Wests Tigers may be on the cusp of reaching the NRL finals for the first time in five years after clinching a hard-fought win over Parramatta Eels but the door refused to shut on Robbie Farah's return for the Tigers, despite the scoreline.
Coach Jason Taylor made his point last week that the Tigers may be able to perform better in the absence of their former captain who remains in reserves and the divisive coach looked to have done the same with the 23-8 win over the Eels.
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Robbie Farah: Coach defends controversial drop
Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor's stand could impact Farah's future as a one-club man. (Vision courtesy ABC News 24)
However, his case against Farah weakened at half-time when his season's gamble looked to have backfired for reasons beyond his control.
With the more industrious Dene Halatau playing hooker, the Tigers became bereft of creativity once halfback Luke Brooks fell victim to a knee injury, leaving Mitchell Moses as the sole creative outlet for 40 minutes.
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The saving grace for the Tigers was the depleted Eels' side that fought bravely but offered little following a season from hell.
Had it been against a team in better condition, the Tigers know they may not have got away with the win with Taylor confirming the lessons from Saturday's match could see Farah recalled.
"It's a possibility, yep," He said. "It's just too early but we will look at where [Luke Brooks] is going to be at and what the best team's going to be for this week and that will be a completely clean slate in regards to everyone."
Their woes were worsened by the impressive young half, Moses, whose leadership delivered the 15-point win for Wests with a performance that justified his growing stature.Â
It began by carving open the Tigers' first try of the evening, cleverly creating an opening through the Eels line when receiving an offload before finding his winger, David Nofoaluma, in support with an incisive pass to set-up the opening try.
Wests fans were already daring to dream of the top eight after just 13 minutes when James Tedesco scored their second beneath the posts. Second-rower Josh Aloiai couldn't believe his luck in bursting through the Parramatta line on the half way line and with one of the most dangerous men in the game supporting him, there was no stopping Tedesco from scoring the try.
Poor discipline from Wests in defence was all that relieved pressure for Parramatta early and consecutive sets of sixes gave the Eels a chance to reduce the deficit to six points just before the break. Despite claims of obstruction, the combination of two decoy runners and a double cut-out pass wore down the Tigers allowing Vai Toutai to score in the corner, drawing back to 14-8 after Michael Gordon converted from the sideline.
The Tigers suffered a blow when halfback Brooks  failed to return with the rest of the team for the second half after hyperextending his knee. He will require scans early in the week to determine the extent of the injury.Â
As Wests continued to pressure Parramatta in the second half, that lack of a plan B became increasingly evident as their option on the final tackle became more predictable with Moses targeted more frequently and specifically.Â
For Parramatta, a workman-like performance began to look as good a plan as any in shutting down the Tigers lacking teeth.
"I think Tim [Mannah]Â was our only player today that was in our top 10 earners that played," Eels coach Brad Arthur said.Â
It was no surprise to see Moses - who was by now working overtime - take the option for a long-range penalty goal to restore an eight-point buffer with 15 minutes to go, such was the pressure from Parramatta.Â
Once prop Sauaso Sue pounced on a loose ball inside the box to score a late try, the players could breath a sigh of relief.
For their coach, that joy was quickly replaced by the cold shudder of knowing another week of intense selection drama awaits.
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