Lui to start in halves for Wests Tigers

Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens says young gun Robbie Lui will start the NRL season
alongside Benji Marshall in the halves, with Lote Tuqiri to make his NRL comeback on
the wing.

Lui, who turned 20 last week, has done enough in the Tigers' trials campaign to
convince Sheens he should wear the number seven jersey when they open their season
against Manly on March 15.
Lui, last year's Toyota Cup five-eighth of the year, starred as the Tigers
comfortably downed Cronulla 36-12 in a trial at Gosford on Saturday night.
Sheens said Lui's performances meant he was likely to edge out Tuqiri and fellow
young gun Tim Molten in the halves.
"The kid stepped up again," Sheens said.
"At the moment, I'd be looking at Timmy Moltzen at one (fullback), Robbie Lui and
Marshall in the halves,
"That'd be the logical thing. That's probably where were going to go initially.
"I know what I'm going to do for game one pretty well."
Asked whether Tuqiri, who is yet to return from a stint of club rugby with English
side Leicester, would likely make his comeback on the wing when he returns, Sheens
replied "yes".
The Tigers have struggled to find a permanent halfback since premiership captain
Scott Prince left for the Gold Coast.
Despite the lop-sided scoreline at Gosford, Sheens was hardly full of praise for his
side, who are out to make the finals for the first time since 2005.
"We started poorly, and if they had have been stronger with the ball in hand, we
would have been in a lot of trouble," he said.
"We need to do a fair bit more before we're happy.
"But we got through it without injury and we won it strongly."



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