After three weeks of losing, the Tigers had a fantastic win over at AAMI stadium against Port Adelaide. It was an important win and after the game against Geelong and the news that Cotchin and Vickery and Petterd and Grimes would not be available I am sure all Tigers fans felt that the pressure was on. All year we have been saying our depth has really improved with the great work the recruitment department has done. This game would be a great test of our depth and our resolve.
As we have done in almost every game this year – we started well and came out ready to play from the first bounce. Jack kicked the first goal – if you ever decide to bet on first goal in one of our games go for Jack. We looked switched on and focused. We went into quarter time with a convincing lead and all the momentum. But the same could have been said in the Freo game and we all know how that turned out so I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
But as the game went on and we kept a 5 or 6 goal buffer I started to relax and enjoy the game. Deledio and Dusty looked a class above the Port midfielders and it was great to see them silencing their critics on the field which is really the only way you can fight back against all the rubbish in the media.
Stephenson showed just how ready to play his first game for the Tigers he really was. It is a huge relief for fans to know that if Maric is unavailable for any reason this season the Big O is more than capable of stepping in and competing at AFL level. Last year I was always very nervous if Maric looked like he might miss a game. Bringing in Stephenson is really smart recruiting that will pay off in the long journey to make the finals this year. Big O had a very impressive first game for the Tigers.
I thought Ellis, Edwards, Jackson and Vlastuin also had excellent games. How smoothly has Vlastuin started his AFL career? He has looked like he belongs at the top level from day one. He never looks panicky or out of his depth as some first year players do when they first start at AFL level. I can’t wait to see how he improves as the year goes on. Future champion in the making.
The low point of the game was Chris Knights injury. It looked pretty bad when he went down and it’s real shame as he has slotted into the team very nicely. Hopefully, he will be back later in the season. Tucky was also injured but played on with one arm as only Tucky would do. I think the team looks harder and tougher when Tuck is included and I know a lot of Tiger fans feel the same way.
Finally, I loved seeing Foley back out on the ground for the Tiges. No one deserves an injury free year more than this guy. Let’s hope he goes on to regain the form he had before the achilles injury and we see him streaming out of the centre sending the ball into the forward 50 as he does so beautifully.
We are back on track, we are in the 8 where we belong and we have shown that we are a team with some depth. Now we need to smash Melbourne next week and set ourselves up to beat Essendon in the Dreamtime game in round 9. I believe we can do it! I can’t wait to see us back at the G.
Go Tiges! Meg.
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