Wests Tigers 20–22 New Zealand Warriors — Semi-Final, 2011 NRL Finals Series
16 Sep 2011 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 27,109
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-Final, 2011 NRL finals series: Wests Tigers 20–22 New Zealand Warriors, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW on 16 Sep 2011.
Sourcing caveat: No source provided try-scoring minutes, though the confirmed 18-6 halftime score indicates most of the Tigers' scoring came before the break. No sin-bin or send-off was found referenced anywhere, though a full referee's report could not be located to confirm this with certainty.
Scorers
| Wests Tigers | Tries: Robbie Farah; Keith Galloway; Benji Marshall Goals: Benji Marshall (4/4 conversions) |
| New Zealand Warriors | Tries: Lance Hohaia; Krisnan Inu; James Maloney; Feleti Mateo Goals: James Maloney (3/4 conversions) |
Team sheets
| Wests Tigers | New Zealand Warriors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Moltzen | Fullback | Kevin Locke | 1 |
| 2 | Beau Ryan | Wing | Bill Tupou | 2 |
| 3 | Blake Ayshford | Centre | Lewis Brown | 3 |
| 4 | Chris Lawrence | Centre | Krisnan Inu | 4 |
| 5 | Lote Tuqiri | Wing | Manu Vatuvei | 5 |
| 6 | Benji Marshall | Five-Eighth | James Maloney | 6 |
| 7 | Robert Lui | Halfback | Shaun Johnson | 7 |
| 8 | Bryce Gibbs | Prop | Russell Packer | 15 |
| 9 | Robbie Farah (c) | Hooker | Lance Hohaia | 14 |
| 10 | Keith Galloway | Prop | Jacob Lillyman | 10 |
| 11 | Liam Fulton | Second-Row | Ukuma Ta'ai | 17 |
| 12 | Gareth Ellis | Second-Row | Simon Mannering (c) | 12 |
| 13 | Chris Heighington | Lock | Micheal Luck | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 15 | Mark Flanagan | Sam Rapira | 8 | |
| 16 | Matt Groat | Aaron Heremaia | 9 | |
| 17 | Aaron Woods | Feleti Mateo | 11 | |
| 18 | Matt Utai | Ben Matulino | 16 | |
| Tim Sheens | Coach | Ivan Cleary | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Shayne Hayne and Jared Maxwell (two-referee system) |
Match report
This was an elimination semi-final in the second week of the 2011 finals series, with the loser's season ending on the spot. Wests Tigers, hosting at Sydney Football Stadium as the higher-seeded team, raced to an 18-6 halftime lead built on tries to captain Robbie Farah, forward Keith Galloway and five-eighth Benji Marshall, with Marshall adding the extras to keep his kicking record perfect. It looked like the Tigers were cruising toward a preliminary final. But the Warriors clawed back through tries to Lance Hohaia, Krisnan Inu, James Maloney and Feleti Mateo, with Maloney's boot doing enough, three from four, to push New Zealand in front 22-20. The Warriors' fightback denied the Tigers a home final and instead launched New Zealand on a run that would ultimately take them to the 2011 NRL Grand Final, where they lost to Manly-Warringah. For Wests Tigers, the collapse from a commanding halftime buffer stood as one of the more painful finals exits of the era.