Lauderdale honours former teammate Ryan Wiggins in perfect fashion
Lauderdale has hammered Glenorchy in a fitting tribute to former teammate Ryan Wiggins, as Launceston survives a major Tiger attack and the Roos ruin the Bombers’ party. MATCH REPORTS >>
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ON a day Lauderdale paid tribute to a former favourite son in front of home fans, the side produced a fitting State League performance to crush Glenorchy.
Playing their first match at SkyBus Oval since the life-threatening spinal injury to Ryan Wiggins, the Bombers launched out of the blocks to set the tone for their best output of a tough 2021 campaign.
The hosts rattled on five goals in the opening eight minutes to smack the Pies between the eyes, before the visitors settled to drag themselves back into the contest by the long break.
But another blitz after half time paved the way for a 20.10 (130) to 7.7 (49) hammering.
Lauderdale booted four consecutive majors to open the third quarter and after Glenorchy answered with two in three minutes, the response from the Bombers was breathtaking.
Two goals to Ed Stanley (five for the match) in 90 seconds and another from skipper Josh McGuinness a minute later restored order, and the side iced the cake in the last term.
Tyler Martin (four goals) and Allen Christensen (three) formed a dangerous three-pronged forward line, while Nick Raglione and Rhys Sutton chipped in with two apiece.
Luke Paton was best afield to continue his emergence since crossing from Cygnet, while Will Francis — who has changed into the No. 11 jersey his cousin Wiggins used to don — slotted a great goal from the boundary in the first quarter.
“Over four quarters that was the best we have played all season, our system was really good, our ball movement was sharp, our work at clearance and contested ball stuff was really good,” coach Daniel Willing said.
“Particularly early in that first quarter when we were on, we were just able to just get the ball in really quickly and deep and gave ourselves some opportunities.
“You get off to a start like that and you make it really tough for the opposition.”
While it was Lauderdale’s best football of the year, the 81-point defeat was arguably the Pies’ worse.
Without late withdrawals Brayden Webb, Darrean Wyatt and Matthew Dilger, Glenorchy rolled over in the second half without much of a yelp.
“Having players out is no excuse for effort,” frustrated coach Paul Kennedy said.
“Over the last five games the numbers have showed our contested work and workrate and pressure numbers have all improved … today we took two steps backwards in those areas.”
Launceston survives Tiger attack
LAUNCESTON’S premiership credentials were hardened in a Twin Ovals furnace on Saturday as the Tigers went within a whisker of a causing an upset win in a bone-crunching TSL contest the Blues won’t soon forget.
The well-earned 9.10 (64) to 7.9 (51) win convinced Launceston coach Mitch Thorp the Tigers are everything it says in the brochure, and the boys in yellow and black will be a handful come the finals.
“People laugh at me when I pump them up as much as I do, but they are a very hardened, tough football team,” Thorp said.
“We’ve had two games against them now where they’ve been rock solid, and that’s exactly how TSL footy should be.
“I’m sure anyone watching the game would have enjoyed it.
“It was a cracking, physical, man’s game of footy.”
The Tigers were gutted in the other change rooms having gotten so close for no reward.
They led by three goals at the first change, two at half-time, and 10 points heading into the final term.
That’s when it became a game of moments – and that’s when Launceston’s finest made their mark.
Big Blue Cody Thorp kicked a goal in the opening minute, and three minutes later Brayden Pitcher’s goal edged the Blues three points in front.
It was an edge-of-the-seat ride for the next 18 minutes. Neither side could goal – the Tigers could not get the ball deep enough to create a meaningful shot and at the other end their defenders fought like tigers to keep the Blues at bay.
In time-on, Cody Thorp put the issue to bed when he grabbed the ball from a deep stoppage, wheeled around onto his favoured right foot and launched a bending shot through the middle.
He was a game-changer in attack and in the ruck, amassing 19 possessions, five clearances, five tackles, 35 hit-outs and two goals.
Right beside him was unstoppable onballer Fletcher Seymour, who gave the Blues drive, especially under the hammer in the final term. He walked off with a game-high 29 possessions, 16 clearances, 15 contested possessions and 11 tackles.
Cody’s performance was a life-saver for Launceston, who kicked only five goals in the first half and clearly missed the TSL’s leading goal-kicker Dylan Riley, who will have knee surgery on Friday to repair his damaged ACL in the hope of a return in round one next year.
