Wests Tigers vs Dolphins

The National Rugby League has rolled out the welcome mat for a 17th team, the Dolphins. They’ll join the NRL competition for the 2023 season, meaning that there will be a huge shakeup in the draw. Just how much of a shakeup remains to be seen, but one of the first big matchups that the NRL has announced is a Round Two clash between the Wests Tigers and the Dolphins. This match is scheduled to take place on Saturday 4 March 2023 at Leichhardt Oval.

The Wests Tigers have never made it past the second week of the finals since the merger in 2000, but the arrival of new coach Tim Sheens has injected a new sense of optimism into the Tigers’ faithful. Their new coach is not the only recent change for the joint-venture club, however. The Tigers have also farewelled a host of players and are in the process of rebuilding their squad, especially after the departure of halfback Luke Brooks to the Newcastle Knights.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, have assembled a squad that is a mix of experience and youth, including former Melbourne Storm and Queensland Maroons prop Jesse Bromwich. The recruitment of Bromwich is crucial to the club’s aspirations, and they will be looking to him to lead both on and off the field. The success of any new club relies on the strength and depth of its roster, and the Dolphins appear to have ticked that particular box. They’ll need all the experience they can get in their debut season, especially with a match against last year’s wooden spooners immediately after taking their place at the top table.

This will be the first time that these two teams have faced each other in an NRL match, and it is sure to be a memorable occasion. The Dolphins will be looking to make a statement in their first ever game, while the Tigers will be looking to prove that they are on the right track under their new coach. It is sure to be a close and exciting match, and one that no fan of rugby league will want to miss.

With the Dolphins entering the competition, there will also be an additional game played each round. This means that more teams will be playing on the road each week, which will have a significant impact on the way the draw is structured. It will also be interesting to see how the Dolphins fare against the other teams in the NRL. They will be playing a number of tough games in their first season, so it will be interesting to see how they adapt to the rigours of the NRL.