His inclusion in the NSW / ACT RAMS team for 2012 is testament of the abilities he has displayed this season when playing for the Tigers in the NEAFL competition.

Everyone in Tiger Land wishes Sam all the very best with his inclusion in the team and participation in the TAC Cup competition over the next couple of months.

The TAC Cup is seen as the pathway for draft selection into the AFL competition proper.

Also Congratulations to Seven Tigers who will represent the NEAFL Eastern Conference next weekend on the Gold Coast.

Selected in the NSW/ACT U21 Grade Team to play QLD/NT U21 are: Steve Jolliffe, Ben Klemke and Andrew Swan

Selected in the NEAFL Eastern Conference Team to play the Northern Conference are: Kaine Stevens, Toby Conroy, Kade Klemke and Josh Bryce.

Travelling with the teams will be the Tigers Sports Medicine duo of Fred Gisik and Chrissy Craven.

Jacinta Froud – known to most as Splinta – will play her 100th game of Women’s league football when she plays for the Tigerettes v ADFA at Dairy Farmers Park on Thursday 24 May commencing at 7.00pm.

Splinta first began her career at the now defunct Harman Hogs ladies team, playing 12 games for them in 2000. When the team folded Splinta crossed to Tuggeranong and played 69 games in a decorated career from 2001-05 that included a premiership in 2004 and a League Best & Fairest in 2005. She was also named in the ACTWAFL Team of the Decade in 2007.

In 2006 Splinta’s footy career was put on hold when she moved with her husband Aaron (150 game player at Harman) to Gunnedah for the start of Splinta’s teaching career.

In early 2009 Splinta returned to Canberra and had intended to return to Tuggeranong however fate intervened and her return to football was delayed by the birth of her first child Eve. A chance meeting between Splinta and Pav at the Harman Presentation evening in 2009 resulted in the creation of the Tigerettes.

Splinta was the inaugural captain of the Tigerettes in 2010, leading from the front and not missing a game on her way to a 5th place in the club B&F and the Most Consistent Award.

She then missed the 2011 season due to the birth of her second child Blake but has returned in 2012 to again lead the team and her 19th game for the Tigerettes will be her 100th overall.

Jacinta is a fantastic person off the field and has helped to create a great team environment at the Tigerettes.

The Tigerettes and the entire club congratulate Splinta on her achievement and it will be great to have plenty of support at Dairy Farmers Park on Thursday night to help celebrate.

Ben Klemke joined the Queanbeyan Tigers Club this year after being referred to the Club by new Coach and distant cousin Kade Klemke.

A strapping tall youngster he played with his home club Henty last season. Prior to this he was a member of the TAC Cup Under 18 Grade Murray Bushrangers team

He is a key positional player in the Tigers forward line and is enjoying a strong opening to the 2012 NEAFL Eastern Conference with his new Club.

Club Captain Ryan Quade said ” Ben is a fantastic club person both on and off the field and the longer the season unfolds the better he will play” quote.

“Ive really enjoyed the move to Queanbeyan this year and playing in the NEAFL has been a big step up. We’ve been playing some great team footy so far this year and hopefully we can keep it up this weekend against Belconnen. I’m really happy to have received the nomination this week.” Klemke added.

Tigers Coach Kade Klemke led the way last Sunday with an inspirational game to assist the team maintain number one position on the NEAFL Eastern Conference table.

Along with partner in crime Josh Bryce, the pair were impassable across the half backline repeatedly turning defence into attack.

It was a top of the table clash, but the Sydney Hills Eagles left their early season form in the big city offering just token resistance to the local’s relentless attack on the footy.

In cold conditions and in front of a small crowd, those in attendance witnessed a clinical display by the Tigers. (Playing a game on Mothers day at 11.45am is surely not the best time for a NEAFL game – especially against a Sydney based team).

Once again James Kavanagh was a dominant goal kicker with 6. Alongside him, the effervescent Brett Fruend added another 4 to his already impressive tally this year.

Captain Ryan Quade returned to his best with a solid four quarter display which included three quality goals.

One name keeps bobbing up – the skill of Kaine Stevens this year is exceptional. His delivery of the ball into the forward line allows tremendous opportunities to all forward line players.