“Cody’s two goals in the last quarter, as a deep forward, when it was really there to be won, I couldn’t be more proud of the young bloke,” Mitch Thorp said.
“He’s doing such a good job.”
The ruck contest was an epic battle between Joe Groenewegen and Tiger Marcus Gardner, with the honours going to the boy in blue.
“‘Wagon’ and Fletcher were super around the footy, were just super,” Mitch Thorp said.
Roos ruin Bombers’ party
CLARENCE loves nothing more than being North Launceston’s party pooper and that’s exactly what the Roos did in dramatic fashion in one of the games of the year.
The Northern Bombers looked set to celebrate star playing-coach Bradley Cox-Goodyer’s 200-game milestone at home with a come-from-behind victory only to be denied by a Colin Garland miracle snap that resulted in the visitors grabbing a two-point victory, 11.13 (79) to 11.11 (77).
In a tight contest all day, the Bombers kicked three goals in the back half of the last quarter – including two of Brandon Leary’s four-goal haul – to take the lead, only for Garland to snap through his third goal in heavy congestion on his right foot deep in the forward pocket in the 30th minute.
From there, the Roos were able to hold on and show it won’t be a cakewalk for the two northern sides into this year’s TSL grand final.
Roos playing-coach Jeromey Webberley, who was a star himself off half back, praised his side especially as it lost his six Devils players late on Friday night due to government-enforced Covid restrictions after Tasmania’s NAB League team had returned from Melbourne the previous week.
“It was tough, I was really proud of the playing group,” Webberley said.
“On Friday, I had to ring six guys to tell them they were playing in the Development League and then six hours later I had to post on Facebook the Devils were out and these are the squad. I was really impressed with the players who came back and we didn’t have any passengers today.”
Webberley said the club had no issues in spoiling Cox-Goodyer’s party, but said his counterpart was one of the TSL’s top three players of all time.
“It was probably the first time he’s ever been let down, he’s had an outstanding career and he was super again today,” he said.
Pies skipper makes latest comeback as co-captain
GLENORCHY co-captain Brayden Webb will return from his latest injury setback for the club’s TSL clash with Lauderdale this weekend.
And Webb will be joined by one of last year’s recruits who is yet to have an extended run for the side but has the potential to be a “really good State League footballer”, according to coach Paul Kennedy.
Webb — who avoided serious injury to his reconstructed knee in late May — has not played since suffering a soft tissue injury on his return against the Tigers in Arctic conditions under lights in round 11.
Chris Howard, who joined the Pies in 2020 while recovering from his own ACL rupture, will also make the trip to SkyBus Oval.
Howard has only featured in three senior games for the Pies and none since Anzac Day.
“Chris Howard is a hell of player, once he gets a good run at it, he’s going to be a really good State League footballer,” Kennedy said.
“He’s basically missed the last two years of footy, but seeing him run around again in development league and play in our intra club on Monday night, his potential is huge so it’s going to be great to have him back in there.
Lauderdale will regain import rebounding defender Nick Raglione, Will Francis and Devil Sam Tilley.
Mark Walsh returns for North Launceston coach Brad Cox-Goodyer’s 200th match against Clarence, who could unleash up to seven Devils and have also recalled Jake Steele.
The Tigers remain unchanged for its clash against Launceston, who lose Dylan Riley for 12 months following his knee injury alongside Hamish Leedham but named coach Mitch Thorp and James Dowling and could include five Devils.
