After an hour delay to the start of the match, the Tigers came out firing in the first quarter. However, even while dominating both possession and time in the forward 50, they failed to do damage on the scoreboard. Tampa Bay showed little effects from their long road trip and kept it close, only trailing by one point at quarter-time. Both sides showed an equal willingness to hit every contest hard and this set the tone for the entire match.
The second quarter was another back and forth affair. Tampa Bay was winning slightly more clearances out of center than the Tigers but failed to impact the scoreboard in a major way as the Tiger defense proved capable of creating turnovers and rebounding up the sideline. The Tigers went into halftime with a 7 point lead.
As the third-quarter began so did the monsoon. Both sides struggled to maintain possession in the new and difficult wet conditions. However, the relief from the heat was welcome and evident in the players ability to maintain a frantic back and forth pace as goals were hard to come by as the rain continued to fall. The Tigers were able to maintain their lead but the contest was still close with less than two goals separating the two sides.
Early in the fourth-quarter the rain ceased and the Tigers began raining goals. Tampa Bay put up a strong resistance midway through the quarter and began to steal the momentum with a few back to back goals. In the end, the Tigers maintained their run the longest and finished out the match with their own set of back to back goals to come away with a 23 point victory. A great example of a team win! Well done Tigers!
Final Score: Baton Rouge 12.9.81 – Tampa Bay 9.4.58
Tigers Best on Ground for the day: Josh Cartmill, Austin LeBouef, Ryan Baldassaro, Ryan Moran, and first gamer Nathan Martinez.
Thanks to all the supporters that braved both the heat and monsoon to watch our first home match of the season! Also, a huge thanks to those that helped umpire and set-up the after party. Neither the match nor the celebrations would have been possible without you. Finally, we would like to thank Tin Roof Brewery for allowing us to celebrate at their Tap Room. Here’s to many more!
-Josh
Baton Rouge Tigers Australian Rules Football Club 