North Launceston tames Tiger attack as they prepare for a shot at fourth consecutive flag
The TSL Tigers needed the win but North Launceston had other plans and delivered a thumping thanks to its youngest midfield in eight years.
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PAYBACK was delivered with a bow and arrow at the Twin Ovals as North Launceston answered last year’s loss to the Tigers on their home track with a dominant 56-point punishing.
The TSL’s powerful reigning premier was too drilled for the young Tigers, and after a close first half, the Bombers stretched their legs to post a 12.10 (82) to 3.8 (26) victory.
The Tigers needed the win to keep their finals hopes alive and when North midfielder Sherrin Egger celebrated his goals with a “bow and arrow” salute, it was salt into the wound for the vanquished.
For North Launceston’s premiership coach Taylor Whitford, who gave the coaching reins to resting captain Brad Cox-Goodyer for the day, it was another day at the office.
“It wasn’t about payback or redemption but I was pleased with how we applied ourselves a lot better than we did here last year,” he said.
“It was a bit of an arm wrestle and it’s going to be like that with the competition we’ve got – there are no pushovers.”
The Tigers were electric in the opening term and peppered the ball inside 50 while North Launceston found the going tough kicking into an icy southerly.
The Bombers booted three majors in the second term and kept the Tigers to just two points.
The second half was chalk and cheese when the breeze was replaced by rain and North Launceston took to it like a duck to water.
“The conditions didn’t allow us to get any flow in our ball movement in the first half but in the second half we were a lot cleaner around the contest and that paved the way,” Whitford said.
“We got more reward from our clearances and our domination around the stoppages.”
With Cox-Goodyer taking a break, North Launceston handed huge responsibility in the middle to young guns Ollie Sander, Baynen Lowe and Daniel Withers, which freed up Whitford and Josh Ponting to have an impact in attack.
“It was really pleasing for me to see these guys playing big midfield minutes where Josh and I could play up forward,” Whitford said.
Withers was the game’s leading goal kicker with three, while Whitford kicked two, as did Egger and Lowe.
The Tigers’ three single goal kickers were Will Campbell, Kieran Lovell and coronavirus windfall recruit Mackenzie Willis in his final game for the Tigers before resuming life on the Gold Coast.
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