Australian Football

Match Report

Down south, the first match for Seven television this year was the Clash of the Cats at Hickinbotham Oval between the Panthers and the Tigers. Both of these sides finished the season out of finals contention, the Tigers finished ninth and avoided the spoon with their four wins, but for South their 2015 season couldn't have ended on a more heartbreaking note. A late season surge by the Bulldogs saw the Panthers' fifth spot usurped in the final home and away round in front of their home faithful. The two games between these clubs were both Panthers victories, with a pair of 20-point victories in the opening round and mid-season of 2015.

The Tigers opened proceedings with a string of goals in a few minutes, but the Panthers would answer back to lead by two points at quarter-time, South scoring 4.2 to the Tigers' four goals without a miss despite kicking into the wind. The jungle cats would go score-for-score in the second term, the quarter-time deficit going unchanged going into half-time as both sides kicked 2.4 a piece. When play resumed, the Panthers went on the attack and would go into the final change with a four-goal lead after they bagged 7.1 to the Tigers' 3.3. That third term would prove to be a match-winner, but South's final term would no doubt be of concern to their coach Brad Gotch, not a single score for the home side in a whole quarter of football as the Tigers drew the final margin back to nine points after they scored 2.3 in the last quarter.

A speedy and skilful outing by Emmanuel Irra would see him named best afield for South, while the Tigers named Warwick McGinty as their best.