Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Sport
George Clarke

Tigers must show they can back up: Maguire

Jackson Hastings (7) has become the key player for Wests Tigers as they prepare for South Sydney. (AAP)

Michael Maguire says Wests Tigers' drought-breaking win over Parramatta will mean nothing if they can't back it up against South Sydney.

Maguire's men snapped a five-game winless season start - the longest in the club's history - when Jackson Hastings' field goal gave them a 21-20 victory over Parramatta on Easter Monday.

The victory also eased pressure on Maguire, whose long-term future was looking increasingly uncertain with every loss.

The key to the upset win was the move of Hastings to halfback with Luke Brooks slotting in at five-eighth.

Hastings was in everything they did right, touching the ball 88 times on his return from suspension.

But the games don't get any any easier for the Tigers as they prepare to host Souths at Commbank Stadium on Saturday.

"It was great to see the smiles, but we've definitely moved on," Maguire said.

"It's about enjoying the moment. We've all been around long enough to know if you stay in that (moment) then you're not moving forward.

"We've got to make sure we play our style of game. We are aware of what they are capable of.

"It's about how we turn up with what we've learned over the last month, with the marginal gains. That's been the key to everything we've done.

"It's about replicating that and building consistency. It's about doing it again and again and then it becomes more enjoyable."

Consistency has been desperately lacking for the Tigers under Maguire - in the last two seasons the Tigers have only won back-to-back games three times.

Maguire's cause will not be helped by the fact hooker Jake Simpkin is unlikely to play after he picked up an ankle complaint in the win over the Eels.

Jacob Liddle is the candidate best-placed to come into the side with Brooks also likely to spend time at dummy half, allowing Jock Madden to come off the bench to partner Hastings.

Souths coach Jason Demetriou said he had been studying Hastings' game over the last few years while the halfback reignited his career in the Super League and said his team, who are searching for a third straight win, needed to be wary.

"We are aware of what he does and his strengths," he said.

"I'm impressed with his story. He has come back a confident kid and you can see he brings that to the Tigers as well.

"For us, it's about nullifying his time and his space and making sure we're putting our game onto them."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.