Baton Rouge Tigers Australian Rules Football Club

We have our first match of the season this Saturday afternoon, April 9th, against Houston. We are planning to leave Saturday morning at 7 am, from Rob’s place, on the bus. We are spending Saturday night in Houston and leaving early Sunday morning, that’ll put us back in town early Sunday afternoon.

If you dont know Rob’s address shoot him an email:

batonrougetigers@gmail.com

Let’s kick Houston’s butt, cajun style. =)

Aussie Rules Football is a full contact game of football, but with the focus on stopping the ball not just knocking the player to the ground, the contact rules are different than in American football. Contact is allowed in 3 types. Tackling, Shepherding (blocking) and Bumping, or also called a ‘hip and shoulder’. Have a look at the 3 clips below to see the rules on Aussie Rules Contact

Tackling

Shepherding (Blocking)

Bumping (Hip and Shoulder)

Sunday saw the 2nd round of the Metro League held at a different location for recruiting and exposure reasons. Kathy Drive Pk just off of O’Neal Ln hosted us for the scrimmage, with the sounds of flag football in the background drowned out by our own screams of fun and frustration, and the Bus and PA blarring in the background. A good but tiring run saw Navy squeek ahead of Gold with a final score of

Navy
14:14: 98 to
Gold
13:16: 94

Everyone hung around for a BBQ and refreshments afterwards and a good arvo was had by all, including our pretty crowd or onlookers.

Player of the week went to BEACH one more time due to his depth of heart in coming out despite have gastro and having to go off in the 3rd quater. Goodonya Mate, nice effort!!!
Memorable mentions also need to go to Jonathan Johnston for his training and game efforts this week. You can train guys, but until you play you just don’t know this game or your team mates abilities.

Sunday March 13th @ 1pm saw the gathering for the 1st Metro League Scratch Match for 2011. Despite low numbers an exciting if exhausting game for the players unfolded which fulfilled all the expectations, requirements and desires of the Metro League, which are, Fitness training, Skills training (specifically in the form of on field game day skills and team development), And, . . . it was fun, with everyone hanging out for a couple of ‘refreshments’ afterwards. So by every measure it was a success with the only loss being those who where unable to attend.

Matt Heintze umpired and did a great job of clarifying the rules as he went. The contact was good without any injuries and a lot of great running and some great basic play skills started to develop as the game went on with the concept of position play and quick and accurate disposal of the ball starting to sink in to the newer guys as the essentials that they are.

Navy took an early lead with increased accuracy in their scoring and was up at half time,

Navy: 6 goals: 3 behinds : 39 points to
Golds: 2 goals: 7 behinds : 19 points

But Gold came back very strong in the second 2 quaters and ran away with the win though not much better on their accuracy with a final score of

Navy: 11 goals: 4 behinds : 70 points to
Golds: 13 goals: 15 behinds : 93 points

For those still unclear on the scoring a clean untouched kick through the center goal posts (even if it touches the ground) is a goal and = 6 points. If the ball is touched by another player or touches a post before it goes through, is carried through or is kicked through between one of the center taller posts and one of the outside shorter posts then it is called a behind and = 1 point. The final score then is a total of goals and behinds e.g. 1 goal and 1 behind = 6+1=7 and is showed as 1:1 : 7.

Player of the Week
This week goes to Matt McQueen for his general improvements as a player this week and specifically for his performance at the game on Sunday. Well Done Matt

Also an honerable mention to Mike Shaw for his 1st appearance for the year and also Ray Chastain. We understand that we’re all busy, but try to organize ahead to make the trainings and especially the matches. OUR FIRST NATIONAL LEAGUE GAME IS ONLY 4 WEEKS AWAY: APRIL 9th IN HOUSTON. Lets get training guys

Also, our special thanks to PEAK PERFORMANCE Physical Therapy for their sponsoship in supplying our new Jerseys for our Metro League Competition, which had their first use Sunday. We expect much more use of these in the weeks and hopefully years to come.

Hey Guys,
Here are some clips from some of the pro’s to help the new guys and remind the rest of us on some of the basic’s of this awesome sport. This week we’re covering kicking and handballing (passing) You CAN NOT play this game properly without mastering these skills accurately so checkout the clips and bring it to training Thursday.

Also: we’d like to re start a custom from last year with nominating a player of the week
For last week it’s going to be ….. wait for it ……BEACH…… Come on down!!!
Beach has not missed one session and has been working hard on those basic’s SO let take a page from his book.

A great first week of training. We worked hard at all our drills and ran hard. There’s only room for improvement, so let’s stay focused.

Just reminder, we have training Tuesday, March 1 @ Highland. NO TRAINING Thursday, Sunday, and the following Tuesday (March 3-8) due to Mardi Gras. Everyone needs to get in a little running on their own during the break.

