WESTS TIGERS 42 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 22
STEPHEN IBBETSON, Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sunday

WESTS TIGERS are second in the table after earning their first win at Campbelltown in 603 days.

It’s 15 years since Wests last appeared in the finals but Sunia Turuva’s hat-trick helped fire a fourth win from five which puts them level with Penrith at the top.

Newcastle had also made an encouraging start to the year but were always chasing the game after conceding three tries in the opening 16 minutes.

Audacious passes by Adam Doueihi and Patrick Herbert respectively set up Turuva’s first two tries, and Api Koroisau nipped over from dummy-half in between.

Fletcher Sharpe was denied a Knights try for a knock-on before Dom Young got them on the board with a powerful ninth of the season.

But in the final six minutes of the first half, Herbert threw a dummy to cross and Jahream Bula ghosted through the line as Wests went in 28-4 up.

Turuva got his hat-trick off a cut-out Doueihi pass, although opposite winger Jeral Skelton then gifted Dane Gagai a try back with an ill-advised offload and Sandon Smith converted.

Turuva set up a charging Bula and Terrell May went in untouched for Wests’ final two tries as Jock Madden completed a five-goal haul.

Fletcher Hunt and and Trey Mooney tries, both goaled by Smith, in the final three minutes were of little consolation to Newcastle.

TIGERS: 1 Jahream Bula, 4 Heamasi Makasini, 3 Sunia Turuva, 19 Patrick Herbert, 5 Jeral Skelton, 6 Jock Madden, 7 Adam Doueihi, 8 Terrell May, 9 Api Koroisau, 10 Fonua Pole, 11 Samuela Fainu, 12 Kai Pearce-Paul, 13 Alex Twal. Subs: 14 Latu Fainu, 15 Sione Fainu, 16 Royce Hunt, 17 Alex Seyfarth, 18 Tristan Hope (not used), 21 Tony Sukkar (not used)

Tries: Turuva (4, 16, 55), Koroisau (12), Herbert (35), Bula (39, 62), May (66); Goals: Madden 5/8

KNIGHTS: 1 Fletcher Hunt, 2 Dom Young, 3 Dane Gagai, 4 Wilson De Courbet, 5 Greg Marzhew, 6 Fletcher Sharpe, 7 Sandon Smith, 8 Jacob Saifiti, 9 Phoenix Crossland, 10 Trey Mooney, 11 Dylan Lucas, 12 Jermaine McEwen, 13 Mat Croker. Subs: 14 Harrison Graham, 15 Tyson Frizell, 16 Pasami Paulo, 17 Thomas Cant, 18 Tyson Gamble (not used), 19 Cody Hopwood (not used)

Tries: Young (28), Gagai (59), Hunt (77), Mooney (79); Goals: Smith 3/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 16-0, 16-4, 22-4, 28-4; 32-4, 32-10, 36-10, 42-10, 42-16, 42-22

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Tigers: Sunia Turuva; Knights: Phoenix Crossland

Penalty count: 5-3; Half-time: 28-4; Referee: Wyatt Raymond; Attendance: 15,221