Wests Tigers 30 Rabbitohs 10

After watching new halfback Mathew Head lead his side to victory at the SCG yesterday, Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens outlined a list of requirements to help the former Dragons playmaker keep his position when Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah return.

"I want him to run more, he's got to defend well, he's got to continue to improve his fitness and to find an extra yard in speed. I don't want much do I?" Sheens admitted.

With Marshall almost certain to make his comeback at Cronulla next Sunday and Farah also a strong chance of playing, Sheens has a dilemma.

While Marshall plays five-eighth and Farah hooker, Sheens must decide whether to shift John Morris from five-eighth to his regular halfback role or stick with the man who had comfortably filled the No.7 jersey for the past two weeks.

It's a problem the players are more than happy to leave with Sheens.

But Head obviously covets the halfback spot after being released by St George Illawarra midway through last season as he struggled to overcome a knee injury that had plagued him since 2005, while Marshall said he was "excited" about the prospect of playing alongside the highly talented 25-year-old.

"Benji and Robbie are close and obviously they are going to fit into the team somewhere, so hopefully I'm doing enough to be able to keep the No.7," Head said. "That's what I came to the club for.

"I trained with Benji over the off-season, just the same as I did with Robbie Farah, so hopefully I'll get the chance to play with them."

Like Marshall, Farah also gave his backing to Head's retention in the side, saying: "The direction he gives us is great for our team and something we've probably lacked in the last year or two since Scott Prince left."

After coming through a training session last Friday without any back pain, Farah said he was aiming to return at Toyota Park, while Marshall said after the Tigers' 30-10 Centenary of rugby league win over South Sydney that he probably could have played yesterday if needed.

But Sheens was less committal and declined to say what he would do if the pair were fit. "Farah and Marshall will make a huge difference to the options we have in the 7, 6 and 9 areas, so that gives me a pleasant headache," he said. "But we'll just have to wait and see how everyone is first. Benji may not pass fit and neither may Robbie."

After trailing 10-0 until just before halftime, the Tigers seemed destined to become the first side to lose to South Sydney this season, but a good ball from Head to put second-rower Chris Heighingtonover in the 32nd minute got the joint venture side back in the game and they proved too strong for the hapless Rabbitohs in the second term.

The key moment was when Head kicked the ball into referee Ben Cummins to earn the Tigers a scrum feed 10 metres out from the Souths line and then threw a long ball to send centre Dean Collis racing into a gap to score eight minutes after the interval.

"There's still a lot of work to be done from Mat's point of view," Sheens said. "He's still learning what we want and what the players are looking for and to do it off the top of his head without him having to ask all the time. But he hasn't played a lot of footy in our team and slowly but surely he's adding some strengths … particularly his kicking game.

"And he ran the ball a little bit more today, he can't remember the last time he did that."

Captain captain and fullback Brett Hodgson also starred for the Tigers, providing a steadying influence after the side failed to complete more than 50 per cent of its sets in a first half in which it also lost hooker Stuart Flanagan with a neck injury.

Flanagan managed to return late in the match to grab the final try after second-rower Ben Te'o and centre Chris Lawrence had scored to put the result beyond doubt, while Hodgson added to his unblemished goalkicking record this season by converting all five tries.

"I said at the start of the season that it was a watershed year for this club and a lot of players in the club have to play well," Sheens said. "We can't continue to miss the semis … so everything is based around how we are performing. After three losses we were not happy with ourselves last week, but they trained hard and they managed to put it behind them."

WESTS TIGERS 30 (D Collis S Flanagan C Heighington C Lawrence B Te'o tries B Hodgson 5 goals) bt SOUTH SYDNEY 10 (B Champion B Rogers tries N Merritt goal) at SCG. Referee: B Cummin. Crowd: 19,122.