Category: Match Previews

Next Up: Atlanta Kookaburras

batonrougetigers

dsc_0022.jpgAfter a longer-than-expected break, the Tigers are eager to get back into action as they travel to Atlanta this weekend to face the Kookaburras.

These two teams are intimately familiar with each other, having faced off twice in 2016 before joining forces in Sarasota for an impressive run in the National Tournament.

In each of their previous matches, the home team dominated, with Atlanta dismantling the Tigers in August to the tune of 19.24.138 to 5.8.38, and Baton Rouge returning serve a month later, demolishing the visitors 8.11.59 to 2.0.12 in their first game after the 2016 floods. The Tigers hope to buck that trend with a road win this weekend, but know that a win will not come easily against a resilient Kookaburras squad.

No matter the outcome, this promises to be a great weekend of camaraderie and competition out at Candler Park. Tip-off is at 2:00 Eastern time, so keep your eyes open for score updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Next Up: St. Petersburg Swans/Tampa Bay ARFC

Next Up: St. Petersburg Swans/Tampa Bay ARFC

batonrougetigers

The Tigers enter this weekend’s contest brimming with confidence, having notched a neutral/road victory in Houston two weeks ago; a feat they failed to accomplish in 2016. They hope to build on that success against the visiting Swans and protect their home turf, where they were undefeated last year.

The St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay will be looking to go home from Baton Rouge with a better outcome than last year, where Baton Rouge defeated then 12.9.81 to 9.4.58. The Swans, who are consistently a good traveling club, will bring a strong and determined side with something to prove, having made the Division IV Finals at the 2016 Nationals, whereas the Tigers finished 5th.

Both sides are poised to make a lot of noise in 2017 and this match is setting itself up to be a great contest. So, if you like tough, hard-nosed football then you need to be at Clark Park on Saturday, May 6th at 2:00 p.m.!

Following the match, we are “happy” to welcome anyone and everyone to join us for the afterparty starting at 5:00 p.m. at Happy’s Downtown in downtown Baton Rouge. A special thanks to them for agreeing to hosting the event.

2017 Ruggles Cup Preview

2017 Ruggles Cup Preview

batonrougetigers

In memory of our late, great, teammate, opponent, and friend Craig Ruggles, the Annual Ruggles Cup between the Houston Lonestars & Baton Rouge Tigers will take pace on April 22nd. This day also commemorates ANZAC Day, where the AFL in Australia remembers the Australian & New Zealand soldiers lost at Gallipoli in WWI.

This year, the Tulsa Buffalos will also be joining for a 3-way tournament.

When the Baton Rouge Tigers faced off against Houston and Tulsa in 2016, the contests were notable for lopsided contests. In the 2016 Ruggles Cup, Houston kept the Tigers on their heels and off the scoreboard, coming away with a commanding 4.7.31 to 0.0.0 victory. However, when the teams faced each other again in Baton Rouge in September, Baton Rouge held serve, running away with a 6.9.45 to 0.2.2 home victory.

In 2016, the Tigers would not meet the Buffaloes until Day 2 of Nationals. In what was effectively the season finale for both squads, the Tigers ran away with it to the tune of 11.4.70 to 1.0.6.

With plenty of offseason acquisitions and departures for all three teams, everyone is eager to test their progress in their first USAFL games this season.

The action commences at 11:00 when Houston takes on Tulsa. The full game schedule is:
11.00am – Houston vs Tulsa
12.00pm – Houston vs Baton Rouge
1.00pm – Baton Rouge vs Tulsa
2.00pm – All-Comers Game

Stay tuned for updates.

