Tigers boss hails ‘massive growth’ after loss

IT was heartbreak for the Tigers after losing their fierce semi-final to Clarence at Blundstone Arena but coach Trent Baumeler walked away proud of the growth in his team in 2021.

“It’s bitterly disappointing when a season comes to an end, especially after we’ve had so much growth this year as a group and a footy club,” Baumeler said.

“You want to keep ‘dancing’ but unfortunately Clarence was too good for us and we’ll move on and stick together and slowly start to think about next year.

“You look at the growth of the group. We lost some players but the big thing was winning more games than we lost, having our percentage over 100, it shows massive growth and maturity that comes with time.”

The Tigers created chances inside 50m but literally could not get the ball over the line often enough to kick a winning score. “At half-time the scoring shots and inside 50s were even but we didn’t get too many clean looks at goal,” Baumeler said

“We had to toil for our opportunities and it was really good for our guys to experience that kind of heat, especially in the first quarter when there was some serious pressure around the ball.

“It was a frustrating, scrappy day.” The Tigers will try to retain their playing list before head-hunting top-up recruits.