Last time I saw Mark
Nawaqanitawase, he was playing in the Stade de France for the Australian men’s sevens team at the Olympic Games.

Before that, it was for the Wallabies.

Now, the 23-year-old is set to make a surprise start in the injury-hit Roosters side on the wing, after playing just three NSW Cup games.

Nawaqanitawase wasn’t expected to play any first-grade games this year.

But, with two tries in those three reserve grade games, the Roosters seem happy to give him a shot early into his two-year contract.

“I feel like he’s played really well,” Trent Robinson said earlier in the week.

“His instincts have been really good and I’m looking forward to getting him out there tomorrow night.

“I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from him … it was a good chance to get him in there and playing.

“You know someone’s football talent with the way that they move and run, but then you’re looking for their instincts when it comes to movements at the end of six tackles, how they’re going to move based on the kicker, how they’re going to adapt to the play the ball and all those things.

“He’s an intelligent guy who did his work before he got here and then he’s played really well in those games which gave me confidence to select him for this weekend.”

Nawaqanitawase, who is a huge man, standing at 192cm and weighing in at 100kg, won 11 caps for the Wallabies before crossing the Rubicon into the 13-a-side game.

A third-straight wooden spoon for the Wests Tigers, who were blown away by four-straight Eels tries in the space of 12 second-half minutes.

We expected a slug fest, and we got one.

The Eels scored 11 tries, the Wests Tigers five, with the teams combining for 30 errors across the match.

Regardless, it was thoroughly entertaining.

Charlie Staines gets the final score of the season for the wooden spooners, Wests Tigers.

A decent enough move from the home side, passing the ball right to where Staines had lots of space to score in the corner.

It flourishes up the score a bit. But not much.

Heath Mason is really in trouble, having made one of the last passes in that move, a late one that saw him crunched.

The kick hits the upright to end the game.

Final score 60-26.

Joey Lussick
is the one who finishes it off.

But it was started by a brilliant linebreak from Sean Russell, who took the ball a long way out from the Eels defensive zone.

The Eels have their 11th try in the spoon bowl.

It’s just blown out dramatically.

Regan Campbell-Gillard will take the kick!

Surely that means he won’t be at Parramatta next year … St George Illawarra fans may be paying extra attention now.

And he gets it from in front of the posts!

The score is 60-22!

It might be his last game for the Eels, and if it is he has signed off with a try.

Poor from the Wests Tigers, a poor pass from Sione Fainu goes to ground.

The Eels gather, recycle, and score through Campbell-Gillard.

The score is now 54-22 in a genuine slug-fest.

Surely there’s no time for a comeback?

Although with the Eels running out of bodies, let’s not rule anything out.

Isaiah Papali’i crashes over after a powerful run from Tony Sukkar.

The score is 22-48 with 12 minutes to go…

The blood is still pumping for David Klemmer, for a real grubbly little action after the tackle there on Joey Lussick.

Now there’s more carnage.

Head injury assessments all over the place as Tony Sukkar drives his head into would-be tackler Daejarn Asi, who has to go off for an HIA.

He won’t be back.

That looks like a nasty knee injury, but he did walk off.

Oh that is a real disaster for the Wests Tigers.

Alex Seyfarth picked up a loose ball just five metres out from his own line, before he was pushed back into his in goal by a swarm of Eels.

He tried to offload but succeeded only in passing the ball straight to Clint Gutherson.

And then, it’s on. Kinda.

David Klemmer took exception to the celebration and there was a bit of push and shove.

The score is now 48-16 with the kick success.

He went down the sideline first, Joe Ofahengaue
picking up a Wests Tigers kick and then offloading to Penisini, who raced 50 metres.

He was tackled with another very hip-drop-like action by Heath Mason.

Play continued but the field resembled a war zone, with bodies littered everywhere, so play was stopped.

The crowd is 17,311 tonight.

And a massive gap too.

The red sea parted there for the Eels fullback, the Wests Tigers defence stopping dead as the ball hit the ground from an Eels pass.

It’s pretty chaotic and disappointing for the Wests Tigers, who look like they’re well on their way to being spooned.

The kick is good, 42-16 the score.

Will Penisini
tackles Heath Mason with something that looks suspiciously like a hip drop…

Not according to the Bunker though as the confusion over that rule continues.

Mason looks in trouble with a calf issue, Penisini did drag himself down the back of the young fullback’s legs…

Anyway, it’s not a penalty even so play on.

Oh that’s cruel.

The latest of late offloads from Kelma Tuilagi as he is wrapped up by a gaggle of Wests Tigers.

The ball went out to Maika Sivo, whose eyes lit up not only at the sight of the try line, but also Heath Mason standing in his way.

The collision was akin to that of a ham sandwich getting hit by a cannon ball as Sivo just crunches the teenager off.

It’s now 36-16, with the kick sailing wide.

Will Penisini leaps up, contests the ball and pushes it back into the hands of Bryce Cartwright, who catches the ball and puts it down.

I think that looks good to me to be honest.

It’s tight though. Did Penisini fumble that initially into the hands of Josh
Feledy?

The Bunker is looking at it for a very long time.

The cross field kick was good, the Wests Tigers defence couldn’t handle it and the Eels … HAVE SCORED!

The kick is over, the lead is pushed back out to 16 points, it’s 32-16.

He’s gone, has Dylan Brown.

He won’t be able to continue and playmaking duties fall to Shaun Lane.

Oh no…

Clint Gutherson is upended by Api Koroisau and this really should be a sin bin for the Wests Tigers captain.

It is. The correct decision.

Gutherson was in a really nasty position there and is holding his head and neck.

While all that was happening though, Dylan Brown was getting treatment on his knee, which was then strapped as he limped to his feet.

He will try and carry on but that’s not a good sign for the Eels.

A horrible error from Maika Sivo!

It was a great kick bomb from Heath Mason, who was made a fool of in similar circumstances in the first half.

The shoe was on the other foot this time though.

The Tigers earned two repeat sets and, despite a woeful pass from Koroisau out of dummy half, that went well short of its intended target (perhaps because of an Eels hand judging by the replay) it sat up nicely for Fainu and it’s now game on!

The kick is good and it’s 16-26.

Junior Tupou drops the ball on the wing.

It was a high pass (and looked suspiciously forward from this angle as well) but, had he caught it, he was almost certain to score in the corner.

It’s another mistake from the Wests Tigers (they’ve made 11 so far to the Eels’ eight) and yet again it costs them.

The sold out crowd are in full voice though, chanting “TIGERS” in an attempt to generate some movement from their players.