Australian Football

Match Report

The final match for the split round was at the Prospect Oval where the Roosters hosted the Tigers. A few years ago, the Tigers were all over their old Grand Final foes. During the period of late 2009 up to early 2011, Glenelg took five consecutive victories. After a couple of games where both sides took points, the Roosters got some revenge on the Tigers by taking five of the next six games which included the most recent contest where North hammered the Bays to the tune of 57 points at Glenelg in Round 9. The Tigers would have come into this match a little more confident than they have been allowed to be after pushing the Double Blues in the previous round, but then the Roosters defeated the Magpies... enough said, right?

The Roosters would seemingly answer that question with authority in the opening stanza as they kicked 7.3 and kept the Tigers to just one solitary behind to be ahead by 44 points at quarter-time. But like the Redlegs in the previous week against South, the Roosters machine put the brakes on prematurely. They would kick two goals to the Tigers' 2.3 in the second term, the gap reduced to 41 points by half-time. The Roosters would further confound their coach and their faithful when play resumed, kicking a horrid four behinds while the Tigers chipped some points of the gap with their 2.3 to bring the deficit back to five goals at the last change. I don't think the phrase "saving their best for last" applies here, but the Roosters' 3.1 to Glenelg's 1.1 would see the home side victorious by seven goals although the North fans in attendance probably expected more and deserved more.

Michael Clinch was named best afield for North, while the Tigers named Patrick McCarthy as their standout.