A close game is not necessarily a high-quality game, especially when viewed at the ground, as opposed to watching on television.

This was evident when Wests Tigers hosted the Dragons last Sunday before a full house at Campbelltown Sports Stadium, squandering an opportunity to impress a vast local population by playing intelligent football.

Benji Marshall’s team trailed by only 10 points when they took zero advantage of a set in front of the posts and, instead of persevering with clever forward play, swung the ball right, then left. It is “windscreen wiper” football, where a team spins the ball from sideline to sideline, without any movement forward, demanding minimum adjustment from the defence to counter it.

Captain and hooker Apisai Koroisau had earlier shown the way, hypnotising the Dragons’ defence to send a short ball to the rampaging Stefano Utoikamanu in the 14th minute. The crowd gasped at the cleverness but saw little of it during the next 66 minutes and the Tigers missed an opportunity to show the fans why they should fill Campbelltown again when they meet the Broncos in Anzac Round.

Still, a 24-12 finish meant the game presented well on TV, joining the other relatively close scores we have seen over the first quarter of the season.

The NRL and TV deserve much credit for this exhilarating start.

The Las Vegas venture showcased the NRL’s big games early, producing a........

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