 Total Run Metres, 1 Linebreak and 46 Missed Tackles. They had 10 Errors in the game and allowed 15 Linebreaks to their opposition.
Now the Tigers on the season aren’t “that” bad, but it is a worrying sign that they gave up so easily in a tough matchup.
Gold Coast Titans Form - Losing Run Snapped
The Titans snapped their five-game losing streak last weekend with a 28-23 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp, scoring over 20 points for the first time since their 52-10 win over Parramatta in Round 6.
Gold Coast trailed 12-10 at the half-time break and only secured the win in the 76th minute but were close enough throughout the contest to be able to take the chance.
Despite committing 13 Errors and completing at 74%, some individual brilliance by Titans players including Keano Kini was in the end the difference. Josh Hannay still has a lot of work to do with this team but the signs are good.