Week 8 of the 2009 NRL season saw the West Tigers narrowly miss out on collecting a valuable two points as they went down 22–20 against the Canterbury Bulldogs.

Gareth Ellis and his team mates should not be too disheartened by the defeat against a Bulldogs outfit who are setting the pace this season. With only one loss all season, the Bulldogs went into the game as heavy favourites and any point at the ANZ Stadium would have been seen as a huge achievement for Tim Sheen and his side. 

In front of a capacity 25,622 crowd, the West Tigers were without their talisman, Benji Marshall. This did not affect the pre match hype, which focused primarily on two of the contenders for the NSW Origin hooker, Robbie Farah and Michael Ennis. 

Once again, Ellis was able to go about his business as usual and another solid display was provided by the reliable Yorkshire man. This has further helped the Tigers consistency as they look to get their season back on track after a very chequered start. 

Next week sees the West Tigers host the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who like the Tigers sit on 10 points in the Telstra Premiership. A win by Ellis and his fellow compatriots will push them towards the leading pack and with Benji Marshall to return from injury, the month of May could prove to be very crucial in the Tigers season.