Maguire: Brooks' gutsy effort can inspire Tigers through horror run home

Michael Maguire wants the guts Luke Brooks showed in nailing his match-winning field goal – a kick he says Benji Marshall would typically take – to flow through Wests Tigers' horror run home as they pursue an elusive finals berth.

Brooks drilled home a 32-minute one-pointer to sink Canterbury 29-28 on Sunday night and keep the Tigers' finals hopes alive, having coughed up a 16-point lead at one stage to the struggling Bulldogs.

Maguire's side sits in ninth and take on the injury-ravaged Roosters next Saturday.

From there the Tigers face Penrith (away), Manly (away), South Sydney (home), Melbourne (away) and Parramatta (home) as the only side that plays the current top four in their final six games.

With 12 competition points and the Rabbitohs, Sharks (in seventh place) and Knights (sixth) all reasonable chances of jagging at least 22 by season's end, The Tigers could well need another five wins from six outings to play finals footy.

Maguire says whether the Tigers finish 2020 as a top-eight team is "up to us."

But watching Brooks – who had dropped back to the bench through July – nail his match-winning shot has given his coach a touchstone for the run to the finals.

"The NRL, it's a journey, you're up and down and you can see the way teams are ebbing and flowing," Maguire said.

"We've got to make sure we get momentum off the back of that and take that into this week.

"We've done a lot of practice in scenarios of what happens.

"Previously we probably would've seen Benji step up and take that kick. But Brooksy you could see was very dominant at that moment in time and it was nice to see him get it.

"He's had a few over his career and probably hasn't had the same joy. It was nice to see him get one and get one off the back of the things he's been doing at training."

Marshall rolled his ankle shortly before half-time and had considered staying off the field at the break.

But having played a lead role in establishing the early 22-6 lead, Marshall pushed through the pain to see out the match, and will be monitored leading into the Roosters clash at Leichhardt.

Maguire was understandably frustrated by the concentration lapses that let Canterbury back into the contest at Bankwest Stadium.

But having hung tough for just their second win since the end of June, Maguire said the potential of his squad was on show when it counted.

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"The group is better than where we are," Maguire said.

"It's happened to us in a number of games now where we do put pressure through the things we're doing.

"But if we fix those up then our game and the way we can play is on show there."