Under sunny skies in Gosforth yesterday game four of Season 2023 saw the Tigers back on winning form, running out 164 point winners against the Glasgow Giants (30.24.204 to 6.4.40).

 

But – much like our game against the Glasgow Sharks last week – the story of the game wasn’t so much in the final score line, but rather in the way the Tigers acquitted themselves in general play.

 

Strong individual returns for Matty Gallagher (9 goals) and Ben Hawtin (7 goals) were great, but it was the spread of effort across the whole team that offered the strongest take away from the match.

 

The Tigers were bolstered by the return of a few key players who’d been unavailable the week before, but they also had fantastic efforts from three new debutants (Paddy, Jonesy and Luka) who are so new I don’t even know their surnames. 

 

Put that alongside the continuing improvement of guys who still only have half a dozen games between them under their belts and it’s easy to understand why there is such a strong sense of positive energy around the club as we build upon our ambition to remain a tough opponent to play against in the short and longer term.

 

Hopefully the growing depth of our squad will serve us well as we attempt to build on the progress we have made in recent seasons.

 

That said, we know on field success doesn’t happen by itself and we have lots of work to do. 

 

Firstly, in yesterday’s game it was heartening to see improvements in our performance at centre clearances, but we’ve still got work to do there. 

 

Secondly, it was great to see the lift in our tackling and running pressure (boosted by the efforts of Paddy and Jonesy in particular), but let’s keep trying to get better so we can bring that intensity week in week out irrespective of who is wearing the Tiger colours on any given day.

 

And thirdly – whilst it was great to kick more goals than behinds – we still need to remind ourselves of the importance of staying composed in our decision making in the forward half, especially with regards to eschewing a low percentage pressured snap in favour of hitting a better passing option as and when it is there.

 

Our thoughts now turn to our next game which is sure to be a tough encounter against reigning premiers the Edinburgh Bloods on their home turf up in Stockbridge on Saturday 3rd of June, but before we do so we’d like acknowledge the efforts of the Glasgow Giants yesterday:

 

We know how tough it can be to put a team together when injuries and player availability conspire against you, so thank you for making the trip down, and for being willing to run out to play the game we all get so much enjoyment from. A big thumbs up to you, and all the best for the rest of the season.

 

P.S. Let’s all do our very best to get behind the Tigers fundraising event at the Tyne bank Brewery on Saturday 10th of June. You get your tickets from Eventbrite here, so please spread the word amongst friends, family work mates and so on, and let’s all get together for a fun night supporting the club. Cheers.