NORTH Launceston maintained its strong performance this season with a commanding victory over Glenorchy in the Tasmanian State League (TSL) competition, while Lauderdale and Clarence both grabbed important wins over Tigers and North Hobart respectively.

TIGERS vs. LAUDERDALE

By: Fraser Stewart

Lauderdale continued their winning ways after defeating a Tigers side that never really got going, thanks to a first quarter blitz which saw the away side kick 9.1 to defeat the Tigers by 31 points in wet conditions at Twin Ovals.

The Tigers did well to cut the deficit back to 20 points at half-time, after a poor first half but that was not enough even with the efforts of Tyler Carter who booted four goals, Edward Burrows-Cheng (two goals), Jack Bilson (one goal), William Campbell (one goal) and Samuel Duigan (one goal) as they went down 9.12 (66) to 15.7 (97).

Luke Nelson was influential in setting up the win for the visitors as he kicked four goals in the opening term. Harry Richmond also contributed with three goals of his own, Rhys Sutton booted two, Nicholas Raglione and Tyler Martin also kicked two each while Bryce Walsh, Josh Mcguinness and Adrian Kalcovski all chipped in with a major each.

Tigers:

#19 Oliver Burrows-Cheng

Was pretty quiet for most of the day as he did not really get into the action as Lauderdale took control of the game. However, he was always around the stoppage and set up a forward 50 entry, and at the start of the second quarter he set up a goal. When he did get the ball a lot more in the second half he did not try anything spectacular as he was calm and just had an eye for a pass using his football knowledge.

#31 Lachlan Gadomski

Was pretty busy in the backline as the Bombers kicked 9.1, but he did well going forward as he set up the Tigers’ second goal. He also cleared any chance of the Bombers extending their lead in the second quarter as he picked up a loose ball and cleared the danger. He has a good eye for stopping attacking play as shown in the third term with an intercept mark.

Lauderdale:

#17 Nicholas Baker

Was quiet for most of the game as he did not have to do much as Lauderdale asserted their attacking dominance right from the get-go. When he was called into action though, he did his job really well which included spoiling a potential mark in a one-on-one scenario. His attacking play was on show again, giving off handballs that sparked a chain of aggressive movement for the away side.

NORTH HOBART vs. CLARENCE

By: Peter Williams

Clarence got its season back on track with an important come-from-behind win against North Hobart on the road. The Roos kicked the first two goals of the game, but then conceded the next four in the term to trail by 12 at quarter time. They steadied after that to kick seven of the next nine majors to run out somewhat inaccurate 9.15 (69) to 6.5 (41) winners. Jake Steele and Jye Menzie both slotted two goals a piece in a losing side and feature in the notes alongside Patrick Walker, while it was Keegan Wylie and Jarrod Harper who stood out for the visitors.

North Hobart:

#11 Jake Steele

The over-age key forward kicked a couple of goals in the first half showing a reliable set shot from straight in front. He was gifted a set shot in the opening term with an error from the kickout by the opposition, and put his side in front late in the term. He then won a one-on-one against a smaller opponent early in the second and was fortunate not to get pinged for in the back, but went back and nailed the set shot himself. He won a little bit of the ball after that, but as the Demons faded, so did their forwards, with him winning the ball on the wing with a strong mark, getting a 50m penalty but his 40m set shot just swung a little late and hit the post seven minutes into the third term. Did well to set Jye Menzie up with a goal in the opening term thanks to quick hands and a follow-up shepherd.

#46 Jye Menzie

As lively as they come when he is on, with a ripping first term where he could have had three goals at least. His first major came from great running play and it carried the distance to bounce through for a ripping goal on the run. His second was even better, off a step quick snap from the tightest of angles to split the big sticks in a remarkable Goal of the Year contender. He almost had hold of a mark at the top of the goalsquare, but could not control it, though was able to get the ball away which led to another major for his side. He was quieter after quarter time, and unlucky not to be on the end of a pass running hard inside 50 where he could have run into an open goal, but he never stopped running throughout the game. Sometimes he might miss the odd handball or be ready for the one-two and it not quite eventuate, but continuously looked dangerous. So much so, he had an opposition player almost wrapping his arms around him at forward stoppages such is his goal sense.

#48 Patrick Walker

Started on a wing and was able to spend time inside 50 on a number of occasions, showing good pressure on Josh Green to force a mistake for the Clarence player going inside 50. He started a play through hands in the middle then pushed forward, received it back after it spilled out and he quickly snapped for a great first quarter goal. He was quieter in the second term, but started to get back into it with a productive third quarter. He just finds space and uses it well, though on one occasion was a bit rushed after being surprised the tap on the wing fell to him. He had a late kick towards goal but was intercepted by the loose Clarence player in the final term. Nonetheless showed some promising signs with neat ball use around the ground and was creative enough to start plays off half-back or through the middle.

#49 Sam Collins

Won a fair bit of it in the back half, and particularly in the final term where he was able to push up the ground and also spend time on the wing. His short kicking and ability to switch play was good, though did occasionally chuck it on the boot or did a little too much and was caught throwing the ball in a tackle in the second term. When running in space, Collins was not afraid to hit long kicks going inside 50, and he is great at intercepting and working his opponent under the ball. He works his way through traffic solidly, and it is just cleaning up some of the odd mistakes that would add to his game, but playing in that loose role at half-back, Collins reads the ball well in flight and drops back into the hole.

