Tigers may be history makers
EDDIE Ockenden says this year’s Tassie Tigers are chasing their own piece of history ahead of a semi-final clash against the Queensland Blades today.
Ockenden famously led the Tigers to the Australian Hockey League title in 2014 and after a thumping 11-0 quarterfinal defeat of the Northern Territory Stingers the players are in a positive mood.
“It would be fantastic to make another national final and amazing to replicate 2014,” Ockenden said from the Gold Coast. “But it’s important to remember we have a different team now, so everyone is just keen to make an AHL final.”
The Tigers beat the Blades 5-1 in Brisbane last Saturday, but both sides will be much changed after adding their Kookaburras squad members earlier this week.
The Blades welcomed back six Kookaburras, including Matthew Swann, Jake Whetton and Daniel Beale, and defeated the Victorian Vikings 6-5 on Thursday.
“Queensland have a very strong side so it’s a tough match up on their home turf,” Ockenden said. “We feel like we have been playing some good hockey throughout the AHL with solid contributions from all 16 players.
“We don’t rely on anyone or any special plays, but our success is built on a strong work ethic and we aim to be a hard team to play against.”
The Tigers topped their pool group with wins against ACT (5-1), NSW (5-4) and Queensland (5-1) before their smashing of the NT, but head coach Glenn Freeman is also staying grounded.
“Playing in the semis is a whole new ball game and as a group, we are well aware we must move on from the round robin games,” Freeman said.
The match begins at 3.30pm, with the victor progressing to face either the Canberra Lakers or New South Wales Waratahs in tomorrow’s gold medal game.
The Van Demons will compete against the Western Australia Diamonds at 10.30am in their final match for this year’s campaign, after falling to a heavy quarter-final defeat on Thursday.