Tigers face second big danger game in consecutive weeks with Glenorchy hunting a TSL scalp
Consecutive defeats has dealt the Tigers hopes of finishing third a major blow, and another tough challenge awaits in round 18 as Glenorchy heads down the southern outlet hunting a big scalp. ROUND 18 TEAMS >>
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A WEEK after running into a resurgent Lauderdale, the Tigers are bracing for another torrid TSL affair against a side which is more than capable of causing a boilover.
The Tigers hopes of securing third spot and home elimination final against Clarence took a massive hit last Saturday when they were overrun by Lauderdale in the last quarter, having erased a 28-point deficit themselves.
It leaves Trent Baumeler’s troops two games behind the Roos with only four weeks left, starting with Saturday’s assignment against Glenorchy at the Twin Ovals.
The Tigers have defeated the Pies on both occasions this year but with the visitors — much like Lauderdale — starting to assemble their best 22 at the back-end of another tough campaign, Baumeler is on high alert.
“We sort of made that conscious effort to freshen the guys up a bit this week, more so mentally,” Baumeler said.
“When you play the best teams like Launnie on top of the ladder, reigning premiers, we were really up for that game and that challenge [two weeks ago] we put a lot into it.
“Unfortunately we didn’t go get over the line then, whether we carried a little bit of that into the next week, look, probably not, we expect the guys to step up every week and keep rising to the challenge because that’s what you got to do when you want to be a good team.
“Another good challenge this week, I think Glenorchy very similar to Lauderdale, they’ve just started to get a bit of their A-graders on the park consistently.
“They’ve had a pretty wretched run with injuries and not being able to get guys out there this year but I think Dan Joseph last week was really good and Harrison Gunther is always doing his thing.
“Brayden Webb back in there, they’re starting to get those really strong players around the young guys who have been going really well for them.”
Highlighting Glenorchy’s inability to get its best outfit on the park, last weekend — where it pushed Clarence to the brink — was the first time Joseph, Webb and Josh Arnold had played together since round two, 2019 due to a spate of long term injuries.
Pies coach Paul Kennedy is confident the injection of his senior stars will make his team a dangerous prospect in the last month of the season.
“When you have a whole lot of young guys who are really learning the caper together, you can’t execute the way you want to play, and you do it in patches here and there,” Kennedy said.
“It’s just nice to have a few guys back in.
“This week is big. We’re due for a win, and we want to get a win, so that is important.
“Against the Tigers, the two games this year have been pretty hard fought contests, so we expect that again and looking forward to that.
“If you want to look beyond that, obviously the top two teams, we haven’t performed well against them and we haven’t been able to roll out much experience against them.
“So that’s something once we get past this week that we’ll really be focusing on.”
More good news on horizon for high flying Bombers
LAUDERDALE looks set to resist the temptation to rush back star midfielder Nat Franklin as it chases a third consecutive TSL win against North Launceston on Saturday.
The Bombers have found their groove in the past fortnight, belting Glenorchy and then overcoming a last quarter deficit against Tigers to snatch a thrilling victory last weekend.
Further good news is on the horizon with Franklin closing in on his first game in two months.
The tough as nails on baller suffered a badly broken finger against the Pies — his second major hand injury in two years — and has been named as an emergency for the battle of the Bombers.
But coach Daniel Willing said the club would take no risks with one of its prized commodities.
“We’ve got to be really careful, he has had two really serious hand injuries in the last two years,” Willing said.
“It’s not just about footy, it’s about his personal life as well and he has had to take quite a bit of time off work both times.
“We’re really mindful that we don’t want him to do it again and affect his lifestyle.
“I think he’s seeing the surgeon [Thursday], and we’ll get an answer on that but we won’t take any risks with him.”
Lauderdale has made three changes, with Ned Shaw, Lincoln Arnold and Ben Steinbauer coming into the 22.
North Launceston has also made three changes for the showdown at UTAS Stadium.
Tigers will welcome back Marcus Davies for its clash against Glenorchy at the Twin Ovals.
Davies, who this year graduated as a firefighter, was a late withdrawal last weekend following a night shift.
He returns for George O’Neill, who will miss two games following his suspension for front on contact. The Pies are bolstered by the inclusion of Ben Kamaric.
The revolving door at North Hobart has continued with the Demons forced into eight changes in its senior side.
