All Tiger teams were playing at home for the first time this season and if this wasn't exciting enough, Bar TV had the cameras at the ground to capture all the action. If you would like to relive any of the games from the weekend you can always click on the link below to see all the action.
The was the first round after re-grading for the younger teams and the U6 and U8 teams were playing in lower competitions and the U7 team was elevated to a higher competition. The U6's benefited from this and played a great game and the U7's carried on as if nothing had changed. The U8's were hoping for a more even game but came up against a strong Crocs team who had speed to burn. Read all the reports below on what turned out to be a great day for the Tigers.
U6 Green Tigers 48 Joeys 40
Excited to play their first home game the Tigers were pumped to be playing in Tigertown and were curious about the TV cameras too. The Tigers were maybe a little too excited as Joeys scored the first try. On the next set Caden MacPherson made a good run and got the Tigers going forward. The ball was worked to Robert Couley who scored the first of his two tries for the day.
In the next Joeys attack Jake McMillan made a great try saving tackle but from the next play, Joeys created space and danced through the Tigers defence to score again. This time it was the Tigers turn with the ball and strong runs by Logan Jones, Josh Dart and Robert Couley advanced the ball forwards, leaving Jake McMillan to score in the corner and get the Tigers level. It looked like this may be the quarter time score but Joeys scored after the bell to take a 12-8 lead into quarter time.
In the second quarter the Tigers had more of the ball and tries to Daniel Romyn, Robert Couley and Ollie Trevillian meant both teams went in at half time at 20 apiece. Conor Lehane was making some great runs and Layken Koprivic was looking for the ball at every opportunity. The third quarter was similar to the second with both teams locked together at 36-36 with tries to Daniel Romyn, Logan Jones and two tries to Layken Koprivic.
In the fourth quarter the Tigers pulled ahead with two tries to Jake McMillan, who was having another solid game. Joeys got on the board and got the scores back to one try before Caden MacPherson scored in the final seconds to give the U6's a deserved victory.
Player of the Game: Ollie Trevillian
Tigers Spirit Award: Logan Koprivic and Caden MacPherson
U7 Green Tigers 48 Gymea Gorillas 32
It was a beautiful, crisp, blue sky morning at Tigertown - perfect conditions for what would turn out to be a stellar game of grit and determination for our U7s in their first home game for the season.
Right from the get go, last weeks regrading from Green to Silver was evident in the level of technique and defence from the Gorillas. The Tigers were up for a fight if they wanted to win today and fight for the win they did. The theme of the day? Working hard!
Caleb Dawson was our top try scorer of the match, scoring a remarkable 10 tries throughout the match with Harrison Payn scoring 3 tries. Both also performed well in defence, running all over the field and being back up to each other’s offloads, upsetting the Gorillas defensive line and pushing through the pack to get over the try line. Arlo Gibbons pulled off the tackle of the century - the Tigers littlest U7 player against the biggest Gorilla with a massive, technical hit and he stunned all who witnessed it. Way to show that Tiger spirit mate!
Hendrix C, Hendrix M, Kade J and Jack J all again ensured they created some important breaks and movement towards the Tigers try line forcing the Gorilla’s to be in defence mode and this weeks tackle training was really showing. All the boys held their ground and did well to keep those legs pumping and momentum in tackles, holding tight to the ball - Well done boys!
The Tigers learnt today that too many attempts at tricky manoeuvres, not running straight and being vocal with their teammates created some nail biting moments and allowed the Gorillas a try during the 3rd period due to fumbled and dropped balls or offloads being intercepted.
All in all, it was an entertaining match with some fabulous highlights from all of the U7 team on the field today - congrats to you all!
A shout out to Tyler and Dennis for their unwavering mentoring and support of the boys and for always allowing the boys to believe in themselves. You’re both appreciated and respected more than you know and we wouldn’t have the team we do without you.
Player of the Game: Caleb Dawson
Tigers Spirit Award: Arlo Gibbons
U8 Green Tigers 24 Como Crocs 48
Como opened the scoring after a strong run through the Tigers to take an early 4-0 lead. In the Tigers first set a good run by Hayden Walker created a chance for Max Horne but a strong tackle held him up over the line. Como then took an 8-0 lead with another strong run. Max Carlson made some strong runs and was well supported by Charlotte Dart and Zac May. Unfortunately on the next set, Como scored again from a deep run outpacing the defence to go 14-0 ahead. The Tigers got on the board soon after through a try from Aston Gibbons after good runs by Levi Horne and Hayden Walker and the score was 14-6 at quarter time.