Also, anyone who is interested and hasn’t come out yet, come and give it a go(check training section on site for details).
Everyone is always welcome, bring your shorts and cleats and come give this awesome sport a try. Just give us a shout that you’re coming @ BatonRougeTigers@gmail.com

With the season just around the corner we are getting everything together for a successful 2011. Coming up we’ll have a few casual intro training sessions and then the Annual Pre-season Barbie. Official training will start following that.

Any and all who’d like to come out and see what this awesome sport is all about are invited to come and give it a try.
Once you come out, footy fever will get you and you’ll be hooked as well!

Saturday, February 19th – Start of year BBQ
Sunday, February 20th – 1st Official Training Session, 1pm @ Westdale Middle School, then Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 @ Highland Rd BREC(see trainging schedule for more details)

Start of season BBQ will be held at 630 Royal St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, Starting at 7pm. We’ll grill, explain the sport and watch a game. So if you’re interested in finding out a bit about this fabulous sport, grab a mate and come on by, everyone’s welcome. Just look for the Aussie Flag!!!

For first time in 7 years the Tigers got together to watch the Grand Final party(Australian SuperBowl) away from any of the local area bars. With Dingo’s threatening to go offline and no other bar options leaping out at us we were really lucky when Lauren Lane (Mrs. Coach)was able to arrange the use of her apartment clubhouse for  the spectacular. This meant there were no problems with bouncers trying to make us head for the door as the game passes closing time at 2, and that we could be as loud as we wanted to. . . . And let me tell you, WOW, what a gripping Grand Final it was, especially the last quarter!!!!

The 2010 Grand Final saw Collingwood take on St. Kilda in a good old fashioned battle of the Melbourne suburbs. Collingwood entered as a hot favorite after an emphatic victory over defending champs, Geelong in the Semi-Final. The Saints however wore the scars of an agonizing defeat in the 2009 Grand Final as incentive and appeared a determined unit after a turbulant year dogged by off field allegations and the loss of Saint Nick for a significant part of the year.

Collingwood were quick out of the blocks looking like they may repeat their strong semi-final win, but credit to the Saints however, as they flowed with the early pressure of the Pies to slowly stifle the onslaught of The Magpies game. While still trailing for most of the second half it had become apparent that the Saints were hanging tough and not going to give in. With Collingwood frustrated by the inability to bury the Saints due to some inaccurate kicking one could hear the ghosts of wobbles past coming to haunt the Magpie faithful. At 3 quarter time with the Saints only a goal down it was anyone’s match.

The final term was a classic, and in our clubhouse the excitement was at fever pitch with people screaming loudly for their team and growing hoarser by the second. The adrenaline was flowing and the tension was palpable. By now the Saints had reduced the Collingwood run to a trickle and it was not long before the scores had been leveled. It was now panic stations for the Magpies, and as Brendan Goddard soared above a pack to mark and goal, putting the Saints up for the first time all day it seemed that the Collingwood nightmare was going to become a reality. Collingwood not to be denied though, replied with a quick goal setup by the courageous play of their inspirational skipper, Nick Maxwell, to tie the game up and send things to overtime!!!!!

Hold on. . . . , there is no overtime in Aussie Rules Grand Finals. What an eerie feeling it was across the ground,  indeed across the city and even spreading all the way to Baton Rouge Louisiana, as the final whistle blew and the spent and bewildered players on both teams could only drop to the ground in sheer exhaustion following the most epic of grand finals. A DRAW!!! one of only 3 draws in over 150 years of Aussie Rules history, No Overtime, No sudden death and  the only way to find the overall chanpion was to regroup and come back again in 1 week for a rematch and fight again for the glory of the 2010 premiership!!!

REMATCH !!!!!

With the no overtime rule a rematch was scheduled for the following week and Lauren was again gracious to allow the use of her clubhouse. Unfortunately the rematch would not live up to the drama of the previous week( really, how could it?).

It seemed that the Saints were a spent force from the moment the game started as they were never really in the game. It was ultimately a just result as Collingwood had struggled the previous week while the Saints you felt had given everything in battling to a stalemate. With St. Kilda failing at the final hurdle for a third time in 2 years you wonder if a premiership is on the horizon for this group of Saints that now seem destined to only add to the history of failure at a club who has tasted premiership glory only once in over 100 years. While ultimately the replay was a disappointing spectacle, you can never argue with another week of footy.

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it and who contributed so much to the 2010 season and we look forward to another great year of footy in 2011.

On a glorious Spring morning that felt more like the middle of July the Tigers played host to the boys from Dallas and Atlanta. While still smarting from the Austin weekend (Rob’s nose certainly looked pretty ordinary) the BR-Houston team was looking for a little bit of redemption. While the challenge of Dallas loomed large, especially given their tremendous form all year (especially on the road which is a real credit to the Magpies), the BR boys highlighted the Atlanta game to lay it all on the line.

