TIGERS’ POST-MORTEM: INTERSTATE RAID MAY BE THE SOLUTION

TIGERS coach Trent Baumeler will tap into a pair of former cubs now on AFL lists to see if there are any suitable interstate recruits to bolster his 2019 squad.

The Tigers wrapped up this year’s TSL campaign with a narrow loss to Clarence last weekend, and showed enough in the second half of the season to suggest the club is headed in the right direction.

With nearly all the core, young group already locked away, Baumeler will turn his attention to outside signings and will use two recent draftees to help the process if he can.

“We have good contacts with guys like Mackenzie Wil- lis at Gold Coast and Kieran Lovell at Hawthorn who know the lay of the land,” Baumeler said.

“We are tapping into those blokes to see who might be available on the mainland and then it is matter of working out how you can get them here.”

While he will cast the net “far and wide” Baumeler is also bullish about the improvement that will come from within next year.

He said Cooper Sawdy and Ryan Matthews — who missed large chunks of the season — will instantly add some class, while the likes of Lachie Clifford, Blake Grant, Tyler Carter and Luke Graham all have plenty of room to grow.

“The players know what to expect now coming into the off-season … they have seen how hard you have to work to get to the level of State League footy,” he said.

“A lot of ticks [in 2018], yes we would like some more numbers in the wins column, but hopefully with another year of development, pre-season and adding some bits and pieces to our group, we can make a jump up next year.”