2017 Match Schedule

2017 Match Schedule

batonrougetigers

The Tigers’ 2017 Home and Away Schedule is one of the most impressive in recent memory, featuring clashes in four different cities and no less than six clubs testing their mettle. The Spring begins with an opening trip to Houston for the annual Ruggles Cup match and finishes in Little Rock with the Central Regional Tournament. The full schedule is as follows:

April 22 – Houston Lonestars, Tulsa Buffaloes (Houston, TX)

May 6 – St. Petersburg Swans (Baton Rouge, LA)

May 20 – Atlanta Kookaburras (Atlanta, GA)

June 10 – Central Regional Tournament (Little Rock, AR)

After taking a pause for the inevitable summer scorchers, the Tigers resume play in the fall by traveling to Tulsa to face the Buffaloes and concludes with the National Tournament in sunny San Diego.

August 26 – Tulsa Buffaloes, Denver Bulldogs (Tulsa, OK)

September 9 – Houston Lonestars, Nashville Kangaroos (Baton Rouge, LA)

September 23 – Atlanta Kookaburras (Baton Rouge, LA)

October 21-22 – USAFL National Tournament (San Diego, CA)

With so much time before the season begins, these dates are still subject to change, so keep an eye out for updates. As always, for any questions or to join the Baton Rouge Tigers for the 2017 season, please send an email to batonrougetigers@gmail.com

Up next: Tampa

batonrougetigers

Join us this weekend, June 4th @ 3 pm, at Clark Park as our pride of Baton Rouge take on the St. Petersburg Swans. Come out and support your home team on the field in your finest navy and gold and join us for the after party at Tin Roof Brewing Company from 6-10 pm. Tin Roof beer @ Happy Hour prices and of course food! $20 for all you can handle jambalaya, salad and sodas.

See you on the footy field this weekend! 🏉

13263715_10205899412633669_7045759959003069628_n

Details for the home games

Details for the home games

batonrougetigers

Sherrin Footy

We have finalized the details for next two home games. We are looking forward to seeing everyone!

Sept 6: Houston Lonestars and LSU tailgating

The game will be held at the BREC J.S. Clark Park Golf Course at 10 am. Tailgating for the LSU v Sam Houston game to follow will be held on the LSU Parade Grounds starting around 2 pm. We will set up the tail gate near the trees located to the north of the flag poles. Look for the Australian flag. The tailgate will include all you can eat jambalaya, beer, and sodas. Prices will be $20 for the guys and $10 for the ladies.

2301 Thomas Rd
Baton Rouge, LA 70807
Sept 20: Atlanta Kookaburras and LSU tailgating

The details for this game are the same as the Houston game. The game will be held at the BREC J.S. Clark Park Golf Course at 10 am. Tailgating for the LSU v Mississippi State game to follow will be held on the LSU Parade Grounds starting around 2 pm.

November 8: Louisville Kings and LSU tailgating

We have not finalized details for this game. Check back in the future for more updates. This will be the biggest LSU games this season with the LSU Tigers playing Alabama!

1st Home Game of 2014

batonrougetigers

That’s right, after 3 away games and 2 official scrimmages we are now having our 1st home game of 2014. It’s against The Houston LoneStars on Sat June 14th at a brand new venue.

The game will be held at 2 pm at the LSU Rec field 3, just behind the LSU Rec Center, between West Lakeshore Drive and South Campus Drive. The game starts at 2pm with the traditional after party fundraiser starting at 7 downtown at 630 Royal St.

For a mere $10 you’ll get all the world famous Tigers Jambalaya, salad, beer and soda’s you can handle, + music, fun, streaming AFL games and random acts of entertainment that you just won’t see anywhere else. We’ll feed you, quench your thirst and make you laugh. So grab a friend and come watch this great international game being played locally, cheer on the home team and then join us afterwards for some fun.

Hello, Houston

batonrougetigers

Tomorrow afternoon at 1pm, the Baton Rouge Tigers take on the Houston Lonestars in the second of four matches this season.  The Tigers took the first match on the Houston gun ranges, but both teams are sure to have improved both their personnel and skills.

Baton Rouge welcomes back key player James Kavanaugh, who’ll see a reduced workload as he recovers from a torn calf muscle, and Nathan Lane, who rejoins the squad after a successful refereeing stint.  Also returning is second-year player Ruben Nambo.

