Five reasons why Western fell at Country Championships' first hurdle

For all the talk of prioritising representative footy in 2024, Western exited the competition after round one.

The Rams were beaten by a gutsy Northern Tigers side which got through a mountain of defence at Narromine's Cale Oval.

That defensive effort was worthy of a win, but Western had more than enough time and chances to claim victory.

Here's why it went wrong.

A poor start and allowing the Tigers to skip out to a 16-0 inside the first half-hour wasn't ideal, but it also wasn't the most decisive factor in the game.

It sucked some energy from Western but they still had more than enough ball in the second half to win.

The deficit forced the Rams to overplay their hand and had them "trying to score off every play," according to captain Jake Betts.

In the first half the Rams showed they had forwards who could make metres and then offoad to dangerous support players like fullback Sam Dwyer. We didn't see enough of it.

In the second half, Western looked to spread the ball at every opportunity instead of doing the tough stuff and then utilising strengths like Dwyer and hooker Alex Bonham's craft around the ruck.

I just mentioned Western's fullback and I'm a proud card-carrying member of the Sam Dwyer fan club. But, you've got to do what's best for the team. And, in hindsight, shifting Jeremy Thurston to five-eighth may not have been the best ploy.

Thurston was a standout in a beaten team and was dangerous every time he got the ball in a little space. But at five-eighth, there's not as much space as there would be at fullback or even in the centres.

He's shown his quality at fullback countless times before. And Dwyer has proved at Parkes he can be a real threat playing hooker. Thurston at fullback and Dwyer off the bench in the 14 jersey against tired legs is a dangerous prospect.

Coach Kurt Hancock clearly likes and trusts Cody Crisp. He's got every reason too. The Parkes youngster is one of the most versatile players in the Peter McDonald Premiership and really proved himself last season.

But, and there's no shame in this, Crisp simply isn't as good at hooker as Bonham. Bonham was our pick for player of the PMP in 2023 and his work at hooker is unmatched. Yes, there were some handling errors on Saturday but he's a proven performer.

Bonham, who didn't appear injured, spent most of the second half sitting on the bench while the Rams were camped in opposition territory looking for a way through.

The weather surprised everyone on Saturday. From officials caught without a raincoat to players who were expecting just a few spots and otherwise hot conditions.

Instead, the ball and playing surface (which looked as good as ever at Narromine) were slippery. As the Rams tried to play up-tempo and attacking footy, a lot of ball went to ground. Passes were misplaced and there were some simple handling errors. It all allowed the Tigers - who played a simple and effective style led by their big forwards - to capitalise early.

Western named a 20-man squad after the representative trial weekend at Wellington last month. Just 14 of those 20 played on Saturday and three players had to be called in.

Changes happen and things like Charlie Lennon being too sick to play can't be helped. But it shows the system still isn't exactly working.

The Group 11-Group 10 representative games were moved to pre-season this year to act as a genuine Western trial. It felt like a step in the right direction but the Group 11 side, in particular, was changing a lot in the days leading up to the game.

"We're still trying to find a happy medium," Rams captain Betts said at full-time.

"It's a hard question and people who get paid a lot more money than me will make that decision but I still think there's plenty of value in that (Group 11-Group 10) game.

"Where that fits in the game, I don't know. But it definitely needs to be part of it."