Tigers ready for proud Blues to bounce back
Despite Launceston’s 162point round 1 defeat, Kingborough coach Trent Baumeler insists his side won’t be taking the Blues lightly on Saturday.
The three-time TSL premiers were handed a football lesson by cross-town rivals North Launceston in round 1, with their goalless performance one of the worst days for the former competition powerhouse in recent memory.
On the other hand, Baumeler’s side showed no signs of a premiership hangover in its 59-point win over North Hobart, with the 2022 grand final opponents now set to meet at Windsor Park in round 2.
The two clubs have built one of the competition’s more heated rivalries in recent seasons but the Tigers will face a new-look and much younger Launceston outfit than in previous seasons.
But despite the Blues’ heavy loss and significant player turnover, Baumeler said his side would not expect
Kingborough coach
another performance like that from Mitch Thorp’s side.
“That (result) won’t happen again, Launceston are a good team with good players,” he said.
“Brodie Palfreyman is a top-10 player in the comp and their ruckman Jake Kilby from the NTFA competed really strongly with Alex Lee, so Jack (Tomkinson) and Marcus (Gardner) will have their work cut out with that. They are a proud footy club so there will be a response and we will prepare for that.”
Baumeler was relatively pleased with his side’s showing in round 1, with the work of his midfield group key in the win.
Baumeler was excited that the return of a former player in Riley Ashlin had added a new dynamic to a stacked engine room.
“Riley is a really strong player and has played a lot of senior footy before he went on his travels,” he said.
“We have always seen him as that bigger midfielder and Riley coming in allows Nic Baker to go to half-back, but he can also play that role.
“It’s a bit of a regeneration of our midfield.
“Kieran (Lovell) and Eddie (Cole) played a bit more forward which allowed James Webb and Lachie Clifford, and guys like Mitch Brouwer and Ed Golding, more time in there and those guys have really stepped up in that group.
“That allows us to play Kieran and Eddie forward where they have pretty good attributes. Eddie’s pressure is elite and Kieran can hit the scoreboard and do things that other players can’t do.”
The Tigers clash against Launceston kicks off at 2pm.
They are a proud footy club so there will be a response
Trent Baumeler