Veteran coach Tim Sheens made a sweeping declaration when he took over the Tigers off the back of the club’s worst season in its history.
He announced he wanted his side to throw the ball around like his 2005 premiership winners.
A bold strategy considering the merger club won the wooden spoon the year prior, averaging only 15 points a game and conceding 28 — the second worst defensive record in the competition.
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That 05’ team, boasting current assistant Benji Marshall, averaged a whopping 29 points a game with creativity the focal point of their playing style.
The early signs weren’t exactly promising.
They started the season 0-7 and after eight rounds had scored the least points (16 behind the Raiders) and had the second worst points differential, sitting at -76.
Then came the turning point, against the premiers no less.
In torrential conditions in Bathurst, Sheens’ Tigers stunned the competition with a shock win.
They followed it up with victory against Dragons then delivered a solid performance against the Rabbitohs before recording a result not one rugby league fan saw coming.
Besting the previous records set by merger clubs Wests and Balmain, Sheens’ Tigers piled on 66 points to batter Todd Payten’s struggling Cowboys.
In amongst the avalanche of tries, one play symbolised just how far their game has come.
As the score sat 60-18 with two minutes left on the clock, a point where most teams would take their foot of the gas, the Tigers saw an opportunity.
Hooker Apisai Koroisau darted left from the ruck finding Luke Brooks on an angled run who passed to halfback Brandon Wakeham.
Forcing Reece Robson to commit to tackling the halfback, Wakeham popped the ball inside to young gun Jahream Bula who burst through the defensive line.
John Bateman finished it off in a play that Koroisau said would have Sheens feeling vindicated.
“That (play) was awesome, we’ve scored off one like that before but Brooksy dummied and went through against the Bulldogs,” Koroisau said.
“But that was definitely a Sheens play and you know he has been working really hard for us, especially just getting combinations with each other.
“I think they really came to light over the weekend.”
Not that all the Sheens plays have been executed at that level.
Earlier in Round three, with the Tigers attack struggling to gel, a similar play presented itself.
With seconds left on the clock, and the Tigers trailing the Bulldogs 26-22, Koroisau darted left, finding Brooks before his wayward pass was fumbled by Wakeham.
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“Insane, honestly everything we tried was coming off, every pass… the boys were really, really turned on,” Koroisau said.
An unlikely figure has been central to the Tigers’ resurgence.
Fullback Jahream Bula was thrust into Sheens’ starting side following an injury to Daine Laurie.
The Tigers have barely skipped a beat since.
Having been produced by famous rugby league nursery Keebra Park, the 21-year-old had dreams to pursue a career in basketball before a fateful call from uncle Greg Inglis changed his mind.
Koroisau said Bula had provided the spark that has ignited the Tigers’ attack.
“He’s just a pure athlete, it doesn’t matter what sport you’d put him in he would do well in it,” he said.
“Just to see his growth as well, his chat has come a long way. Obviously his first game in he wasn’t really talking too much.
“But the way he is just learning on the run, and we threw him in to the deep end too against Manly.
“We needed a spark and the coaches called on him and he has just delivered since.
“He glides, you don’t realise how fast he is going. He just glides across the park.
“Before you know it he is on your outside and he is gone so I’d love to see him in open space a bit more.
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“We will try and help him with that.”
Koroisau himself deserves plenty of credit for the Tigers’ strong recent form.
He ran riot against the Cowboys, recording three try assists in a display that sealed his selection in Brad Fittler’s NSW Origin side ahead of Damien Cook.
The former Panther said he wasn’t thinking about Origin to start the season before thoughts of earning another NSW cap began to “creep in”.
“To be honest I wasn’t even worried about playing Origin, we obviously to start the season went 0-7,” Koroisau said.
“Each week I wasn’t thinking about making Origin or anything like that, I was just really focused on what I needed to with the Tigers.
“As it became later in the season I guess it maybe started to creep in, but I just tried to put it in the back of my mind and tell yourself the obvious.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was to be honest.
“Obviously Cooky has been playing great this year as well, but at the end of the day I got then call and if that game did have something to do with it I wouldn’t be surprised.