‘Very weird and sombre feeling’: Loss hits home for Tigers players

You only had to take one look at the face of Wests Tigers skipper James Tamou to know the last-second loss in Townsville was still stinging.

Tamou could barely break a smile when presented with the 300-game ball by NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo after full-time in Townsville, and his mood had not improved by the time the players arrived back in Sydney at lunchtime on Monday.

One of the most approachable players in the game, Tamou asked not to be interviewed for fear of saying something he would later regret.

“I can’t today, I won’t trust myself with what I say,” Tamou told the Herald.

Senior Tigers Adam Doueihi and Jackson Hastings were still devastated with the final-second shenanigans, which denied Tamou and the Tigers their magical moment.

The pair spoke about the “confusion” when the Cowboys were allowed the chance to challenge Kyle Feldt being obstructed by AJ Kepaoa. They thought the home side had already unsuccessfully used a challenge earlier in the game.

They also had no issues with Feldt going down for the penalty, even though “he wasn’t a chance of getting to the ball”, and said the win would have boosted spirits.

“The last thing the club wants is the wooden spoon,” Doueihi said.

The five-eighth thought the game was over when he lined up a sideline conversion with less than 90 seconds on the clock, only to see his kick slam into the upright.

“The clock said ‘1min 28secs’ when I started my kick, so I took extra time to wind the clock down to zero,” Doueihi said.

“I only know that rule because I’ve been warned in the past for taking over 90 seconds. I’m not sure why the clock stopped. I should have kicked that goal - I missed a few yesterday and that hurt us in the end.”

Hastings said he needed a minute to digest the craziness.

“I was on the ground with Adam just bewildered by what had happened,” Hastings said. “When we finally got into sheds there it was a very weird and sombre feeling. We wanted to celebrate what has been and continues to be a fantastic career for [Tamou] who is also such a great role model and leader.

“On the other hand, we were extremely disappointed to be beaten after the bell. We were on the wrong end of the stick again.”

Meanwhile, Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe confirmed Doueihi and Daine Laurie would be staying put after Melbourne approached them about one last time on Monday about loaning both players for the run home to the finals. The Storm have been hit hard by injuries to their outside backs, including season-ending injuries to Reimis Smith and Ryan Papenzhuyzen.

“Both boys are too important to this club and we won’t risk them going anywhere,” Pascoe told the Herald. “They’re a big part of the future at this club - it was an easy decision for us. “The [Storm] approach shows how ability both players have.”

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