After the carnage that has been the last few days, Michael Maguire has been in desperate need of some good news.
On a rainy afternoon at Tamworth’s Scully Park, it came in the form of Bradman Best. The Newcastle centre proved the difference in a tight affair, leading his side to a 20-14 win against Wests Tigers.
Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton is a near-certain selection, although the race for the other NSW centre spot is wide open after Tom Trbojevic succumbed to yet another hamstring injury on Thursday night.
There is no shortage of candidates: Matt Burton, Jesse Ramien, Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Izack Tago, Kotoni Staggs and Joseph Suaalii all have claims for a call-up.
However, Best, the incumbent Blues three-quarter, produced an effort that should result in him standing out from the pack: 235 running metres, 11 tackle breaks, three line breaks, one line-break assist and a try.
This was every bit as dominant as his performance in Origin III when the Blues won 24-10 and he scored two tries. The Tigers right-edge defence was no match for his speed and power. “Bradman Best gave us a bit of a bath there,” Tigers coach Benji Marshall lamented.
Bradman Best has terrorised the Tigers’ defence in Tamworth.Credit: Getty
After witnessing the masterclass, Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien felt Best deserved to add to his single Origin appearance when the series begins in Sydney on June 5.
“It was a bloody good game from him, I know that,” O’Brien said. “I think he’s had a really good season, Bradman. Tonight he’s hands down our best player out there.
“I felt every time he got the ball it just looked like something was happening. I know they’ve got a [NSW] team to pick in a couple of weeks. I reckon he’s done himself a lot of favours there in most people’s opinions.“
The man of the moment admitted another Blues jersey was in the back of his mind.
Isaiah Papali’i celebrates after his try gives the Tigers an early lead in Tamworth.Credit: Getty
“Obviously it’s a dream come true to put that jersey on,” Best told Fox Sports. “It’s obviously another goal of mine. I’ll just keep playing good, consistent footy and see what happens.“
This was another case of the Tigers remaining in the fight until the end, although a lack of class and discipline again proved costly.
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Both teams were cruelled by injury: Knights half Tyson Gamble suffered a break in his foot, while Tigers Starford To’a (hamstring) and John Bateman (pectoral) failed to complete the game and face stints on the sidelines. The sin-binning of star Tigers fullback Jahream Bula didn’t help.
The latest loss is the Tigers’ sixth straight, increasing the likelihood of a third consecutive wooden spoon.
“Well, firstly, a lot of adversity today for us and I was really proud of our boys in terms of effort,” Marshall said. “The one thing that’s non negotiable is our team’s effort and we’re not lacking that in any of our games. But what we are lacking is just moments in games where we seem to put pressure on ourselves and instead of applying pressure to the other team, we make it hard for ourselves.
The game was there for us today to win it. And we didn’t.”