Tigers go down to Magpies

This last round we were looking forward to a really good challenge and finals-like intensity against a very strong Magpies outfit – and we got exactly that. In tricky conditions we won the coin toss and kicked towards the northern end of the ground and were able to put pressure on Port. However, we were unable to capitalise on our opportunities inside 50 and we turned the ball over a few times, allowing Port to kick a couple of late goals in the first quarter to establish a 17-point lead.

The second quarter saw Port make the most of their possessions – having seven shots on goal – while we only managed to have three. We were winning the contested ball and were even with clearances but we couldn’t manage to hit the scoreboard often enough.

Half time saw the guys come out with a more determined approach to the first half and we dominated the inside 50’s and disposals, but we had difficulty finding spare men and room inside our 50 due to the number of Port defenders that were inside our 50. We were unable to take any marks inside 50 and we lacked a bit of composure going forward. We kept Port scoreless for the quarter but only managed to kick 1:2.

The last quarter was always going to be a difficult one kicking into a very strong breeze, but I was happy with the way we went about our processes and attack on the ball. We lead in all key stats for the last quarter but we were unable to finish our work going inside 50, which was disappointing but certainly something we learned a lot from. We haven’t played on too many grounds the size of Alberton this year and we learnt a lot from this. We can now prepare for our first final next week at Adelaide Oval having played two games on bigger grounds in the last two weeks.

To finish the minor round on top of the table is a wonderful way to celebrate our Centenary season and a great reward for our players, staff and volunteers – who have had a challenging and quite different season since they started in back in December – but we are under no illusion that the hard work starts now. We look forward to the challenge the next four weeks will bring us against four quality teams. We will be doing our utmost to plan, prepare and play to the best of our ability over the finals series and we look forward to seeing as many Tigers supporters as possible at Adelaide Oval on Saturday 18^th September @ 7:15pm for our Second Semi Final.

Thanks for your support.

– Brett Hand, Senior Coach

Goal kickers: L. McBean (2), L. Hosie, M. Snook, B. Agnew

League Trademark Player: Matt Snook