Some better defence by the Tigers held out Como initially but their speed at the edges was just too much for the Tigers to contain and they put on three quick tries to get the score out to 30-6. When the Tigers were able to defend as a line and show some good line speed, they were able to close the space for Como to operate in. Unfortunately the team was unable to maintain this and Como were able to exploit any space or gaps the Tigers gave them.
In the second half Levi Horne collected the ball from kick off and made a jinking run to get the Tigers going forward. Better tackling from Levi Horne , Hudson Palmervale and Malachi Kane lifted the Tigers but another break by Como saw them take a 36-6 lead. A dropped ball by the Tigers gave Como another opportunity and they scored again to go 40-6 ahead. Max Horne and Aston Gibbons made an important tackle to prevent another try but from the next play Como scored again to go 44-6 ahead.
In the final quarter Aston Gibbons scored from the kick off with a good run around the defence and get the Tigers to 10 points. A great try to Hayden Walker gave the team some confidence. Hayden started with a strong run out of defence before offloading to Levi Horne who got the Tigers going forward. On the next play Hayden collected the ball and holding off what seemed like the entire Como team to get over the line to score. The Tigers scored again through Max Carlson to get the score to 48-18 and a great try by Levi Horne after the bell got the final score to 48-24.
Player of the Game: Aston Gibbons
Tigers Spirit Award: Levi Horne
U12 Bronze Tigers 42 Penshurst 6
The Tigers kicked off and regathered the ball straight away. Some quick play got the ball to Lewis Amesbury who ran around the defence to score and give the Tigers a 6-0 lead. A great break by Jensen Bunyan got the Tigers close and a kick by Bailey Mason resulted in a goal line drop out to Penshurst. In the next play the Tigers got the ball wide and Leo Giovenco barged over to give the Tigers a 10-0 lead. Another break by Lewis Amesbury nearly created another try but a fantastic tackle by Penshurst put him over the sideline.
Sustained attack by the Tigers finally resulted in another try, this time to Max Cooper. A great run by Jake Dooley and then Ben Rooke got the Tigers to the halfway line but the kick sailed out of play. More good play from the tigers allowed Mason Holiday to barge over and put the Tigers out to a 20-0 lead. With two minutes to go Bede Staniforth picked the ball up on the Penshurst 40 metre line. He managed to get on the outside of the defence before cutting back in and beating four defenders to score and give the Tigers a convincing 24-0 lead.
In the second half a strong run by Leo Giovenco and then Mason De Luca got the Tigers to the Penshurst goal line and some quick passes allowed Leo Giovenco to score under the posts and take a 30-0 lead. Another good run by Mason Holiday and then Zane Shoblom put the Tigers on the attack again but it they were unable to convert. Penshurst tried to get out of their defensive line and a dominant tackle by Leo Giovenco stopped a Penshurst counter attack and gave the ball back to the Tigers.
Some good play by Penshurst gave them good possession before Hunter Loveday smothered a kick and somehow caught the ball. The Tigers then spread the ball out to Max Cooper who scored to take the Tigers out to a 36-0 lead. More good play from the Tigers created a gap for Bede Staniforth who didn’t need a second invitation and used his pace to bolt up the middle and score under the posts giving the tigers a 42-0 lead. From the kick off Penshurst kept the ball alive in the middle before making a great run around the defence to score and get the Kookaburras on the board. This was a convincing win for the Tigers with Leo, Reece, Lucius, Wil and Mason all having strong games.
Player of the Game: Ben Rooke
U12 Silver Tigers 34 Taren Point Titans 14
The Tigers had good pressure early on and a strong run by Mason de Luca got close to the line but a strip stopped the play. From the resulting penalty the Tigers swung it right and Billy Macdonald scored to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Some good runs by Dylan Sammut got the Tigers going forward and a great break by Bede Staniforth got the Tigers to the line again. In the next play the tigers swung the ball out left and Ethan Coleman found a gap to score and put the tigers out to a 12-0 lead. A mistake in the middle by the Tigers allowed the Titans to go forward and a good break saw them score in the corner to get back to 12-6.
