TIGERS DODGE BOMBERS
NIGHTCLIFF V TIWI BOMBERS BEST 3.3 7.3 11.9 15.12 4.2 10.5 11.5 13.8 GOALS NIGHTCLIFF survived a major scare against the Tiwi Bombers yesterday, coming back from a 20-point halftime deficit to claim a second consecutive victory to start its 2017-18 campaign.
The Tigers kicked eight goals to Tiwi’s three in the second half after the Bombers had proved too sharp and energetic through the first two quarters.
Brenton Toy’s side was dynamic transitioning from halfback, before outnumbering the Tigers in the forward line when on top.
Cam Ilet led Nightcliff’s resurgence, with the former St Mary’s star kicking five goals to go with three from Liam Holt-Fitz.
Nightcliff coach Chris Baksh said it was always going to be a tough assignment after making nine changes to his Round 1 line-up.
“We had to pick our best available and obviously a bit had gone on through the week, but it gives young guys opportunities and lucky for us they stood up. We changed our midfield and our young fellas responded after halftime,” he said.
Ross Tungatalum made a huge difference in his first outing of the season for Tiwi. He was explosive in the midfield and imposing without the ball. One first-half tackle from Tungatalum caught Nightcliff holding the ball inside its defensive 50, before he stepped up and nailed the free kick for a goal.
The Bombers’ Toy said he was thrilled with how Tiwi stood up to the premiership favourites.
“We had a chat and said we should consider it as a win,” Toy said.
“The improvement came from a really solid session on Thursday night and a good video session (yesterday) morning. The things we talked about in the video session; the spread, the starting points, the boys just nailed them all.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted to but they did the things I asked of them and that’s a win for us.
“Our leg speed and that footy on the outside, once we get the confidence to pull the trigger, our opposition are going to find it really hard to go with us.”