Tigers Head To Melbourne For Friday Night Showdown

The Tassie Tigers head to Melbourne for a pivotal Friday night double-header against HC Melbourne, with a top-of-the-table Grand Final rematch awaiting the men and crucial points in the race for the top four on the line for the women.

The men open proceedings at 6:30pm on Friday, 6 November, followed by the women at 8:15pm at the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville.

Tigers men take on unbeaten premiers

The Tigers return to the scene of last year’s Grand Final, where HC Melbourne claimed a 3–1 win. This time, Tasmania arrives in second place, three points behind the unbeaten premiers after storming home with four final-quarter goals to beat Brisbane 4–1.

“We’re definitely looking to get them back for last year’s Grand Final, so we’re very excited,” Tigers right half Keenan Johnson said.

The Tigers have conceded first in all four matches this season, but Johnson said their response against Brisbane showed the progress they had made since the narrow loss to Canberra. Ollie Stebbings broke through early in the final quarter after sharp work from Lachie Rogers, then converted his one-on-one opportunity to put Tasmania ahead.

“We’re making a bad habit of going down 1–0 in first quarters, but I thought we were definitely better this week,” Johnson said.

“We made some adjustments and, while the scoreboard didn’t reflect that, it felt like we were in control of the game the whole way. Eventually we rolled over the top of them.”

Johnson said the win was particularly important after the Tigers’ narrow loss to Canberra.

“I think we’re in a great position sitting second on the ladder. We felt we had the better of Canberra for most of the game, so it was disappointing to drop that one. But last week against Brisbane felt like a must-win game, the way we saw it on the table, so we came away pretty happy with that one.”

Johnson has been settling into a new role at right half this season and said he was pleased with his campaign to date.

“I’m happy with how my season is going so far. It’s a new position for me. I’m just glad the coach has trusted me in that spot. I’ve still got some things to work on, but so far it’s been pretty positive.”

H.C Melbourne beat Canberra 10–2 last Friday to take its tally to 28 goals in four matches, with Nathan Ephraums leading the league on 10. Johnson said how the Tigers handle Melbourne’s press will go a long way towards deciding the contest.

“They’re setting up a pretty nasty press, looking to smash the midfielders when they get the ball and attack by getting numbers forward. It’s resulted in them scoring a lot of goals, so we need to avoid that.”

The Tigers will make two changes for Friday. Kookaburras striker Jack Welch comes into the side following a stint in Germany, with fellow international and captain Hayden Beltz unavailable due to exams.

“He’s one of the best strikers in the country,” Johnson said. “He’s a great addition. You can’t really get any better than adding a Kookaburras striker.”

Meanwhile, a hand injury to Sam McCulloch opens the door for Burras representative Oscar Sproule to make his first appearance of the season. Sproule scored 43 goals in 19 games for University at club level and is available again after a hip injury sidelined him for the opening rounds.

Tigers women look to turn defensive effort into three points

The Tigers women enter Friday's clash sitting in seventh place but just two points shy of third place in a tightly packed ladder with three rounds remaining. Saturday’s 3–3 draw with Brisbane ended in a 2–0 shootout defeat, and Tasmania now faces a second-placed Melbourne side coming off back-to-back wins over the Cobras and Canberra.

Tigers forward Phillida Bridley took encouragement from the way Tasmania held up under sustained pressure against Brisbane.

“I think we performed really well defensively. They had about 15 penalty corners, so for us to withstand that pressure and play the full 60 minutes was a great effort. I’m really proud of the girls,” Bridley said.

Bridley praised fullback Penny Squibb and goalkeeper Evie Dalton for their influence at the back.

“Obviously, we have one of the best fullbacks that Australia has ever had in Penny Squibb, and Evie Dalton is having a great season as well,” she said.

For Bridley, playing alongside Squibb has also been a chance to learn from her experience.

“With her experience on and off the pitch, she’s such an amazing woman to hear from and get feedback from. With her outlook on the game and her defensive pressure, she’s someone we've all been able to learn from.”

Bridley also welcomed the debuts of local products Stella Pritchard and Sophie Kruimink, who play alongside her at DiamondBacks at a local level.

“Stella and Sophie had really good seasons at club level, so to see them rewarded with their first Tigers game was awesome,” she said.

The Tigers will take an unchanged side into Friday’s match. With Melbourne coming off a 2–0 win over Canberra, Bridley said the challenge was to build on Tasmania’s defensive work and put more pressure on the hosts at the other end.

“Defensively we’ve been playing really well, but now we need to move the ball up the field and score more goals,” she said.

“They’ve got really good players all over the field, so we need to work on those connections and really look to put some attacking pressure on them. We need those three points to help us push up the ladder and get into the finals mix.”

It promises to be a high-stakes encounter, with a win on Friday night potentially lifting the Tigers as high as third, whilst a defeat would leave them outside the top four, needing to win their final two matches and hope other results go their way.

“We definitely need the win given where we’re at,” Bridley said. “We need those three points to help us push up the ladder as we look to get into the finals mix.”

Round 5 | HC Melbourne v Tassie Tigers
📅 Friday, 6 November
📍 State Netball and Hockey Centre, Parkville
🏑 Men 6:30pm | Women 8:15pm AEDT

Watch both games LIVE on 7PLUS