It makes the task against ladder leader Launceston all the more challenging, with the Blues regaining Jobi Harper but losing Jay Blackberry among four changes.
Tasmanian State League (TSL)
TIGERS v. GLENORCHY
Round 18 - 31/07/2021
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: M. Collidge, L. Graham, E. Reardon
R: M. Gardner, W. Campbell, E. Cole
Int: A. Bessell, W. Clifford, J. Keogh, P. Reihana
Emg: J. Doran, P. Kelly, J. Pride, S. Rice
In: M. Davies
Out: G. O’Neill
Glenorchy
B: J. Arnold, B. Patterson, D. Brown
HB: N. Blowfield , C. Howard, D. Joseph
C: L. Nicholson, J. Geard, N. Reibelt
HF: C. Daly, H. Gunther, A. Roberts
F: M. Joseph, M. Dilger, B. Webb
R: J. Deegan, R. Oakley, B. Kamaric
Int: C. Goodsell, C. Meredith, J. Whitford, D. Wyatt
Emg: C. Hills, I. Manson, J. Saavedra, T. Stacey
In: B. Kamaric,
Out: C. Thompson
LAUNCESTON v. NORTH HOBART
Round 18 - 31/07/2021
02:00
Windsor Park
Launceston
B: J. Tuthill, J. House, J. Woolley
HB: J. Boyd, J. Smith, M. Hodge
C: C. Brown, F. Seymour, J. Harper
HF: M. Musicka, A. Wright, B. Taylor
F: J. Burling, C. Thorp, B. Pitcher
R: J. Groenewegen, J. Hinds, B. Palfreyman
Int: J. Donnellan, J. Dowling, G. Holt, I. Hyatt
Emg: L. Canny, K. Chilcott, H. Leedham, B. Pearce
In: J. Harper, J. Burling, J. Donnellan, I. Hyatt
Out: J. Blackberry, M. Thorp, B. Pearce, L. Canny
North Hobart
B: J. Willmott, C. Kilpatrick, B. Young
HB: J. Medwin-Smith, H. Williams, F. Poke
C: I. Mathewson, A. Keeling , N. Sulzberger
HF: T. Liefhebber, M. Campbell, C. Smith
F: B. Walker, J. McCulloch, A. Norton
R: N. Jackson, , S. Caswell, D. Ford
Int: J. Bingham, N. Hardy, R. Higgins, T. Millhouse,
Emg: B. Griggs, J. Hilder, L. Payne, A. Smith
In: D. Ford, J. Bingham, T. Millhouse, A. Keeling, R. Higgins,
J. Willmott, N. Hardy, I. Mathewson,
Out: S. Banks-Smith, G. Mcleod, K. Ryan, J. Menzie, D. White, T. McGinniss,
W. Splann, H. Williams
NORTH LAUNCESTON v. LAUDERDALE
Round 18 - 31/07/2021
03:00
UTAS Stadium
North Launceston
B: J. Avent, C. Nankervis, B. Van Buuren
HB: F. Bennett, Z. Burt, R. Whitney
C: N. Pearce, B. Cox-Goodyer, M. Stingel
HF: H. Griffiths, T. Bennett, B. Simpson
F: T. Donnelly, W. Edmunds, B. Leary
R: J. Edmunds, M. Walsh, J. Foon
Int: M. Cossins, E. Hubbard, L. Mitchell, O. Van dam
Emg: H. Bayles, A. Bourne, D. Chugg, B. Mitchell
In: R. Whitney, M. Cossins, L. Mitchell
Out: R. Sanders, B. Sulzberger, D. Chugg
Lauderdale
B: O. Shaw, W. Poland, J. Williams
HB: W. Francis, T. Sookee, J. McGuinness
C: L. Paton, A. Christensen, R. Sutton
HF: N. Raglione, T. Martin, T. Ratcliffe
F: F. Kenny, H. Richmond, E. Stanley
R: H. Smith, S. Siggins, B. Rolfe
Int: L. Arnold, L. Hodoniczky, N. Shaw, B. Steinbauer
Emg: N. Franklin, L. Gallagher, B. Kingston, J. Westell
In: N. Shaw, L. Arnold, B. Steinbauer,
Out: A. Hevey, S. Tilley, B. Kingston
Lauderdale not to feature in TSL finals for the first time in decade
LAUDERDALE coach Daniel Willing is confident his club’s time towards the bottom end of the TSL ladder will be short lived with commitment from the majority of the list for 2022.
