Well, this game was a big one. A lot of journalists and commentators were calling this match a ‘make or break’ situation and it was for us, as we would have been possibly near the bottom of the ladder had we lost. At the beginning of the year, there was talk that the Tigers would finish bottom two on the ladder, that we wouldn’t win a match until well into the season and that our list is full of useless players. 

In this game we began to silence our critics and show our true spirit. It was a close one against North Melbourne, who were also desperate to get a win on the board. However our players stood up when it counted. Jack Riewoldt, who has received a fair amount of criticism over the last few rounds over his ‘attitude problem’, kicked five goals in total and assisted many more by selflessly passing on to team-mates in better positions.

This drew one of the match commentators to say that Jack is stopping the perception of him as a self-interested player. While I disagree that Jack is selfish, I am glad to see that his team first footy is being recognised.

Another player who stood up when it was needed is Jake King. Jake ‘The Push-up’ King is one of our players who really puts his body on the line each and every match, and we need this. We are a smallish side, and to have guys like King and Tuck who can put their bodies on the line and their heads over the ball is great.

Thirdly, Shane Edwards’ match effort. Last week Edwards had many supporters calling for him to be dropped to the VFL, as although he had 22 touches during the Collingwood match many of these lead to ineffective disposals or turnovers. This week however, Edwards put his head over the ball and he learnt from his mistakes last week.

His disposals were a great deal better, and he played more effective football. Hardwick obviously sees Edwards as a crucial member of the side, naming him in all five matches so far, and it’s great to see him playing better.

Finally, I couldn’t talk about this weeks match without mentioning Dustin Martin. This week’s match for him was amazing. It’s hard to remember when you see him play he’s only 19 and has only played 26 games at AFL level. He is certainly going to be a champion in the near future. Dustin finished with a career-high 33 disposals, four goals and four clearances and was arguable best on ground. His performance drew much praise from commentators and supporters alike and I look forward to watching him grow and grow as a player.

Ben Cousins last year said that Martin is the best first year player he’s ever seen, and Cousins has played with Judd and other great players so if he’s right, we could be looking at a future superstar.

This week’s match will be interesting. Brisbane are below us on the ladder, having not won a match yet. They are missing Jonathan Brown, but will be desperate to win and get some points on the board. If we can keep playing good football, and not let them get too far ahead of us in the first quarter, which was still an issue in the Roos match, we should be able to get back-to-back wins.

I won’t be able to watch as I’m going away this weekend, but I will be checking the game on my phone and I hope to see all our boys playing well and continuing to silence our critics.

Until next time, go Tigers!