Another great break by Ethan Coleman created a half chance that was snuffed out by the Titans defence. The Tigers were pressuring the Titans by keeping them in their 20 metre line and this eventually paid off with Ethan Coleman scoring his second try after a strong run by Liam Good and put the score out to 18-6. The Titans scored soon after with a good run through the middle but the Tigers reasserted their dominance and scored again through a great solo effort by Bede Staniforth to give the tigers a 24-10 half time lead.
The Titans had early ball and attacked the Tigers line in the second half. An important tackle by Billy Macdonald spilled the ball and gave the Tigers some respite after a series of tackles. The Titans were pushing for an early score but the Tigers defence held strong with Hudson Wilcox, Zac Porter, Jack Nolan and Billy Dunn all making good tackles. The game became a bit of an arm wrestle with both teams tackling well and holding their line. An important tackle by Dylan Sammut stopped the Titans momentum but the Tigers then spilled the ball themselves in the next play to give the ball back.
With 10 mins to go Liam Good found some space and ran through a gap. With 4 defenders in pursuit he managed to stay ahead and put in a step and fall over the line and get the Tigers out to a 30-10 lead. Then, a great run by Bede Staniforth got the Titans on the back foot and the Tigers came close to scoring again. The Tigers tails were up and a good run by Zac Porter got the tigers in good position and the ball got to Mason de Luca who barged his way to score close to the posts. From the kick off the Titans attacked up the middle and a great pass created space for the winger to score and finish the game at 34-14.
Another strong performance by the Tigers will give them confidence going into the final part of the season.
Player of the Game: Billy MacDonald
U15 Silver Tigers 24 Hurstville 12
Tigers kicked off and kept Hurstville in their 20 metre line early, from the clearing kick Jacob Way gathered the ball and got a pass to Alex Moussa who made a good break to get the Tigers on the attack. The ball was played out to the left and Blake Burke made an exceptional diagonal run and got a pass away, with the ball making its way to Alex Mantik to give the Tigers an early 4-0 lead. More good defence from the Tigers forced a line drop out and from the kick, the Tigers probed left and right before Alex Moussa found a gap and slammed the ball down to put the Tigers ahead 8-0.
From the kick off the Tigers worked it to the left wing and Bailey Murray made a great run to Hurstvilles 30 metre line. The ball was swung quickly right and Kobi Porter beat a couple of defenders to score. The Tigers were playing quicker than in previous weeks, their energy was good and they were constantly stretching Hurstville out wide. More good play from the Tigers saw Alex Moussa make another break and Tigers were lining up on the outside to score. Kobi Porter received the ball and outpaced the defence to get his second and take the Tigers out to a 16-0 lead.
From the kick off a great run out of defence by Coby Wilson got the Tigers to the halfway line. The Tigers were spreading the ball from side to side but a knock on gave the ball back to Hurstville. Another Tigers mistake gave Hurstville good field position and an attempted intercept gave Hurstville six again and they scored in the corner to get the score back to 16-6. In the same play Hurstville were awarded a penalty for a high tackle and a possible 8 point try but were unable to convert to get the additional two points.
At the start of the second half the Tigers received the ball and coughed it up on their line. Hurstville were camped on the try line and after three attempts eventually managed to barge over and score close to the posts to get the score back to 16-12. A great tackle by Dylan Kerr got the Tigers going forward and a break by Alex Moussa and then Bailey Murray got the Tigers to the 20 metre line and then working the ball through hands got the ball to Luke Fenton who stepped inside a couple of players to score and get the score to 20-12. The Tigers scored again after a failed strip attempt working the ball wide and with three players to beat Fintan Kelly managed to find room to get the ball down and go out to a 24-12 lead.
The Tigers began to reassert their dominance and were attacking Hurstville at every opportunity. The Tigers were finding plenty of joy out wide and the forwards were managing to snuff out any Hurstville attack up the middle. The game was poised with 15 minutes to play and from the kick off the Tigers went straight on the attack and nearly scored on the left. A couple of injuries held the game up and both teams were muscling up to try and get the upper hand. An injury to Jacob Way stopped the game with 10 mins to go and after a player assessment the game was cancelled as he was unable to leave the field of play.
This was an important win for the Tigers who played some scintillating football in the first 20 mins of the game. Our thoughts go out to Jacob and his family and we wish he makes a speedy recovery.
Player of the Game: Kobi Porter
U18 Merged Tigers/Crocs De La Salle-Tigers/Crocs forfeited
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