The Bombers will miss finals for the first time in a decade this year, having lost nine consecutive matches following a season-opening victory against Clarence.
But in recent weeks the team has begun showing the consistency missing in the first half of the campaign, highlighted by an 81-point rout of Glenorchy last weekend.
Willing, in his first year at the helm since taking over from long-term coach Darren Winter, believes a quick return to finals contender can be achieved courtesy of keeping the core of a young squad together.
“We have commitment from 95 per cent of them, there is still a few I need to sit down with but it looks like we are going to be together again, which is fantastic,” Willing said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Tigers at SkyBus Oval.
“Over the last few years traditionally Lauderdale has turned over a lot of players so we had a focus on making sure we can keep this young group together, and then have a look at what we might need to add to the list.
“Really keen on working with the list we have got, that’s looking really positive at this stage.
“Obviously this season hasn’t gone the way we want it to go but we felt we have been building some reasonably good form.
“I feel like most of the second half of the year we’ve seen some growth as a team but definitely with some individuals.”
The Tigers loom as a dangerous prospect, especially having pushed powerhouse Launceston to the brink last round.
However coach Trent Baumeler is just as wary of a Lauderdale outfit starting to hit its straps.
“We are very disappointed we didn’t win the game, we were in a very strong position to win the game so a lot of our blokes are pretty angry,” Baumeler said after the Tigers led at every change but were overrun by the Blues in the last term.
“But we have to rise to another challenge this week of Lauderdale down at SkyBus coming off a very strong performance.
“Very tough venue against an opposition which is in some form and have plenty of confidence.
The two sides produced a thriller last time they clashed in round nine, where Riley Ashlin goaled with the last kick of the match to see the Tigers snatch a four point win.
Bombers unearth potential star via simple position switch
LUKE Paton was the toast of Cygnet nine months ago when he kicked the last two goals of the SFL semi-final to drive the Port into its first premiership decider in 15 years.
But life as a forward at TSL level has been a struggle for the talented 20-year-old following his switch to Lauderdale.
Three weeks ago against Launceston coach Daniel Willing moved Paton to the wing in the last quarter, where he impressed with nine disposals.
Two rounds later the Bombers have unearthed their potential next long term star midfielder.
Paton was superb in Lauderdale’s thumping victory against Glenorchy last Saturday, gathering in excess of 30 touches and capping his day with the first goal of the final quarter.
His best afield effort followed a strong showing the week prior against Clarence, fuelling a belief he does belong at State League level.
“It is quite the transition playing TSL, I have had to relearn how to play in a way as far as what works and what doesn’t,” Paton said.
“The style of game play and the speed of the game, I have definitely struggled a bit to find my feet but I’ve started to get it.
“That’s with a lot of help with the leadership group and Dan as a coach, he has kind of taken me under his wing about.
“I love Cygnet, my girlfriend is the captain of the women’s team, I am still really involved with them and it was a hard decision [to leave].
“But I did always communicate with the club that I wanted to play TSL … Lauderdale welcomed me with open arms.”
Willing didn’t shy from the fact one of the club’s recruits was battling to adjust to the highest level in Tasmania, having hit the scoreboard just twice in his first nine games.
But the decision to unleash Paton further up the ground has paid immediate dividends.
“He had a really average start to the season, really just couldn’t get up to speed with the TSL game coming from the SFL, he really struggled with the structure,” Willing said.
“His last two games have been outstanding.
“He has an understanding that he can play at this level, and I think he’s been really doubting his ability to play at this level,
“He’s only 20 years of age, we’ve found one there.”
There was no change to the player of the year leaderboard in round 16, with none of the top five polling a vote.
ROUND 16 VOTES
North Launceston v Clarence
3 James Holmes (C)
2 Josh Green (C)
1 Brandon Leary (NL)
Tigers v Launceston
3 Fletcher Seymour (L)
2 Cody Thorp (L)
1 Zach Adams (T)
Lauderdale v Glenorchy
3 Luke Paton (L)
2 Tyler Martin (L)
1 Will Poland (L)
LEADERBOARD
19: Jay Blackberry (Laun)
18: Jay Foon (NL)
17: Jake Hinds (Laun)
10: Brad Cox-Goodyer (NL)
9: Dylan Riley (Laun), Michael Stingel (NL)
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