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Not even 54 possessions from Bill Neely could help the Tigers.
FIRST GRADE
Simply woeful – are the only words that can describe such an inept performance by the Tigers 1st Grade team last Saturday against Eastlake.
Had the Tigers won they could have almost sealed a finals berth. As it stands they will be flat out staying off the bottom of the ladder – a position they have not held since the dim dark days of the early seventies – 1971 in fact !!!
The Tigers knew the ramifications the result would bring and the reason such emphasis was placed on the match after a disappointing game against the Swans Reserves the previous week.
They looked sluggish, they looked slow and they looked as if they wanted to rack up individual statistics such was the overuse of handball, short kicks and indirect play into their forward line.
The less said the better.
The Tigers plight won’t be made any easier against Ainslie this Sunday at Dairy Farmers Park. The Tricolours are placed in second position and travelling quite nicely after a few early season hiccups. Other than the effort of Bill Neely and the superb effort of James Kavanagh at CHF there were few other Tigers worthy of a mention in a dismal 58 point thrashing.
EASTLAKE 3 6 7 7 11 12 17 16 118 QUEANBEYAN 1 1 4 3 5 3 9 6 60EASTLAKE Goal Kickers: P. MCGRATH 3, M. Monagle 2, S. Gumley 2, M. TAYLFORTH 2, B. MAIDEN 2, A. BRUCE , C. GIBSON , D. ROULSTONE , L. McMAHON , M. DEAN , C. Clarebrough Best Players: J. Van Meurs, P. MCGRATH, S. CLARKE, M. Monagle, R. Hall, D. RYALL QUEANBEYAN Goal Kickers: M. ARMSTRONG 3, J. KAVANAGH 2, M. DANIHER , P. Franchi , A. LIESCHKE , J. SATCHELL Best Players: B. Neely, James Kavanagh.
RESERVE GRADE
The Tigers and Eastlake were equal on competition points in second position before last weeks match even though the Tigers had suffered two losses to the Demons this year. The game was always going to be of a high standard and that it was.
From the outset both teams displayed a keenness to win the hard ball and two early goals to the Demons set the tone for an interesting match throughout. The same old names keep popping up as strong contributors each week but to the credit of all who took the field the 4 point victory was a fantastic win over quality opposition from a complete team effort however 50m penalties marred the match.
The Demons have a game in hand against Tuggeranong being the postponed washed out match a month ago. It is imperative the Tigers focus each week on upcoming games if they are secure a top two berth and a double chance in the finals.
EASTLAKE 2 1 5 3 8 3 11 4 70 QUEANBEYAN 3 3 7 3 8 4 11 8 74EASTLAKE Goal Kickers: L. HADDRILL 2, D. O”Rourke 2, D. Keenes 2, B. ADAMS , P. Chaffer , S. Smith , D. FORD , C. SQUIRES Best Players: D. Keenes, N. BOWEN, R. WILSON, M. GALLAGHER, D. FORD, C. McLachlan QUEANBEYAN Goal Kickers: D. JABORNIK 3, D. CORCORAN 2, F. Nortje 2, B. ORMSTON , B. WARD , J. BROOKER , C. DAVIS Best Players: D. QUADE, B. JABORNIK, C. HADDOCK, D. CORCORAN, J. BROOKER, P. BRIEDIS
Under 18 Grade
Manuka Oval was significantly wet and add an early morning fog resulted in freezing conditions for the youngsters. It took most of the first quarter for the players to finally adapt to the conditions but once they did they took control over an opposition lacking numbers on the bench.
There were some standout performances: Andrew Swan – returning from a stint in the seniors dominated. It won’t be long before he is back in the 1st Grade team. Ryan Price showed his pace and ability to break the packs giving the forward line heaps of opportunities. Dale Dickinson and Jake Robinson form a are powerful ruck due and are excellent around the ground.
In fairness to the rest of the team it was fantastic to see a couple of players who rarely receive a mention gain valuable on field time. Mitchell Theunissen posted three important goals and once he develops physically will be an important cog in this team in future years. Lachlan Dowling is another who enjoyed his time – his pace being a distinct advantage. James Murphy, Dean Solway and Jack Bowyer have all been strong contributors in recent games.
EASTLAKE 1 1 1 1 1 4 3 5 23 QUEANBEYAN 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 12 90EASTLAKE Goal Kickers: B. Nafrak , T. Tiffen , J. Johnson Best Players: A. Clark, M. Bayly, H. Bryant, A. Doyle, A. Godfrey, E. Lang QUEANBEYAN Goal Kickers: M. Theunissen 3, J. Murphy 2, J. Robinson 2, D. Solway , J. Bowyer Best Players: R. PRICE, D. DICKINSON, A. Swan, J. Robinson, M. Theunissen, L. Dowling
WOMENS TEAM
Round 8 v Riverina @ McPherson Oval, Wagga Wagga 3 Jul 10
QUEANBEYAN 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 (0) RIVERINA 5.5 13.10 15.12 20.13 (133)Best: Bobbie Minniecon, Fran Langi, Pip Butt, Jacinta Froud, Sarah Van Meurs, Gen Fleeton
The first road trip to Wagga proved to be a very tough learning experience for the Queanbeyan Tigers women. Although the team had suffered from injuries and illness to key players prior to the match it was still a disappointing effort, particularly in the first half.
From the opening bounce the Riverina team dominated the centre square clearances and provided their forwards with clean ball. The effort and contesting that the Tigers have prided themselves on all season just wasn’t there consistently enough although there were several reasonable individual efforts with Bobbie Minnecon playing well in Defence before being moved up the ground and Fran Langi and Gen Fleeton trying hard in the key defensive posts.
To the Tigers credit they put on a much improved performance after the half time break with Pip Butt doing well having been thrown into the ruck, Sarah Van Meurs finding plenty of the ball and skipper Jacinta Froud trying to lead the way as usual. The backline also held firm and restricted the Riverina team to a credible two goals in the third term.
The start of the final quarter saw the Tigers best passage for the day. Gen won a one-on-one contest at full back and released to Siau Goh who found Sarah V on the hard lead. Sarah found Jane Vucago in the middle of the ground who in turn hit the skipper up with a precise pass. Jacinta found Katie Newton across half forward but unfortunately the passage broke down and for the rest of the term normal transmission was resumed as the Tigers tried hard but the Riverina team were able to find ways to score, particular from stoppages.
After the long bus trip home, the team did manage to have a win on the weekend taking out the Karaoke Challenge in fine style, demonstrating that despite the hard slog on the field this season the team is sticking together off the field which bodes well for the rest of the season and beyond.
A quick thanks to all the support staff who helped get the team to Wagga Wagga and back safely. Thanks to Nick for driving the bus, Mark for travelling down to serve both as goal umpire, and then drinks waiter on the way home and of course Joan and Judy who continue to give great support to the team as Manager and Sports Trainer. And can’t leave out Jonesy who did a great job in the fluro green of the team runner and arguably an even better job in the short black dress later at the Tigers Club.
Ina quirk of the draw the Tigers take on the Riverina team in the next round, this time hosting at Queanbeyan Town Park at 11am on Saturday where they’ll be keen to put up a more competitive performance.