Tigers in hunt for hat-trick
Toowoomba Tigers could be just one game away from claiming an AFL Darling Downs premiership hat-trick.
The Tigers shattered the flag hopes of preseason champions Coolaroo 14.12 (96) to 12.13 (85) at Rockville Oval on Saturday to qualify for their third consecutive grand-final. It was all the Tigers in the opening term as they kick 6.4 to Coolaroo’s 1.4 to lead by 30 at the first change.
The determined Roos fought back in the second and held the reigning premiers to just one goal to cut the margin back to five points at halftime.
But the experience of the Tigers shone through in the premiership quarter, adding another six goals to blow the lead out to 31 points. Coolaroo kept coming the last quarter but they could only the make scoreline more respectable as the Tigers booked a showdown with South Toowoomba in next Saturday’s Grand-Final.
Tigers coach Andrew Farr said it was exactly the kind of hard-fought contest his side needed before the grand-final.
“The last thing you is to roll over someone,” he said. “I was really impressed with Coolaroo; they did not give in all day.”
“Other than the second quarter, I thought we controlled the game…it was a good quality hit-out.”
But Farr was quick to hose down any talk of the Tigers’ three-peat.
“We’ve got to the game we needed to have a successful year. That’s all we’ve done at this stage,” he said. “These sides that get carried away with winning a semi-final – that’s recipe for disaster.”
“We’ve been training since November with one goal in mind. Now we find out whether we’re up to it or whether it’s all been a waste of time”
Tigers will now face South Toowoomba in the 2012 Allied Pickfords AFL Darling Downs ‘A’ Grade Grand-Final at 2:30pm at Rockville Oval
