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By Gemma Varcoe, Queanbeyan Age sports journalist. Republished with permission of the Queanbeyan Age. First published in the Queanbeyan Age, 22 July 2016.
A decidedly festive atmosphere at Allinsure Park set the stage for three important victories for the Tigers Australian Football Club on Saturday, July 16.
The Rising Stars kicked off the day from 10am, thrashing their Belconnen Magpies counterparts 114-12, before the first grade men managed to wrangle an 81-57 victory from the Pies, beating them for the first time this year.
But it was the Tigerettes midday game that stole the spotlight, as the ladies commemorated captain Hannah Dunn’s 100th game in winning style, outclassing the Ainslie Tricolours 53-34.
The Tigerettes took control of the game early on and a mixture of defensive home strength and some Ainslie accuracy issues denied the visitors a single goal until the third quarter.
Tigerettes Rachael Finley and Lani Watson dominated in front of the sticks, while Ella Ross took a number of jaw-dropping grabs in the middle, as captain Dunn continued to dominate in both attacking and defensive roles.
“There were a few bad calls made but we were able to keep our cool and were able to get the win in the end,” Dunn said.
“It was pretty exciting, after the game we went back to the clubrooms and sang the song, had a bit of a celebration on the hill, and watched the boys beat Belconnen, which made it that much better.”
The Tigerettes are set for a division one berth this year, sitting in prime position at third on the ladder and will need to do away with the second placed Belconnen Magpies when they face them this Saturday, July 23.
“We beat them [Belconnen] last time but they had a lot of newbies and were still trying to adjust to the game,” Dunn said.
“So I’m not too sure what we’re in for this weekend but I think they will come out pretty strong and we will just have to keep our eyes on the ball and play our game.”
