The Tigers travelled to Giffin Park yesterday to take on their old rivals and ladder leaders the Coorparoo Kings in another much anticipated encounter.
Coorparoo have been the benchmark team for several years now boasting a very impressive list of players and this year is no different as they have been undefeated since taking out the premiership in 2022.
The Tigers have been smarting since their loss to the Kings in the Annual Anzac Day Clash and were champing at the bit to take them on again yesterday. However the footy gods had decided to make the challenge that bit harder with a number of regular seniors out with an accumulation of injuries and absences.
The Tigers fortunately have a solid list for their playing group but it was certainly challenged yesterday. It was congratulations to another debutant in Nick Galvin who has been a very solid performer in the Reserve Grade for the last three years and he certainly made the most of his selection yesterday with a critical effort in the midfield.
The Tigers got off to a solid start with the ball in their half for the first ten minutes of the game but they were unable to capitalise, however the Kings had no trouble racking up three goals once they had withstood the Tigers surge to go to the first break with a two goal lead.
The youngest Tigers were being called upon to lead the way with Tom Fry a standout all day playing with maturity beyond his years through the midfield and up forward.
Callum Ferguson continued his impressive form from the beginning of the game to be a catalyst for attack off the half back line.
The second term saw the Tigers hitting the scoreboard early with an impressive Casey Barber doing his best to ignite the forward line with his fighting spirit while Jamie Ivers gave them a focal point.
The Tigers backline was under plenty of pressure though but as he has done so many times over the years, Dean Hartley stood tall to take a number of critical intercept pack marks. He was well supported by James Stolz along with Ferguson who both turned Kings attack into rebound opportunities for the Tigers on numerous occasions.
However the Kings are undefeated for a reason as they took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half of the term to advance their lead to four goals by half time. Kings midfielder James London cut the Tigers apart for a ten minute period. The Kings also used superboot Matt Suckling to slingshot two of his renowned long range goals in an impressive display.
It might have been the end for the Tigers but the half time break sparked a fire in the inexperienced group which saw them come out very determined to show the Kings that they weren’t done with yet.
The third term saw the Tigers firstly arrest the momentum with a desperate work rate to shut them down restricting them to just one goal for the term. The Tigers turned this hard work into scoring opportunities of their own to finish the quarter with a run of three goals including a long range set shot from Declan Goodwin to have the Tigers skipping into the last break with all the momentum of their own and the Kings on the back foot.
The scene was set for a climactic finish as the Tigers continued their push to get within five points of the Kings at the half way point of the term. A crumbing goal to Tom Fry and a long bomb set shot to Haydn Petersen had the Tigers well and truly on the march.
However the Kings showed their experience and composure to lock the game up in the end but the Tigers can be well pleased with their day’s effort with so many youngsters getting the chance to play the benchmark team in 2023 and set the scene for a big finish to the season.
There is only five rounds left after the mid season Intrastate game break and the Tigers will be desperate to get all of their stars back into to the team.
Scores: Coorparoo 12.14.86 d Mayne 10.9.69 Goals: C Barber, J Ivers 2, D Schmidt, S Windsor, J Stolz, T Fry, H Petersen, D Goodwin 1. Best: T Fry, J Coghlan, J Stolz, D Hartley, C Ferguson, C Barber.
Yorumlar