Ultimate Guide: Tigers 1-17 for Magic Round
The nib Newcastle Knights will kick off this weekend's Magic Round in Brisbane when they take on the Wests Tigers.
Suncorp Stadium will set the scene for one of the NRL's showpiece events with all 16 clubs clashing at the Cauldron for a festival of rugby league.
Newcastle are fresh off a 24-16 comeback victory against the Canberra Raiders last start in Wagga Wagga.
Meanwhile the Tigers endured a 36-28 loss to the Gold Coast Titans last Saturday at Campbelltown Stadium.
This is your Ultimate Guide to the Newcastle Knights Round 10 fixture against the Wests Tigers, brought to you by Mine Super.
WESTS TIGERS v NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Date: Friday May 14, 2021
Kick-off: 6:00pm
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Since: 2000
Played: 31
Tigers: 16
Knights: 15
TEAMS
Tigers
1. Daine Laurie, 2. David Nofoaluma, 3. Adam Doueihi, 4. Joseph Leilua, 5. Tommy Talau, 6. Moses Mbye, 7. Luke Brooks, 8. James Tamou (c), 9. Jacob Liddle, 10. Alex Twal, 11. Luke Garner, 12. Luciano Leilua, 13. Joe Ofahengaue. Interchange: 14. Jock Madden, 15. Shawn Blore, 16. Alex Seyfarth, 17. Thomas Mikaele.
Coach: Michael Maguire
Knights
20. Tex Hoy, 2. Starford To'a, 3. Enari Tuala, 4. Bradman Best, 5. Brayden Musgrove, 6. Kurt Mann, 7. Phoenix Crossland, 8. David Klemmer, 9. Jayden Brailey (c), 10. Daniel Saifiti (c), 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 13. Mitch Barnett. Interchange: 14. Connor Watson, 15. Jacob Saifiti, 16. Sauaso Sue, 17. Brodie Jones. Extended Bench: 18. Hymel Hunt, 19. Josh King.
Coach: Adam O'Brien
Crossland: Playing at No.7, hitting form and areas to improve
TEAM NEWS
Kalyn Ponga has been ruled out of the clash following an injury sustained against Canberra last week.
Tex Hoy comes into the side at fullback in jersey No.20, with Simi Sasagi the other man to drop off the reserves 24 hours prior to kick off.\
Lachlan Fitzgibbon will line-up in the second row in back-to-back games while Mitch Barnett will play lock.
Hymel Hunt has made his return at 18th man.
The Tigers have made several changes to their line-up. Moses Mbye has moved to five-eight with Adam Doueihi swaps to the centres.
Jock Madden will make his debut off the bench and Tommy Talau has come onto the wing.
They are 1-17 as per Tuesday's program.
FORM GUIDE
The Knights snapped a two game losing streak with the victory over the Raiders.
Newcastle improved their record to four wins and five losses moving to 10th on the ladder.
The Wests Tigers lost their seventh game of the season in the defeat to the Titans.
Since the Tigers beat Newcastle back in Round 3, the joint venture have come up short in five of their last six games.
The two clubs have enjoyed success at Magic Round before in the first edition back in 2019. The Knights beat the Bulldogs 22-10 and the Tigers downed the Panthers 30-4.
Klem: Speculation, getting the win and Magic Round preview
MAGIC ROUND
The festival-like feel to Magic Round is back for another year and the Knights and Tigers will kick things off.
The Friday night fixture at 6:00pm will kickstart the weekend's proceedings.
Magic Round first started in 2019 but was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out the Official NRL Magic Round 2021 Event Guide for more information.
KEY MATCH-UP
Adam Doueihi v Bradman Best: A huge match-up is in the centres with Bradman locking horns with Adam Doueihi.
Doueihi has shifted back to the centres and has attributed nine try assists this season.
The Tigers player has made 18 tackle breaks and scored three tries.
On the other side, Bradman has made 12 tackle breaks and has made 712 running metres so far in six appearances.
Best will be eager to win the battle and continue his strong form.
D-Saf: 'Jacob was the first person I called'
STAT ATTACK
The Wests Tigers hold the narrow lead on the overall record count against the Knights.
A late David Nofoaluma try caused a 24-20 upset over Newcastle in Round 3 of this season on Mitchell Pearce 300th game.
David Klemmer totalled 193 running metres in that game while Nofoaluma made 174.
Mitch Barnett will run out for his 100th game in the NRL this weekend. After making his debut for Canberra, the versatile forward made the move to Newcastle where he has become a mainstay in the team playing all nine games this season, all at 80 minutes.
The Tigers have made the most offloads in the NRL with 119 while Newcastle have made the most tackles with 3,374.