As game time rolled around the Baton Rouge lineup were severely depleted by all manner of forces. Peloton Peeps had crashed his bike out on the second to last corner, Mop was restricted to the role of field umpire, Fit Mick disappearing into the wild and Conan LaRose was crippled by his summer soccer exploits. All whining aside, we were still able to manage a solid side, especially given the contribution from the Houston boys.

Game one pitted the Tiger combo against the Kookas with the Atlanta squad immediately piled on the pressure. With their seasoned legs fresh, and a very impressive and experienced midfield led by the skillful Danny Searle the Kookas dominated the first half with 7 unanswered goals. It was certainly a disappointing start for the home side, but to the credit of the home team they played their guts out in the second half and co-ordinated to put together some really good footy and hold their own against the visitors. The game was played in the BR end of the field for much of the second half with Atlanta’s experience letting them get the ball out of the center easier and quicker. Our defense however managed to stand strong and stifle their advancing midfield. In the end the scores would show that the Tigers matched the Kookaburras in the second half, a fitting return for some great effort showing the potential of this team even when under manned. Credit to the Kookas though, who showed too much class in the first half for the Tigers and improved their BR record to 4 wins, 1 loss.

As for game 2 against Dallas, it was a struggle from the beginning as the rampant Magpies jumped to a fast start and never let the foot off the gas. Led by the stellar combo of Relf and Stores in the middle the ball endlessly seemed bottled in the Dallas half with BR’s efforts to score frequently stalling short of the goal posts. As the mercury continued to rise, and some tired legs on the BR side of the ball began to struggle, the constant pressure of Dallas was quickly reflected in the lopsided scoreboard. Importantly we did score against Dallas this time, and managed to hold them to 14 goals. A positive note with this being a huge improvement over the Austin weekend.. By my calculations that means we are moving in the right direction!

 As always lessons were learnt for the younger players like Daniel and Jason, and Irish James showed why Irishmen will always have a place in Australian Football Teams across the world. A special mention also to Minnesota who I think played his best games for the club this past weekend, and Military Mike who punished people all day long!

 Once the games were done the legendary Baton Rouge hospitality kicked into high gear. A good showing from all teams braved the heat and made it down to the LSU parade grounds at the ‘all you can eat and drink Jambalaya fiesta tailgate’ for the LSU Vs Mississippi State game.

 Three tents, 2 kegs, 30 gallons of Jambalaya, beer pong, and some very strange looks from everyone around us as we kicked the footy on the Parade Grounds made for a great way to relax after the combat of the morning’s games. It was a great way to spend the arvo, tailgating for the first LSU game of the season and hanging with the visiting teams. As the day progressed visitors and locals drifted off to watch the game in Death Valley before stepping out into BR for the night.

After a good bit of organizing and several last minute dropouts Baton Rouge headed for Austin to face off against the big boys of Texas, . . . the Dallas Magpies, and the Austin Crows. With last years trip such a great time both on and off the field there was an air of expectation about this trip. Unfortunately due to many factors, it was a modest Baton Rouge crew who were able to travel. Luckily they were well supported by a Houston team represented by solid numbers given the 12 months since their second coming.

As for the footy… it was two tough games against tough opponents and though we played hard and had impressive moments of play we were, simply put, out played by the older and stronger teams. We ultimately fielded a team of 20 that included as much inexperience as any in the Tigers 7 year existence. This would prove telling as we failed to trouble the scorer in both the Austin and Dallas encounters, and struggled to string together the 5-6 consecutive possessions required to move the ball end-to-end on the outrageously large Austin field.

That said, the effort from everyone was tremendous, particularly in the Austin game while our legs were fresh. Young Dan and Jason showed a great deal in their first serious matches, Dan impressing with his desire to contest and Jason learning some valuable lessons from defending more experienced opponents. As always Joe played with the fire and Neil did awesome, as he scratched and clawed in typical style in his admirable rucking role against younger, longer legs. For all the effort the day, the results were best summed up by the sickening head clash between Rob and Nate that resulted in both being carted from the field: a great endeavor, but a little off in the execution.

Once the work on the field was done, the recovery started, first at the field with the other teams, then off to the Annual Austin SEC Tailgate at Zilker Park. Literally hundreds of Expat Alumni from virtually all the SEC schools gathering to share stories of their schools glory days and brag on the season about to start. Good food, refreshments and good company flowed throughout the afternoon and set the mood for the night ahead. After a few hours of tailgating as only Baton Rougians truly know how to, it was back to the hotel to prepare for a night on 6^th street. First stop was a short walk from the downtown hotel to The 4^th St Lounge with both the other teams for more food and drinks and some off field banter on who took out who and what the umpire didn’t see. Once the 4^th St. lounge slowed down, people spread out onto 6^th street to meet and greet the natives and a night of losing and re-finding each other in various dives and establishments, some crashed early, some not till the wee hours. All in all a good night (really, when do we ever have a bad one?), with a few stories not to be repeated, as always.