A brilliant performance from some new recruits and a staunch defensive display has propelled the Wests Tigers to a 20-4 win over Parramatta in their NRL trial match in Alice Springs.
Former St George-Illawarra halfback Josh Drinkwater created two tries for fellow newcomer Kevin Naiqama and put through a lovely kick for Delouise Hoeter to touch down.
The first quarter of the match on Friday night was a scrappy affair as both sides struggled to acclimatise to the oppressive heat but it was Naiqama who opened the scoring in the corner on 27 minutes.
The Eels lacked fluency at times but were without star backs Chris Sandow and William Hopoate and were consistently turned away by the Tigers defence.
Following Hoeter's try shortly after halftime, the Tigers took control after Mania Cherrington darted down the blindside to create a try for veteran winger Pat Richards.
Naiqama put the match to bed when he latched onto a Drinkwater kick to score in the 64th minute.
The Eels managed to get on the board in the shadows of fulltime when Fabian Goodall stole the ball off of Richards in the in-goal area for the simplest of tries.
Katherine product Luke Kelly and skipper Tim Mannah were the standouts for the blue and golds, but the lack of established combinations out wide cost them dearly.
Tigers skipper Robbie Farah played a little over 40 minutes and neither team reported any major injuries.
Parramatta will take on Penrith next weekend in their final trial match while the Tigers face Cronulla at Campbelltown Stadium.
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