School is in as Tigers aim to learn from the best

TRENT Baumeler’s young Tigers will get the best work experience match payments can buy when they take on reigning premier and the TSL’s No. 1 team North Launceston at the Twin Ovals today.

Boasting the most talented team in Tasmania, the Northern Bombers are a cut above, and Baumeler believes his boys can only benefit from a contest against the likes of Brad CoxGoodyer, Mark Walsh and their coach Taylor Whitford.

“There are some great players in their team to give us some good match-ups and give our guys on-the-job training, which can only help us,” Baumeler said.

“Last week they had CoxGoodyer and Whitford starting onball. For our guys like Will Campbell, Lachie Clifford, Sam Duigan and Blake Grant to be going up against those guys in the midfield is awesome. That’s good on-the-job training.

“And down back, when Cox-Goodyer rolls forward, one of our young guys will get a chance to stand next to him and learn some stuff about how to defend a class player.

“It’s exciting to expose our guys to those sorts of players.”

The Tigers have played North Launceston twice this season, both at UTas Stadium, for a 62-point loss in Round 2 and a 30-point loss in Round 9.

Baumeler says North Launceston should be wary of the Tigers on their home deck, where they upset Launceston in Round 13. “I hope so,” he said. “Every week we go in with a plan to win — we’re not just there to make up the numbers.

“We want to win the game, first and foremost.

“We see how the first quarter, first half unfolds and we adjust plans A, B and C from there if things happen to go pear shaped.”

That the Tigers finished strongly against the Bombers seven weeks ago gives Baumeler hope of another solid per- formance. “We had a really good patch against them last time. In the last 15 minutes of the last quarter we were able to kick five goals in a row,” Baumeler said.

“There are some things that work for us against them so we will be trying to implement those. But Taylor would have looked at that tape and they will be well prepared for it — so it’s going to be a good challenge.”