Selected sides for the Tasmanian State League - Round 16 | 17/07/2021
TIGERS v. LAUNCESTON
01:00
Kingston Twin Ovals
Tigers
B: L. Gadomski, M. Reynolds, B. Rees
HB: M. Davies, B. McCulloch, B. Donnelly
C: Z. Adams, L. Clifford, L. Griggs
HF: S. Duigan, R. Ashlin, T. Wright
F: L. Graham, E. Reardon, C. Sawdy
R: M. Gardner, W. Campbell, E. Cole
Int: A. Bessell, W. Clifford, M. Collidge, P. Reihana
Emg: J. Doran, P. Kelly, J. Keogh, G. O’Neill
In: Nil
Out: Nil
Launceston
B: J. Tuthill, J. House, J. Woolley
HB: J. Boyd, A. Wright, M. Hodge
C: C. Brown, J. Blackberry, J. Smith
HF: M. Musicka, M. Thorp, F. Seymour
F: B. Pitcher, C. Thorp, B. Taylor
R: J. Groenewegen, J. Hinds, B. Palfreyman
Int: L. Canny, J. Dowling, G. Holt, B. Pearce, B. Gillow*, Z. Morris*, T. Aganas*, J. Hinds*, S. Foley*
Emg: L. Jones, H. Leedham, J. Maloney, C. McKercher,
In: M. Thorp, J. Dowling,
Out: D. Riley, H. Leedham
*Devils
NORTH LAUNCESTON v. CLARENCE
02:00
UTAS Stadium
North Launceston
B: J. Avent, C. Nankervis, B. Van Buuren
HB: F. Bennett, W. Edmunds, R. Whitney
C: N. Pearce, B. Cox-Goodyer, M. Stingel
HF: B. Leary, T. Bennett, B. Simpson
F: T. Donnelly, J. Edmunds, J. Rushton
R: A. Lee, M. Walsh, J. Foon
Int: D. Chugg, B. Mitchell, B. Sulzberger, O. Van dam, R. Sanders*, T. Ives*
Emg: H. Bayles, H. Griffiths, E. Hubbard, L. Mitchell
In: M. Walsh, O. Van dam , B. Simpson,
Out: Z. Burt, D. Layh, H. Bayles
*Devils
Clarence
B: J. Holmes, Z. Buechner, J. Steele
HB: J. Bealey, S. Green, J. Webberley
C: J. Harper, E. Jackson, O. Paprotny
HF: J. Barwick, J. Bailey, K. Howlett
F: J. Green, C. Garland, T. Penwright
R: O. Angerstein, B. Norton, K. Saward
Int: H. Burgess, O. Preshaw, L. Swinton , J. Tremayne, S. Banks*, D. Gardner*, J. Young*, N. Holmes*, B. Smith*, L. Borsboom*, T. McCallum*
Emg: B. Alomes, H. Fisher, C. Lovell, C. Whitelaw
In: J. Steele,
Out: J. Preshaw
*Devils
LAUDERDALE v. GLENORCHY
02:00
Lauderdale Oval
Lauderdale
B: N. Raglione, W. Poland, O. Shaw
HB: T. Sookee, J. McGuinness, J. Williams
C: A. Hevey, A. Christensen, L. Paton
HF: L. Hodoniczky, H. Richmond, B. Rolfe
F: F. Kenny, T. Martin, E. Stanley
R: H. Smith, S. Siggins, R. Sutton
Int: W. Francis, L. Gallagher, T. Ratcliffe, O. Warmbrunn, S. Tilley*,
Emg: L. Arnold, B. Kingston, B. Steinbauer, J. Westell
In: N. Raglione, W. Francis,
Out: L. Arnold, B. Steinbauer
*Devils
Glenorchy
B: J. Arnold, B. Patterson, D. Brown
HB: N. Blowfield , D. Wyatt, D. Joseph
C: L. Nicholson, J. Geard, N. Reibelt
HF: C. Daly, H. Gunther, A. Roberts
F: M. Dilger, B. Webb, J. Whitford
R: J. Deegan, R. Oakley, B. Kamaric
Int: C. Howard, I. Manson, C. Meredith, C. Thompson
Emg: M. Joseph, J. Meredith, J. Saavedra, B. Simpson
In: B. Patterson, B. Webb, C. Howard
Out: C. Hills, C. Mcknight, Z. Evans-fenton
TSL goal machine Dylan Riley out for the year
THE TSL’S leading goal-kicker Dylan Riley will be sidelined for up to a year after scans on Tuesday confirmed the Launceston forward has ruptured his ACL.
Mitch Thorp, coach of the TSL’s reigning champion, said it was a “massive blow” for the club’s premiership defence and personally for his great mate.
Riley, 28, had kicked 59 goals going into the Blues’ top-of-the-ladder clash with North Launceston at Windsor Park on Saturday.
Only seven minutes in, Riley’s knee gave out.
“He had an MRI this morning and that confirmed what we already knew,” Thorp said.
“We knew on Saturday it was an ACL because we’ve got a very experienced physio.”
Launceston must now rethink its forward line structure.