Assistant coach Neil Stebbing will roam the sidelines due to a foot injury sustained in the Tigers’ recent loss to the Austin Crows.

Match location: Clark Park @ 1pm.

Afterparty: Puncher’s in downtown Baton Rouge from 6-9pm.  All you can eat and drink, $20 for guys, $10 for women.

The Crows Are Coming…

batonrougetigers

After two weeks of regrouping from their no-win double-header in Dallas, the Red Stick’s own Tigers are gearing up for a hard-hitting rematch in their home opener against the Austin Crows.

After weeks of negligible rain, the Clark Park pitch should run fast and hot.  Thankfully, though, the predicted temperature at the start of the match is 80 degrees, a fair bit cooler than in recent days.

The Tigers are looking to repeat last season’s home victory over the Crows and shore up their current 1-2 record.  Again, the boys from Baton Rouge will blood a number of recruits but some familiar faces will also see action for the first time this season.  Hard-charging Aaron LaRose will spend time in the halfback line and in the midfield while Mason Adam will open his 2010 campaign on the wing.  The Irishman, James Morris will bring his slick Gaelic-inspired skills and a raking left boot to the fullback line.  Michael “Pele” Bruckner will also dust off the boots.

Training efforts have been redoubled to improve fitness and skills as the Tigers enter the middle portion of a schedule that sees the Old Blue and Gold contest 5 matches in a span of 10 weeks.

Centreman and current favorite for this year’s Best and Fairest, Minnesota James Kavanaugh will get no further to the action than the sidelines as he nurses a fractured shin.  Veterans Joe Roy, Rob Montanaro, and Neil Stebbing will fill the void from the backlines while forward Jeff “Peepers” Phillips looks to lead the Tigers’ push to goal.

Game time: 1pm at Clark Park.  From 110: exit 8A for LA -19, turn right at LA-19/Scotland Ave, after 1.5 miles, turn right on Thomas Road.  Field is visible immediately, turn into parking lot on left.

Afterparty: 6-9 pm at Puncher’s Bar in downtown Baton Rouge. 421 3rd Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802-5539
All you can eat and drink (jambalaya and beer) special: $20 for men, $10 for women.
All you can eat only: $10.

Crawfish Cup Tourney pt. II

batonrougetigers

After falling to the Magpies in the curtain-raiser of the Crawfish Cup tourney, the Tigers looked to recoup while Austin played Dallas in a rematch of last season’s Division 3 grand final.  In that match, the wind remained a major factor, although the ‘Pies managed to scored the only goal of the day against the stiff breeze.

But the Magpies class won out again and the Tigers looked to take advantage of a battle-weary Austin side.

Unfortunately, the coin flip landed in favor of the Crows and they started with the 5-goal wind.  The rucks and midfielders steadied a bit for the Tigers after getting handled in the first match, but the god-damned wind smothered clearances, kick-outs, and any ball traveling more than 10 feet off the ground seemed to be inevitably buffeted back into the hands of the Crows.

The Tiger backlines played reasonably well despite giving up 11 scoring shots to Austin.  For their part, the Crows were only able to take 2 goals for their efforts and headed into the break ahead only 2.9 (21) to 0.0 (0).

And here the wind would die down a bit, leaving Baton Rouge with a bit less of an edge than Mother Nature had given all day.  The Tigers clawed back into the match, stringing together some clean passages of play while suppressing the Crows’ forward drive.  But the combined the combined Houston/BR squad revealed no true match winners despite the relentless work of Minnesota Kavanaugh across the midfield, some more contested ball winning from Justin Vaughn and occasional spots of brilliance from Stebbing, Holwerda, and Daz Duhnke among others.

In the end, the Tigers would spend almost all of the second half in front of goal but were left wanting, managing 1.3 (9) on the day.

Best: Kavanaugh, Justin Vaughn, Holwerda.