Tigers dish out hiding on rebound

Seagulls crash to first loss of season

ANOTHER bombshell result has rocked the Bellarine Football League after ladderleader Barwon Heads suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of a clinical Torquay.

Jolted into action after an upset loss to Queenscliff, the Tigers have arguably taken the mantle as clubhouse leader for premiership favouritism after a stunning 89-point win at Howard Harmer Oval.

The Tigers dismantled the Seagulls in every area, extending their lead at every break on the back of a ruthless midfield performance and slick ball movement in the thumping win.

“I’d have to say we did a lot of homework as a team, but none more so than any other, there’s only so many hours in the week,” Torquay coach Dom Gleeson said.

“With what we put in place and what I saw against Anglesea, I think (the boys) listened and applied it really well.”

The Tigers’ forward system was the highlight of the day, with 12 individual goal kickers hitting the scoreboard after four quarters of sustained, high-level football.

“It’s definitely something as a midfield group that we try to get scoreboard pressure,” Gleeson said.

“We recruited a forward line — we really needed a forward line around Scott Hughes and that’s what we did by getting Paul McMahon and Billy Henderson into the team.

“And then obviously you saw young (Tom) Cole in his first game (for the year) who had a few shots on goal, too.

“We were a little bit, I suppose, more measured with the ball in hand today.

“We were a little bit gungho last week and rushed at times . . . we knew we were coming up against a really balanced side like Barwon Heads, particularly in defence.”

After a disappointing loss to Queenscliff last week, defence was a key area addressed during the week.

“It was something we lacked last week,” Gleeson said.

“Whether our guys rested on their laurels a bit by playing some decent footy being 7-0 (before last weekend’s Queenscliff game) — now we’re 8-1 — so it was a definite focus.”

The Tigers played a strong contested game, but Gleeson said there was always room for improvement.

“We’ve been working on that a lot and it’s not luck — we can always improve more,” he said.

McMahon topped the goal kickers, kicking three majors to help his side bring home the win. His contribution this season has been solid but with scope for improvement, averaging two goals a game.

“He is getting a little bit more consistent,” Gleeson said.

“We are finally getting some consistency in him . . . I thought he was really good.

“He provided a lot of pressure up forward but also got some scoreboard pressure (on Barwon Heads).”

Debutant Cole, alongside ruckman Josh Hovey and Tyler Lovell, were the pick of a strong group of players for the Tigers, as they continue to sit second on the ladder, but with a game in hand.