Inglis KO’d in Tigers ambush

Greg Inglis is helped from the field after copping a high shot from Tim Simona. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Corp Australia

AFTER just five minutes Rabbitohs talisman Greg Inglis lay motionless on the turf as medicos checked his vital signs. It was a vital sign of the carnage to come.

Five players on report, three more off with concussion, two sin-binnings, a knee to the head, a sneaky leg twist and a forward battle with personal undertones.

This was the type of street fight synonymous with South Sydney's monsters, yet it was the NRL's most under-rated pack that landed all the telling blows.

Greg Inglis is looked at by the trainers after copping a head shot. Source: News Corp Australia

Routinely written-off for being too small and too soft, Wests Tigers forwards stood up and trounced their more vaunted rivals in a wickedly spiteful contest that saw Tim Simona, George Burgess, Bryson Goodwin, Robbie Farah and James Gavet all placed on report.

Simona also joined teammate Pat Richards and Inglis in the concussion ward, with South Sydney failing to register a point for 72 minutes after losing their superstar fullback. Inglis could not recover his senses after Simona crunched him high while he was juggling a bomb.

And neither could Souths. For the remaining 75 minutes they stumbled and bumbled in a collective concussion, failing to find touch with penalty kicks and spilling routine passes. To make matters worse, hooker Issac Luke departed the field just before full time with a serious shoulder injury.

The relentless aggression from their opponents deserves credit for inflicting such a rare malfunction upon Michael Maguire's machine. It translated to ill-discipline as the match wore on, with Tigers fullback James Tedesco repeatedly struck in the head.

Furious Wests players refused to accept the treatment, with Gavet kneeing Burgess in the head and twisting the leg of Luke. In the end the referees lost patience, marching Luke Burgess and Luke Brooks to the sin-bin in the final 10 minutes.

Tim Simona celebrates a try with David Nofoaluma. Source: News Corp Australia

Despite their youth, the Tigers did a remarkably better job of keeping their heads. Brooks and Tedesco were once again inspirational, combining for the match-winner in the 53rd minute, while Simona and Richards grabbed doubles.

After conceding a third minute try to Ben Lowe, the Tigers purred to life when Inglis left. By halftime they were roaring ahead 14-6, with the interval arriving as an unwanted circuit breaker to their momentum.

Three ties was a fair first half dividend for the home side. Two contentious video referee decisions went either way, while Keith Galloway will forever admonish himself after blowing a rare chance to open his team's account when he lost control of the ball over the line.

The Tigers didn't have to wait long to strike. In the 14th minute Bodene Thompson crossed from a Brooks short ball thrown amid traffic that Souths defenders claimed was obstruction.

They were ignored. So too, were any calls for the Rabbitohs to revert to the structured style of football that's transformed them into a premiership force since Maguire's arrival two years ago.

Adam Reynolds couldn't find his range with the boot, kicking too long, too regularly. Minus the thrust of Inglis on kick returns at the other end of the park, Souths were playing limited yardage and Wests enjoyed all the territory.

It told in the frantic period before halftime. Simona scored his first try in the 30th minute after a fortunate review, which found that Brooks had not knocked a Braith Anasta bomb forward in the lead-up. Four minutes later Tigers appeared to have a strong case for a penalty try when Lowe knocked Richards out as the Tigers winger crouched to score in the corner. Their pleas were ignored, but Simona could not be as he went back-to-back from a blindside rush three tackles after the resultant penalty.

Richards returned after halftime and scored within a minute. Tedesco's try from Brooks grubber sealed the upset, before Joel Reddy grabbed a consolation double against his old club in the final three minutes.

After giving up a try in the Rabbitohs' first set of six of the night, the Tigers upped the ante and blew their better credentialled opponents away for a convincing 25-16 victory.

James Tedesco makes a break in a sensational game for the fullback. Source: News Corp Australia

The Inglis hit was the turning point, and the man who ended the fullback's night finished the game among the most influential players on the field.

In just the fifth minute, Tim Simona chased an unusually high torpedo kick-off from the Tigers and as Inglis went to ground to field the kick, Simona came bombing through over the top, making head high contact with Inglis as he did.

Early in the second half, Simona got a taste of his own medicine and was forced to leave the field with a concussion of his own after copping an errant boot to the head from Sam Burgess.

But by that stage the lightning centre, who returned from injury for the first time this season, had already set his side well on its way with two tries and some crunching defence.

WESTS TIGERS 25 (T Simona 2 P Richards J Tedesco B Thompson tries P Richards 2 goals B Anasta field goal) bt SOUTH SYDNEY 16 (J Reddy 2 B Lowe tries A Reynolds 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Matt Cecchin, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 20,061.

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