Tigers vs. Crows: A Mother’s Day Extravaganza

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On Saturday, May 8th, the Tigers took on the Austin Crows in a match that would continue to reveal the strength and the flaws in this season’s Baton Rouge side.

The sun burned off some early cloud cover and some soccer tots were booted off their fields for the 1pm start time.  With a light breeze, temps in the low 80s, and a fast, firm ground, the scene was set for a good afternoon of football.

With early season standout Minnesota James Kavanaugh sidelined with a torn calf muscle and rookie ruckman Daz Duhnke carrying a niggling shoulder injury into the match, the Tigers opted to employ a conservative ruck strategy to compliment their defense-minded structure.  Playing 16s instead of the full 18s, the Tigers keep a complete fullback and halfback line at the expense of their forwards.

To further mix up their forward structure, the Tigers used first-gamer Lindy Dentinger in a hybrid half-forward/midfield role to accentuate his greatest skills: tackling and crumbing.

The lineup was built to pressure the Crows’ offensive thrusts while allowing the Tigers’ streaming defenders to use their run and carry to bring the ball to the forward 50.  While lacking a power forward this season, the Tigers have some key scrappy small forwards in Peepers Phillips, Rugby Ray Chastain, and Jeff Horn.

Once referee (and occasional Tiger) Nathan Lane tossed the ball up to start the match, the Tigers’ pre-game strategy seemed to pay off.  Dentinger cleaned up some messy ground-level play and kicked Baton Rouge’s first goal, putting a charge in the home side.

Veteran Bo Hilty rucked valiantly against a taller, stronger Austin big man, and early in the match the Tigers’ defensive-minded on-ball play of Duhnke, Mickey Kleinhenz, and Tyler Smith managed to win the majority of the contested ball.

Ageless wonder Neil Stebbing directed the defense from the fullback position and the running power of streaming defenders Irish James Morris and Aaron LaRose had an immediate impact as they cut through the Crows lines.

But while the aggressiveness of the Tigers defense provided an immediate counter-attack, it also allowed the Crows to play the ball over the top and score some easy goals.

Once the game settled into a rhythm, the Crows’ superior off-the-ball movement also gave the Tigers trouble.  With the Tigers’ midfield and half-backs often neglecting positioning to apply forward pressure, Austin was allowed to control the middle of the ground and quickly re-distribute the ball into their forward line on the rebound.

Despite making halftime corrections, the Tigers inexperience revealed itself again as Austin continued to use savvy passing to repeatedly surge into the Baton Rouge half.  Despite the hard-running brilliance of Kleinhenz, who repeatedly hauled in contested marks and tackled ferociously, and the dogged determination of huge on-baller Duhnke, Austin’s midfield experience won the day. As the Crows adapted their ruck strategy, they began winning the majority of the clearances and got clean delivery to their frontlines.

But that’s not to say the Tigers didn’t have their moments of excitement.

Jeff Horn, one of the Tigers’ most improved players, bagged two goals.  Despite seeing less of the ball in the second half, Dentinger tackled hard like the good old country boy he is.  Mason Suri Adams kicked a beautiful running goal from 35 meters out at an angle.  Taylor Flea Braud battled through 2 cracked ribs to play his most physical and consistent game of footy yet.  Although he lost at least one mark to his diamond-hard pectorals, Peepers Phillips led hard and played smart footy.

At the end of the day, Austin prevailed 14.11 (95) to 6.4 (40).

As the Tigers are in the midst of rebuilding with a largely inexperienced side, they used this game as a measuring stick to determine their progress toward the ultimate goal of competing strongly at nationals.  Progress is definitely being made as new players are picking up skills and learning how to fit into the side.  Veteran players are returning to the team and morale is high.

And although the Tigers conceded defeat to the Crows, who were simply better on the day, they conducted themselves with class on and off the field.  Despite facing a lopsided scoreboard in the second half, the boys from Baton Rouge played hard and ran their guts out to the final whistle.

The Tigers will take on newcomers Houston in three consecutive matches starting this Saturday, May 22 at 1pm at Clark Park in Baton Rouge.

Final Score: Austin 14.11 (95) to Baton Rouge 6.4 (40)

Best: Mickey Kleinhenz, Lindy Dentinger, James Morris, Daz Duhnke, Jeff Horn.

Goals: Horn (2), Kleinhenz, Dentinger, Taylor Braud, Mason Adams

Injuries: Neil Stebbing (foot)

Reports: None

The Crows Are Coming…

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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

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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.