Clarence:

#20 Oliver Davis

Seemed to start forward in the first term rather than his usual onball role and featured for a late quick snap that was marked by Sam Collins in the square. Once he moved into the midfield in the second term, Davis became the high-volume accumulator that spectators have become accustomed to, as he won truckloads of it in close, and got busier as the game went on. His quick hands at the stoppage and vision through traffic was terrific and he never stopped working and running hard. He would tend to throw the ball on the boot when going for distance, but in one occasion it worked out, putting a chaos ball in for a teammate to snap off the deck and goal in the third term. He had a bit of a shocker kicking out of defence by putting it out on the full midway through the term, but then running forward and receiving it in the middle a little later, to hit a leading Darcy Gardner perfectly. He generally used the ball fairly well after that, and is a better short kick and when he lowers the eyes, but it is his hands in traffic and contested ball winning ability that makes him stand out.

#23 Sam Banks

One of those players that does not need a truckload of it to have an impact. He racks them up surprisingly on the outside with quick hands, but when he gets going you notice him. He will follow up with second efforts, particularly if a kick has gone to a contest, and after what seemed like a quiet first half by his standards, he got going in the second half. An electric run down the middle with a bounce off the contest roved it well and kicked long from 50m but just bounced the wrong side of the post. He would have a couple more chances at goal in the final term, with a snap off his left going across the face and out of bounds, and then a goal attempt from 55m out falling 15m short. He did set up a goal to Keren Howlett with a neat short kick to seal the win.

#34 Noah Holmes

The bottom-ager played a strong role out of full-forward kicking a goal early in the match from a mark 15m out. He had a few more chances after that, particularly in the second half when Clarence was getting on top, but was in tight positions for goal and missed some chances, including one long-range bomb from outside 50. In the final term got involved in the middle with a strong mark off his brother James, and then passed it to Oliver Davis in the middle to get it forward. Taking a strong contested mark on the lead 40m out, his set shot just fell short, but then helped set up a goal via Sam Banks to Howlett in the last quarter with a handball out of the pack. Provided a target leading out of forward 50.

#39 Darcy Gardner

A clever half-forward with some great athleticism. The bottom-ager was able to set up an early goal to Noah Holmes through a handball to Brady Jones in the opening term, and while he was a bit fumbly at ground level, he hunted the ball well. He had a chance for goal just inside 50 but pushed it far out and out of the full, with another kick going wide to a Demons defender to mop up. By far his best kick was a super piercing bomb under pressure from half-forward to deep inside 50 and set up a goal for Chris Nield. He knew his distance in the third term with a good mark inside 50 on the lead but gave off the handball to a longer kicking teammate, then fired out a quick handball out to a teammate who set up an Ethan Jackson goal in the last term.

GLENORCHY vs. NORTH LAUNCESTON

By: Fraser Stewart

A four-goal burst in the second quarter helped set up a 52-point win to North Launceston over a young Glenorchy side at KGV Oval. Despite keeping the away side scoreless in the opening term, North Launceston soon barged out of the blocks to kick four straight goals in the second term to help to clinch a 3.5 (23) to 11.9 (75) win.

Matthew Joseph was the only player who kicked multiple goals for the home side with two, while Callen Daly did his best to get on the score sheet with one goal. The Bombers were far superior all over the ground and it showed as Sherrin Egger booted four goals, Jay Foon and young gun Baynen Lowe with two each. Jakob Laskey, Oliver Sanders and Bart Mcculloch were all on the scoresheet with one goal each.  

Glenorchy: 

#34 Braidy Simpson:

He is only 15-year-old and is playing his fourth game of senior footy, and he did not look out of place. He showed good pace, good determination as he made a goal-saving tackle in the third quarter. His work all over the ground should be noted too as he knows where to go.

#53 Riley Best:

He got his hands on the ball early on, set up a set shot for one of his teammates. He also has a good eye under the ball as he took an intercept mark when being one of the last line of defenders to help stop an attack and cleared the ball out of defence.

#55 Nathan Blowfield:

Had a very good opening quarter as he saw plenty of the ball as North Launceston came charging in. He has a good reading of the highball and it showed in the first and fourth quarter as he intercepted a few marks to stop a Bombers attack. He got more action in the fourth when the conditions were wet which suited him as he rushed a behind, took a mark and cleared any danger. 

North Launceston: 

#25 Jackson Callow:

Was not his best game, but he still impacted the game when North Launceston needed him too. He showed his versatility again, as he had a stint in the ruck when the ball was in the Bombers attacking forward 50, as well as winning a few tap outs. Despite not kicking a goal, his leading and marking ability was on show when he took a good chest mark in third quarter, even though his set shot fell wide for a behind it just shows that he can still impact the play. 

#64 Baynen Lowe:

One of the best players on the day, as he booted two goals in the sides win. Lowe was pretty much everywhere tackling, getting the footy around the stoppages and has good football knowledge. His second goal just showed how good he can be, as it was a pure crumbing goal going on the outside of the contest collecting the loose ball and snapping around his body. His clearance work is good too as he helped set up another goal.