No one enjoys winning more than Neil Irwin. His development and strength this year has formed a strong ruck division with Quade and newcomers Nathan Kerlin and Ben Klemke.

The Tigers AFL Canberra Division 1 team turned the tables on the Magpies for the first time this year after two previous defeats against last years grand final opponents.

For the third time in 7 matches the two teams lined up against each other with the previous results favouring the Magpies by 4 points and 12 points respectively.
Belconnen went into the game undefeated.

With yet another week of changes (7 in total), the Tigers fielded a competitive team and for the first time this year finally displayed what was expected of them.

One name keeps bobbing up week after week – that of Ben Walsh. The big fella has been outstanding in recent weeks taking all before him in the ruck and around the ground.

NEAFL player Matt Liddle has regained form (after injury) that has seen him play 122 First grade games for the Club. His on field presence and enthusiasm has seen many youngsters take note in the manner in which he presents himself in tight contests.

The surprise packet up forward has been that of Beau Watts. Yet another bag full of goals to his credit. Sam Daniel posted a couple of gems from impossible angles.

His unavailability for a number of weeks will hurt both senior grade teams. A few youngsters deserve mention. Game time is important for their development with Jake Oram, Michael Redmond, Elie Maatouk and Dylan Bevan all providing plenty of strong play during their time on the field.

Another pushing (again) for NEAFL selection is speedster Liam Walker Eastick who gives plenty of options at either end off the ground. Sean Kelly and Casey Walsh are two highly skillful players – both giving strong performances last weekend.

The Tigers NEAFL team had a comprehensive win over Sydney University last Sunday with a classy and dominant first half display.

An eight goal opening term paved the way for a commanding half time lead in front of a respectable crowd considering the early start of the match.

The Tigers first quarter was probably as good as you could expect from this young team. Will Griggs was outstanding as was Kaine Stevens who continues to play with strong purpose and endeavour in his second full year of senior grade football.

Toby Conroy is racking up the stats like no other.Up forward James Kavanagh posted 6 goals to take his tally to 26 for the year and the goal kicking lead in the Eastern Conference competition.

Brett Fruend took the field for his 100th Club appearance and played one of his best NEAFL games for the club. He posted four goals for his efforts.

The Tigers back-line also dominated with Andrew Swan enjoying his time back on the field after an injury riddled 2011. “Old timer” Roy Jaques is also having a stellar season along with Jeremy Kirkwood down back.

Sydney Uni adopted different tactics in the third term and held the Tigers to just one goal, posting four unanswered goals to make their score respectable at 3/4 time.

The reigning Premiers have really struck a tough draw this year with another loss against early premiership favourites Eastlake.

The Demons have a strong line up right across every line in their team defeating the Tigers by 12 points in an entertaining match.

Missed opportunities in front of goal robbed the home team of providing an upset on the day but nothing can be taken away from the visitors who proved too strong by the final siren.

The Tigers had some senior grade experience in their line up with Matt Liddle starting to find some of the form that has earned him 122 First Grade games to his credit.

Tom Hollis is another with plenty of senior grade games under his belt and it shows with his attack and endeavour at either end of the ground.

A feature of the match was the spectacular mark by Chase Grintell in the goal mouth. If this youngster could do this on a regular basis he would certainly push for a senior grade berth.

Ryan Price has also started to hit his straps but could earn a rest courtesy of the umpires for a late indiscretion.

In a quirk of the draw, the Tigers line up yet again against Belconnen for the third time already this year after just 7 rounds. There is a repeat of this Sundays game again a fortnight with a bye in between.

The Tigers Rising Stars Under 18 Grade team were dealt three suspensions from their win the previous week against Ainslie.

Missing from the line up were talented youngsters James Armstrong, Mitch Price and Cody Haub after the tribunal found them guilty for varying reasons last Thursday evening.

For a team that remains unbeaten it was cruel blow coming into the match against Eastlake last Sunday.

The team also had a number of others missing but provided the Demons stiff opposition during the match. Eastlake to their credit also had a number of players absent.

The game went down to the final siren with a decision going against the Tigers in the last minute. The reversal of a strong mark in the goal square that would have earned the Tigers a goal (at the worst a point) resulted in the game being a draw.

It was a disappointing end to a good contest with the decision going against the Tigers for apparently “bad language” .

