give him some slack

Forever Hopefuls,

It'll do.
Rusty, at best.
A win is a win.
Better than last week's complete capitulation.
Mighty Tiges shook off the cobwebs and the awful bereavement, showed the template of what they could be this season, pointed out to Coach Harry that he still has a helluva lot of work to do with them, and, as they say in the classics, "got away with the two points".
Fairly indicative of the play was that the clear best on ground came off the bench - Aaron Woods, an unsung try-scoring forward with a few hard yards in him, dogged defence, and a streak of mean.
You need blokes like him in the pack, and Keefy "Bludnut" Galloway looks to be on song from the off.
There's plenty who'd say whoever it was who decided to buy Braith Anasta was off their rocker, but it's way too early to pass judgement.
Shocker first week, not too bad in the second.
And in any case, here's a bloke in the twilight of his career who will be wheeled into the Sunset Home at the end of the season; and he did say that the only reason he moved to the Tigers on a one-year contract was on the condition that he didn't play in the second row [where is he playing? In the second row], so he must have come cheap.
Certainly not a patch on That Pom Ellis, who will be sorely missed in retirement.
Adam Blair was possibly the worst marquee player buy of last season, comp-wide, but you have to give him some slack in a new year, parked as he is at lock, and hope against hope that he actually does something this season.
The Miller kidder at half-back has some big potential for mine, but looks a little brittle in defence at present, however he's got a fairly good football brain on his shoulders for a yoof, and appears capable of developing a clever partnership with The Great Benji.
The centres and full-back are solid, very experienced first grade players, and there is Chris "The Try Scoring Freak" Lawrence among them.
The young bloke plucked from some Fijian village by the name of Marika Koroibete looks to be the genuine goods on the wing at age 20.
Probably the fastest man in the caper over 30 yards, and makes line breaks aplenty with explosive speed from a standing start.
Likely to be the new Lote Tuquri [who remains on the books at age 33, but with a glittering career that appears to be finished, having been finally cruelled by chronic injury].
And the bench is deep; you'll need that as fellows fall by the wayside with various mischiefs in the course of 26 weeks.
So, on paper, it looks a reasonably classy football team with the right mix of Yoof and Experience, but as always, the proof will be in the pudding.
In the end, all they have to do is win at home and bag a few away.
Yeah, yeah, easier said than done, you say.
No need to mention the referee's just as yet - plenty of time for that - the Bamford's will look after it themselves.
The very poor home crowd represents a loss of faith after last season that will take some restoring.
And, people will boycott Leichhardt Oval next Friday night in protest at no Sunday afternoon games being programmed there this year - me among them - but that's another story...

WESTS TIGERS 28. Tries: Woods (2), Marshall, Miller, Koroibete. Goals: Marshall (4).
PENRITH PANTHERS 18. Tries: Manu (2), Simmons. Goals: Walsh (3).
At Campbelltown Sports Ground.
Crowd: 9,715.