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The Tigers defeated North Albury in two trail matches last Saturday played at the East Wagga Hawks Football ground in warm conditions.
Don’t want to peak too early!
The Hawks provided an immaculate playing surface and their hospitality was fantastic. Our appreciation to all concerned especially to the hard working group of ladies (led by Toni Hull mother of Tigers new recruit Nic Hull from East Wagga ) who provided a fantastic meal after the game. Thanks also to the officials of North Albury for organising the match and to our own volunteers and players who made the journey to Wagga.
It was tremendous to see quite a number of former Tiger players in attendance witnessing the game along with a couple of old blokes in Dave Armstrong and John Davis who have been following the Tigers for the past 20 years from their homes in Wagga.
2014 v North Albury
The first game played at 1.00pm was a solid encounter. The Tigers had a strong squad of players and were able to interchange far more than the opposition and ran out easy winners by games end. A number of new faces made their first appearance for the Tigers and were impressive to say the least.
The most pleasing aspect of this trial game was the inclusion of many youngsters and they performed creditably. Jed Simpson, Jono Bowyer, Scott Lancaster, Will Delchau and Brad Cummins were all given plenty of opportunities throughout the game.
Marcus Lawrence has continued his 2013 end of season form with an impressive display throughout the game. Hayden Kelly has developed into a robust and effective defensive line player and he along with Cambell Griggs will form the nucleolus of experience in this very young team while also pushing for NEAFL selection.
Good wins in Wagga
Newcomer Calum Graham has also impressed during his two outings in Tiger colours. Former Harman Hogs player Michael Aitchinson completed his first game in a couple of years and showed he will also be a contender for the top grade.
The second game commenced in extreme heat and was played with strong endeavour by both clubs. The Jason Akermanis Coached North Albury combination have been devastated over the summer with loss of players to rival clubs in the Ovens and Murray League and surrounding competitions but that did little to stop their enthusiasm.
Although the Tigers were missing some quality players they were able to maintain composure throughout the game eventually winning the encounter by 25 points – 12.13 to 9.6.
Overall there were no real standout performances however newcomers Jake Hiep and Levi Power plus Andrew Swan were solid in defence while Will Griggs and Ben King showed their competitiveness to win the hard contests against quality opposition.
This was the second victory over an Ovens and Murray League team in three weeks after a quality performance against Albury Tigers in Wodonga two weekends ago.
Tigerettes
Tigers Ladies team
The Tigers Ladies team travelled to Bateman’s Bay to play Molonglo / Murrumbidgee but were out gunned in this trial game.
They may have lost the encounter but they were certainly the “best dressed”. A full report of the Tigerettes will follow including what to expect from last years Div 2 Premiership team and newcomers to the team for 2014.