Justin Galloway played his second strong game in succession. The big fella has all the attributes of becoming a player of the future for the Tigers at senior grade level.

Johno Bowyer was again strong coming out of the back-line. His delivery and decision making is improving every week.

As has been the case this season the team mixed a good quarter with some ordinary ones and until it can learn to concentrate on playing four quarters of football won’t be able to challenge the stronger teams in this competition.

For the Tigerettes Em was fantastic again at full back, Irish had her best game for the year at Centre Half Back, Kodie tried very hard in the ruck, solo after JV went down early with an ankle injury after a promising start, and D made the most of limited opportunities up forward to kick a couple of clever goals in the second term.

Sundays match against the Sydney University will be a special occasion for one of the Tigers Favourites sons with the playing of the 100th Club Game for Brett Fruend.

This is a fantastic achievement for this likable character.

His inclusion in the NEAFL team this year highlights the work and commitment in recent years to his fitness levels and work ethic to make it into the top grade consistently.

The GWS GIANTS won an entertaining match by 4 points last Saturday at the Blacktown Sports Centre. Time ran out for the Tigers who were gaining momentum as the game progressed.

Had the siren not sounded there was no doubt the visitors would have walked away with a thrilling win over their counterparts.

Although the GIANTS held sway for the majority of the first three quarters great credit is due to the manner in which the Tigers stuck to the task eventually turning the match around.

Three posters in the opening first quarter (and one after) dealt the Tigers an early blow and they seemed not able to recover against a side that showed pace and cleaner disposal early in the game.

There are positives signs coming from the Tigers first loss of the season. Being able to chase down an AFL based team shows growing confidence for such a young outfit. The loss of Will Griggs at half time through injury clearly robbed the team of one of the form players so far this year – yet they still managed to claw their way back into the game after a team reshuffle at ¾ time.

The performance of 17 year old Sam Jensen has been fantastic this year. He continually receives plenty of attention from his opponents but just plays the game without any retaliation.

James Kavanagh provided plenty of options up forward posting 4 goals. Jarrod Atkinson is adapting well to his new surroundings and goals in his last two matches could well be considered for nominations in the goal of the year award.

Steve Jolliffe provided plenty of bite around the packs as did Kaine Stevens who is also enjoying a stellar year so far.

The inclusion of Kieran Shea from the Tigers Rising Star Under 18 Grade team is another positive for the NEAFL team. He didn’t let anyone down in his first senior grade team.

For the fifth match in a row, the Tigers were severely restricted with player unavailability and injuries yet they were able to provide stiff opposition to competition front runners Belconnen Magpies at Jamison Oval.

Coach Pavese had to draw on four players who had not trained this year let alone play a game but the match was in the balance up until the final minutes. Some bewildering decisions went against the team throughout the contest – three of which resulted in goals within the 50m ark.

Regardless of the loss there were some strong performances. Nathan Kerlin certainly showed selectors he is back in contention to regain a NEAFL spot.

The Tigers Rising Stars combination certainly rose to the occasion against Ainslie at Ainslie Oval.

Without five regular players they were able to contain an enthusiastic Ainslie combination who dominated proceedings early.

Justin Galloway played his best game for the Club with some towering marks and long kicks out of defence.

The unassuming Adam Lee is as solid as a rock and shows plenty of character to win the hard ball. There was no better than Steve Camp last Sunday. He dominated throughout the match for a best on ground performance.

Jason Taylor was another with plenty of endeavour to contest and win the hard ball. It was good to see Daniel Hespe return to the goal kicking list with some strong marking up forward as did Ethan Callender.

The first half proved that the Tigerettes at their best can match it with any one in 2012 keeping a clearly frustrated Eastlake to just the one goal from two scoring shots. However as good teams do Eastlake lifted a gear in the second half and our girls failed to run with them.

Highlights for the Tigerettes included Shorty’s outstanding four quarter performance in defence, Hannah’s tireless efforts through the midfield, JV’s performance as the second ruck, the continued improvement of our new players Liv, Irish and Kodie and a great snap from Dougie to post our only goal after fantastic lead up work from JV, Siau and Hannah.

Going from competition easy beats to being competitive is one small step, but it will take a much larger step to improve even further to get a result against the established gun teams, including playing at their best for the entire four quarters.