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Frustrated Tigers coach Tim Sheens says his side is far better than its position on the NRL ladder indicates following its 34-12 demolition of the Bulldogs.

The Tigers avoided an embarrassing slide to 12th spot on the back of their emphatic victory on Friday night to finish a solitary spot outside the eight.

And while Sheens was full of praise for his troops following their impressive display which denied the Bulldogs the minor premiership, he could not hide his disappointment.


"Certainly a win for the fans was good and certainly something to build on but of course the disappointment is then that you finish ninth, one win out of the eight," he said.

"We're not a bad side to be out of the eight, I think we're better than where we finished but at the end of the day we didn't get there."

But Sheens admits his men must learn to strike a better balance between entertainment and winning.

And the veteran coach used Benji Marshall's errant flick pass early in the second half to illustrate his point.

"The flick pass, all he had to do was pass and we score, and he flicks it over the sideline," he said.

"They're the things the rocks and diamonds that come with our team at times and we've got to get through that."

"We just can't keep doing that, it's alright for you people to cheer and everyone's screaming in the crowd but I'm screaming in the box every time something like that happens."

"They're the little things that sometimes make the difference to us. I know it's a balance, we want to play some football that's our style, and certainly the kids coming through from the under-20's - young Robbie Lui and them - they're exactly the same style of player so maybe I've got to give myself an uppercut for recruiting them."

"But at the end of the day, we do play some footy and I think the boys enjoy the footy we play, but by the same token we've just got to have that little bit of a hard edge on us that says when to do it and when not to do it."

Robbie Farah said he too was feeling the pain of falling just short for a fourth straight season, but the skipper insists the Tigers have made significant strides in 2009.

"I think there's a different feeling after this year to the last three years," Farah said.

"I know myself I can't wait until next year, I'm optimistic that even though we have missed the eight that we've taken a step in the right direction this year and like Tim said I think we're a better side than where we finished."