“It’s hard when you take arguably the best player in the competition out of your side,” Thorp said.
“We’ve built a program that is not reliant on any one person. That is going to be tested now.
“We need to adapt like we did at the weekend because we lost him at the seven minute mark and we behind at quarter-time.
“After quarter-time the boys were sensational and we ended up winning by 50 points.
“So it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s not ideal for Dylan and it’s not ideal for us, but that part of the sport.”
Losing Riley was a double-blow for Thorp.
“He’s a great friend of mine, I’ve coached him for eight years and this is the first significant injury he has ever had,” Thorp said.
“There’s a part of me that is grateful I’ve had him so healthy and available for so long, but now he’s going to be on the sidelines for 12 months it’s a challenging period because a Dylan Riley doesn’t come along every day.”
Roos bracing for Bombers to fire up engines
A WEEK after embracing the first showdown between two of his players and their former side, Clarence coach Jeromey Webberley is bracing for a similarly fired up Lauderdale.
The Roos bounced back to the TSL winners list in round 14 against North Hobart in what was the first time Baxter Norton and Colin Garland faced former teammates.
Now Clarence is preparing for the Bombers at Blundstone Arena — a clash where the intensity rises regardless — on the back of a horrific week following the tragic news surrounding former Lauderdale forward Ryan Wiggins.
The expected emotion from the visitors has danger written all over it for Webberley.
“We spoke about North Hobart playing on emotion last week and what that can do for teams and this week will be no different, and that makes them in a funny way really dangerous,” Webberley said of a Lauderdale outfit which has just two wins in 2021.
“It’s obviously got to be an emotional time for those guys but also we know that the game is going to be fierce and it’s going to be hot.
“That’s what Clarence and Lauderdale games are.
“The boys are really excited to get out there and see where we are at, obviously it was good to bounce back and win last week because we had a bit of a rough trot there for three weeks.”
Despite going down to Launceston by 38 points last Saturday, the Bombers produced a barnstorming last quarter of eight goals to flash glimpses of their best.
Boom recruit Allen Christensen hopes that could be catalyst to instil belief into the young playing group they can match it with their best.
“It was pretty interesting and to be honest, it was fun,” Christensen said.
“We sort of just released the shackles a little bit.
“We all heard Mitch [Thorp] say that they rested a few players in that last quarter but to be able to do what we did, just gives confidence to some of the younger guys … if we play the right way then these are the sort of things we can do.
“When you’ve only won two games for the year, it can be a bit hard to sell that message as a coaching group.
“So to actually have a quarter where we have kicked eight goals against the best team in the league, it just becomes a little bit easier to show [what happens] if we use the ball well, play the strategy that we need to.”
Both teams have been rocked by injuries and unavailability, with Lauderdale losing inspirational midfielder Bryce Walsh for up to 12 months following a snapped Achilles while the Roos are without Keegan Wylie (hamstring) and Devils pair Noah Holmes and Lachlan Borsboom.
Luckless Bomber suffers long term injury
ALREADY rocked by the tragic news around former teammate Ryan Wiggins, Lauderdale has been dealt another major blow with former captain Bryce Walsh sidelined for up to 12 months.
Walsh underwent surgery on Sunday after tearing his achilles in the loss to Launceston, bringing a premature end to an interrupted 2021.
The inspirational midfielder featured in just eight matches as he battled to find any continuity this season.
And while a timetable for his return is between eight and 12 months, there is no suggestion his latest setback is career ending.
“We’re all shattered for him, he is such a big part of the club and he’s an on field leader but he’s also an off field leader as well,” assistant playing coach Allen Christensen said.
“From coming here and playing with him, he gets under people’s skin a bit and I love that about him.
“The thing with Bryce is, he’s already sending midfield clips in, he is midfield coach as well so he’s already dived into that next phase of what he can do.”
The Bombers also lose Bodhi Kingston to a suspected syndesmosis injury for the big clash against Clarence, who will be without Keegan Wylie (hamstring) and lose Noah Holmes and Lachlan Borsboom to the Devils.
Tigers will welcome back deputy vice-captain Sam Duigan from an MCL issue, but Sam Rice will again miss with a hamstring.
Opponent North Hobart loses young guns George McLeod and Dom White to the Devils.
Both Launceston and North Launceston have made a pair of changes for their top of the table blockbuster.
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