Tahs and Tigers to test form

IT’S not often opposing coaches take a similar philosophy into a game of Australian football.

But that is the case at Gardens Oval today when Tahs coach Ryan Ayres and his Nightcliff rival Chris Baksh lock horns in the annual Battle of the Beaches NTFL clash at the city ground.

Both coaches are coming off big wins in Round 2, Waratah surprising everyone, including themselves, by beating the Tiwi Bombers by 74 points and Nightcliff running over the top of a disappointing Palmerston by 85 points.

Ayres told the NT News earlier this week the game presented his players with an opportunity to see exactly where they are at.

The red and whites go in with a similar side to the one that destroyed the Bombers, five-goal forward Lachlan Collihole named on a forward flank and the multiskilled Timmy Mosquito in a ruck roving role.

There is even a blast from the past in this week’s side, with Brad Rayson, a key player in the Tahs sides of the early noughties named as first rover.

Baksh also views the 4pm game as a litmus test, saying Tahs on their home ground would be a big challenge.

“It gives us a chance to see where the side is in terms of week-to-week consistency,’’ he said.

Popular Tiger Jonathan “Boyo’’ Peris plays his 150th game in the black and yellow jumper, continuing a family tradition at Nightcliff that can be traced back to the 1960s.