Fitness Suggestions

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If you have 45 minutes free, you can put in a decent workout to boost your fitness. As a team, we concentrate on basic fitness–building aerobic fitness and stamina. So here’s a workout you can do in 45 minutes:

12 minutes interval running: 30 seconds hard, 1 minute easy. Seguing into…
8 minutes interval running: 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy. Then finishing with…
12 minutes interval running: 30 seconds hard, 1 minute easy.

Then, moving quickly, 5 sets of 20 push-ups alternating with 5 sets of 20 (or so depending on exercise) ab exercises. Leg lifts, crunches, bicyling, accordians, those other hard ones I can’t remember…

See Aussie Rules Training for more information: http://www.aussierulestraining.blogspot.com/

Other footy-specific running you can do: hill sprints, shuttle runs, 400 meter sprints, in-and-out (20 meters between cones). You can also do intervals on your bike if your shins/joints are sore from training.

To build up long-running fitness, try intervals at 4 minutes hard, 4 minutes easy.

Tigers Falter at Crawfish Cup Tourney (part 1)

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This past weekend, a combined squad of Houston and Baton Rouge met to take on the Dallas Magpies and the Austin Crows in the annual Crawfish Cup in Dallas. This year, the winner of the Cup would be determined by a Nationals-style round-robin tourney.

Tactics heading into the tourney: focus, firstly, on tackling. Tackle hard. Tackle constantly. Work the ball up the flanks. Always find a loose man. Talk constantly.

The Tigers and Dallas lined up for the 10 am match before the Crows straggled in from their drive up from Dallas. Despite thunderstorms the night before, some morning sun blotted up the remaining water on the well-drained pitch and conditions promised to be fast at ground level. Unfortunately, a strong, unrelenting wind blew across the length of the field all day and if we are honest about thing, Mother Nature would clearly get best on ground. Only one goal was kicked against the smothering breeze all day.

With Tiger captain and fullback Rob Montanaro winning the toss, the Tigers elected to battle the conditions in the first half. This proved to be a questionable decision as the Tigers, a combination of veterans rusty from a 4-week gap between matches and debutants, wilted under the onslaught of a well-oiled Dallas squad and the unceasing wind. Dallas put up 9 goals in the first half from a variety of sources.

But despite being put under the pump early by the reigning premiers, the Tigers battled on. Minnesota James Kavanagh played admirably in his first match as centreman, applying defensive pressure and using his mobility to jumpstart some short-lived charges into the wind. Houston’s Justin Vaugh was a ball magnet and constantly prowled the packs.

Unlike previous encounters with Dallas, the Tigers never conceded the fight and played scrappy, if sloppy football once the initial shock of the wind and their opposition wore off.

In the second half, the Tigers immediately put the Magpies against the wall and the wind pinned them there. After spending the first half trying to turn the Magpie tide, the boys from Baton Rouge finally got a taste of some winning footy. Although the midfield and ruck struggled against the class of Dallas a bit, the Tigers held the Pies to a single behind for the half while working the ball upfield with some beautiful passages of play.

Across the board, the Tigers played much better in the second half, but few players stood out as match winners. Winger Flea Braud got plenty of the ball in his first match of the season. Houston’s Dan Holwerda and Matt Stevens chipped in some key ball movement and tackles. Rugby Ray Chastain showed why he’s a promising recruit at half forward with his ability to play space, find the ball, and turn-and-shoot.

But ultimately, although the Tigers played spirited, relatively clean football, they could only manage a single goal with the wind and were once again reminded of the hard work ahead to compete with clubs of Dallas’s stature.

Final Score: Dallas 9.4.58 to Baton Rouge 1.5.11

Best: Minnesota James Kavanaugh, Justin Vaughn, Dan Holwerda, Matt Stevens, Taylor Braud

Think Melbourne Demons

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The team we should model ourselves on this season is the Melbourne Demons. They feature a number of young, inexperienced players but they’re stringing together wins. The biggest was this past weekend against previously unbeaten Brisbane.

The Lions are bigger, more seasoned with a number of triple-premier players (+ Fevola), and arguably more skilled. But the Demons had two keys to their victory that we can copy: strong, aggressive, and constant tackling and using their young legs to stymie the big bad Lions.

Highlights below. Watch how aggressive tackling can turn the once-intimidated into the intimidators:

In nearly every match this years, especially when it comes time for Nationals, we’ll give away