The Wests Tigers don’t necessarily need to end their finals drought for this season to be a success.

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But if there are more performances like the weekend’s one against the Dragons and it “all goes to s***”, the much-maligned club will be “back where they were again”.

That is the message from former Tigers player and NRL 360 co-host Braith Anasta after Saturday’s surprise loss, which was only compounded by an injury to Apisai Koroisau.

Koroisau is just the latest big-name Tiger set for a sideline stint this season, with Adam Doueihi, Jarome Luai, Jahream Bula, Samuela Fainu and Alex Twal among the most high-profile players missing.

It is why at this stage the Tigers and coach Benji Marshall will be given a pass mark even if they miss the finals despite the promising start to the season.

But Anasta has warned that doesn’t mean the Tigers can afford to finish the year on a disappointing note. Otherwise, he worries all the club’s progress this season will be lost.

“They deserve themselves to win more games at the back end of the year and say we’ve really turned a corner here, we’re on the way up… because it all goes to s*** if they just fall off a cliff for the next two months,” Anasta said on NRL 360.

“They’re just back where they were again.”

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‘Starts and stops with me’ Benji | 03:12

You don’t have to tell Marshall that, with the Tigers coach making no excuses for the poor performance against the Dragons and declaring it “starts and stops with me”.

Marshall extended with the club until the end of 2030 late last year and while the Tigers are trending towards missing the top eight again, the NRL 360 panel agreed there isn’t any pressure on the club legend — yet.

“They’ve made gradual improvements on his watch,” veteran reporter Brent Read said.

“I think they’re becoming a better footy team on his watch, and he’s a magnet for players. We’ve seen the players they have attracted and kept at that footy club. I don’t think he should be under any pressure.”

Code Sports reporter Michael Carayannis, meanwhile, said this is the “first year” that Tigers fans can sit back and say they saw “genuine improvement” in the team.

Although he conceded that if the Tigers don’t win at least four or five of their last eight games to end the year, it will be a “different conversation”.

“They’ve got to pick him!” | 04:36

“They’re far away from a top four side, like the Warriors and being able to have the resolve to play through injuries,” Carayannis added.

“They’ve had a much improved year, but it was just their performance on Saturday night. It just lacked intent. That’s the concern.

“The Dragons outperformed them. The Dragons outplayed them. The Tigers probably won the opening battle of that second half, but aside from that, the Dragons were all over them.”

The ability to perform without their key players will be the next evolution of this Tigers team that was once one of the feel-good stories of the season.

They are still well and truly in the finals race too, sitting just two wins outside of the top eight but their -104 for-and-against makes it that much harder for the Tigers to sneak in.