Tigers face fire test against raging Blaze
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 THE Tassie Tigers have ventured on a tough double-header road trip that could make or break their Hockey One men’s campaign.
The Tigers head into the Brisbane Blaze’s furnace tonight from 8.30pm, arguably the toughest away trip in the sport with the Blaze sitting with a perfect 3-0 record and on top of the ladder.
They then face a quick back-up, playing the Canberra Chill in the nation’s capital on Sunday at 3.30pm. Beset by flight delays yesterday, the Tigers arrived in Brisbane last night and fullback Ben Read says the side is keen to avenge last year’s 9-4 semi-final loss to the Blaze.
“There’s no doubt that playing against Brisbane away under lights is one of the hardest trips in the competition,” Read said. “We’re really excited for the challenge ahead and we feel like there’s some unfinished business after our semifinal against them last year on the Gold Coast.”
The Tigers have named debutant goalkeeper Henry Chambers, along with welcoming back Jeremy Hayward and Kurt Budgeon.
“Getting Jez Hayward back into the group will be a massive boost, both to our backline but also our penalty corner battery,” Read said.
“We’re very confident in Henry’s abilities in goal. He works extremely hard and there’s no doubt he’s ready to take this opportunity with both hands. We’re wary of giving away penalty corners as all five of their goals came from drag flicks against the Adelaide Fire last week, with Joel Rintala slotting four goals.”
Read identified Kookaburras trio Matt Swann, World Player of the Year nominee Jake Whetton and Daniel Beale as their key dangers.
“Whoever wins the midfield battle will go a long way towards winning the game and we know we need to win another two or three games before we are in contention for the top four. We know Eddie Ockenden is always firing for us, so we need the whole squad to stand up and play well.”
The Tigers will add fresh legs with returning Kookaburras forward Jack Welch and Oliver Smith coming in at the expense of Josh Mardell and Kurt Budgeon, for Sunday’s clash with the Chill.