‘If they want to continue to make a decent living’: Sheens’ challenge to Tigers to ‘do better’

Tim Sheens has challenged his team to produce more consistency in their performance after they slumped to their seventh straight defeat in a 18-14 loss to the Dragons.

The Tigers had plenty of opportunities, but the loss to the second last Dragons means a second straight wooden spoon is theirs to lose with six rounds remaining.

Sheens was pressed on how he plans to motivate his players after such a dismal campaign in 2023.

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NRLW Dragons coach Jamie Soward opens up on how much he has learnt and changed ahead of his third season at the helm. He also lifts the lid on how the club pulled off two major signings and why they have the potential to be the “best ever” halves pairing in the women’s game.LISTEN NOW >>

“They are professionals and I understand what you are saying about motivation, but by the end of every week they are ready to play,” Sheens said.

“There is ups and downs and media and so on around our club, but as Benji and I have said to the players, you are paid to play professional football and that’s what you have got to do.

“You can’t bring your home to work and you can’t take your work back home. You have got to learn to be able to do those things and keep focused on what you are doing at the moment.

“It’s their living and if they want to continue to make a decent living then they have got to do better than that.”

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Sheens hasn’t been a fan of the referees at times in 2023 and he again felt his side was on the wrong end of some contentious calls against the Dragons.

“Five yardage penalties walked them down our end that didn’t help and half a dozen loose balls as well,” Sheens said.

“We didn’t help ourselves that way. We burned ourselves up. We didn’t have much ball on their goal line in that second half.

“It is somewhat our own fault, but I thought we were hard done by in a couple of decisions, but never the less we probably didn’t deserve to win it no.”

However, Sheens refused to blame the refereeing for his side’s failure to take their opportunities.

“These are the things that you go through in the cold light of day and I will look at them and we will go from there,” Sheens said.

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“But I think on the night we shot ourselves in the foot a number of times, which at the end of the day came back to bite us.

“I will wait to make comments on it tomorrow after I have a really good look at it.

“There was a couple there, but I’m not going to go whinging about that at the moment.”

Sheens conceded injuries to key players has hurt his side and believes the Tigers are in desperate need of Luke Brooks’ kicking game when he returns form injury.

“We were only a couple of points off tonight, but again our options and the kicking game,” Sheens lamented.

“The first half we put it into the fence two or three times and that is just not good enough.

“There is areas of our game we need to improve and that will be with some injured players coming back. Possibly Brooks next week or the week after and Staines will give us a bit more to choose from.

“But we could have won that game and it is our own fault.”

Skill personified’: Flying Fijians leave PNG crowd stunned as Sivo stars in biggest ever win

Fiji have produced their biggest ever win over Papua New Guinea with 43-16 victory in a try-fest that left the Port Moresby crowd shell-shocked.

MATCH CENTRE: Papua New Guinea v Fiji, teams, stats, video

Kumuls speedster Alex Johnston cut through Fiji’s defence on the left edge and sliced his way over to score the opener in just the second minute.

“The great Magic Johnston, the man who scores all those tries in the NRL and here he is scoring for PNG,” Andrew Voss said on Fox League.

But it was all Fiji from there and they first crossed when Jahream Bula put a grubber in beat both wingers and Kurt Donoghoe raced through to score in the 12th minute.

The visitors made it two in a row when skipper Tui Kamikamica crashed over next to the posts in the 18th minute.

“They are running like their lives depend on it, every hit, every play, they are coming off the back fence the Fijians,” Voss said.

Kumuls forward Keven Appo was put on report and binned in the 27th minute for his role in a lifting tackle.

Donoghoe then bagged his double after touching the ball three times in a sensational team try in the 33rd minute.

“That is a slashing try from Fiji, far more than just run hard, that was skill personified,” Voss said.

Brandon Wakeham slotted a field goal on the stroke of halftime and Fijians picked up where they left off in the second half.

Maika Sivo scored a quick-fire double after a barnstorming run down the left wing in the 46th minute was followed moments later with an 85-metre intercept try.

Bati lock Caleb Navale was the next man in on the act when he crashed over in the 55th minute before PNG finally stopped the bleeding.

Benji Kot pulled one back in his first international of the year but the comeback was short lived as Fiji star Jason Qareqare breezed through some lazy defence in the 64th minute.

“Rugby league is the national sport of PNG but their love is being tested today,” Voss said.

Epel Kapinias gave the home crowd something to cheer about with a late consolation try but it was far too little, too late.

NRL’s plan to get Tom Brady on board for Vegas as NFL legend set to head down under

NFL legend Tom Brady is reportedly set to land in Australia in January and NRL powerbrokers are hoping to discuss his potential involvement in the Las Vegas season opening games in 2024.

Brady has partnered with Sports Tech World Series who are offering corporate partnerships with the legendary quarterback, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Brady is also scheduled to hold a seminar at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium on January 27 before travelling to Brisbane.

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NRL bosses are reportedly set to discuss his potential involvement in the 2024 Las Vegas tour with Fox Sports bosses.

Those discussions could see Brady have a role in next year’s season-opening games when the Roosters, Broncos, Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs travel abroad.

Brady played 23 seasons in the NFL and played for the New England Patriots for the first 20 years of his career.

During that period he won four Super Bowls before adding another to his collection with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

The 46-year-old is widely considered one of the best NFL players of all time and holds multiple records, including the most career passing touchdowns.

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