Wests Tigers

Back on home soil for the first time in 1038 days the Warriors made sure their legion of fans went home happy with their fifth win of the season.

After controlling possession for the first 10 minutes and receiving four straight penalties the Warriors looked to have cracked the Tigers line when Wayde Egan burrowed over from dummy half but the bunker ruled he'd been held up.

The home side were denied a second time when Shaun Johnson launched a pinpoint bomb which Marcelo Montoya knocked on in the air before Ronald Volkman forced the ball in goal.

A double to Jake Averillo set up the result as the Bulldogs backed up last week's stirring effort against the Eels to produce five converted tries in the win.

NSW Origin hopefuls Matt Burton and Josh Addo-Carr were at their best in front of Blues coach Brad Fittler while Averillo's form since switching to fullback continues to surge under interim coach Mick Potter.

The Bulldogs held a 12-6 lead at half-time before Potter's men unleashed with four tries in 18 minutes to set up a comfortable 30-point lead.

Maguire was contracted with Wests Tigers until the end of the 2023 season, but the club confirmed that he would depart as coach ahead of their Round 14 clash against the Sea Eagles on Sunday..

Brett Kimmorley will take over as interim for the rest of the year, having most recently featured as the club's Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership coach.

The Tigers led 18-0 at halftime but Mick Potter's first half time speech since taking over as Canterbury's interim coach mid week coincided with a dramatic turn around after the break.

The Bulldogs piled on three unanswered tries but the sin-binning of centre Aaron Schoupp for a lifting tackle on Starford To'a turned the game back in favour of the home team, who piled on three late tries to move ahead of their rivals on the ladder.

Despite the upheaval the Bulldogs must find a way to turn their form around under interim coach Mick Potter and climb off the bottom of the ladder, while the Tigers are equally desperate after three straight losses.

Sitting 15th and 16th with two wins apiece, both sides head into the Friday night clash under extreme pressure and looking to recapture the buzz that carried them to memorable wins in recent weeks - the Tigers over Parramatta and Souths in round six and seven, and the Dogs over the Roosters in round eight.

The last time the Cowboys won five in a row was early in 2016, in the midst of a golden era for the club which included their maiden premiership in 2015 and a grand final appearance in 2017.

The game opened in spectacular fashion with Murray Taulagi setting up a try for Scott Drinkwater with an outrageous flick pass as he was being bundled over the sidelined before Wests Tigers debutant Junior Tupou flew high to snare a Jackson Hastings bomb to score the first try of his career.

The final match of the special event wraps up round 10 with the Cowboys looking to extend their winning run against a Wests Tigers side that have taken a few steps backwards in recent weeks after putting two wins together.

The joint venture, however, enjoy Magic Round more than their opponents.

They've beaten the Knights and Panthers in the past two concepts and despite the Cowboys well-placed on the ladder, the Tigers have shown they can spring an upset. 

Manly were gallant in defeat to South Sydney last start given they played majority of the game with only 12 men, but their overall slide in the past fortnight has coincided with injuries in the backline, none more so than Tom Trbojevic.

The Wests Tigers will take plenty away from their six-point defeat to the Dragons, particularly around the key stats areas they were able to win during the match without being able to ice the moments when it mattered. 

In a low scoring contest until the 58th minute, the Tigers led 2-0 for most of the match before an individual effort from Hunt gave the Dragons the lead.

From there the Red V repelled four Wests Tigers sets on their own defensive line before the injection of Sullivan late proved a masterstroke with the 20-year-old darting over from close range. 

The Dragons lost star five-eighth Jack Bird pre-game due to a knee injury with Talatau Amone earning another starting opportunity and Sullivan coming onto the bench as a back-up utility.

Back-to-back wins for both the Dragons and Wests Tigers the past fortnight sets up a mouth watering clash at WIN Stadium on Sunday to conclude round eight.

It wasn't too long ago both clubs, players and coaches were under pressure with heavy losses to start the year. 

The Dragons' ANZAC day win over the Roosters was clinical to start before they rolled up their sleeves and defended their way to victory.