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3 Tigers Grades to fight for the 2024 Premiership Title!
Tim Clowry creates history!
Tim Clowry will become the 100th player to have played 100 1st Grade games in our 100th Year when he takes the field this Saturday at Football Park in this year's AFL Canberra Men’s 1st Grade Grand Final.
Tim has also been wearing Jumper #100 this year!
A fantastic achievement for one of the most popular players at the Club and comes after a break from footy last year when living in Sydney.
He rejoined the Tigers this year with the knowledge of his 100th 1st Grade game being just nine games away, but his hopes of achieving that milestone became problematic with injuries keeping him sidelined until round nine.
He hasn’t missed a 1st Grade match since and has been an integral part of the Tigers lineup as it has progressed through to its 33rd Men’s 1st Grade Grand Final since 1925.
The game commences at 3.55pm with the Tigerettes 1st and Reserve Grade teams also featuring on the day, the Reserves commencing at 9.00am and the Tigerettes 1st Grade at 11.15am
A supporter's tent / area will be available. There will be a break of approx. 2 1/2 hours between the two 1st Grade games to accommodate the AFL Canberra Men’s Reserve Grade GF being played between Ainslie and Eastlake. Supporters could take advantage of the Hellenic Clubs hospitality during this time which is adjacent to Football Park - The Hellenic Club being one of our Major Partners in 2024.
We then head back to the Tigers Club post 1st grade for the start of the End of Season celebrations - Win or Lose.
GRAND FINAL PREVIEW - Women's Reserves vs. Ainslie.
The Tigers Reserves Women have had an outstanding season with Coach Andrew Harvey guiding a mix of new and experienced players to the Grand Final for the 2nd consecutive year.
Unfortunately, in 2023, the team was stripped of playing in the decider due to an administration error, however the girls took on that disappointment and stuck fat with the club and coaches and have worked really hard to give themselves another opportunity.
Currently yet to be defeated, the Tigers have gone from strength to strength with the efforts of players such as Julie Stabler, Brooke James, Sophia Molinaro and the evergreen Lon Flakelar. Added to these players has been the goal kicking power of the tiger's girls who hold the Top 4 in the league goal kicking.
Claire O'Neill, Jill Shea, Brooke James (again) and Mindy Quade have shown great form all year and this weekend will be pivotal if the 2s are to get the job done. The defending Premiers Ainslie await our girls, and they will not give up their title easily that is for sure, although the Tigers have had their measure in 2024.
This will be a belter and if the Tigers can start well, I think they get the job done, game starts at 9.00am.
Head-to-Head 2024
Rnd 1 - QBN 3.1-19 def AFC 1.2-8
Rnd 6 - QBN 5.10-40 def AFC 0.1-1
Rnd 10 - QBN 11.7-73 def AFC 1.1-7
QF - QBN 6.12-48 def AFC 0.0-0
GRAND FINAL PREVIEW - Women's 1st Grade vs. Belconnen.
They say a year is a long time in football, well the 1st Grade Women's team have lived this in spades. Coming out of the successful Chris Clifton era that yielded 2 premierships in 4 years, the girls had a rebuilding year in 2023 and managed a 9-6 win/loss record eventually bowing out in the 2023 Preliminary Final by 33pts.
Fast forward 12 months, a big preseason, addition of 5 new players and the steady belief and improvement of basically the same group and the girls find themselves back in the Grand Final - the tigers girls 6th Grand Final appearance in the last 7yrs. (not counting the cancelled 2021 covid season)
The improvement is full credit to all involved as the girls have worked their backsides off and led by the entire group. Anita Manning has really stood up in 2024 in the absence of skipper Jayde Hamilton who missed the first 8 games coming back from injury and added to the improvement has been the injection of former VFLW players Trish Muller and Grace Buchan.
On top of the above has been the scope of improvement in the current list has been huge with Madi Lustri taking her game to new levels, youngsters Em Vosnakes, Maggie Robinson and Mia Jones developing their games while Emma Dunn, Phoebe Highfield and newcomer Montana Dove all having big impacts in 2024.
They come up against another powerhouse club in Belconnen who played in the 2023 decider so they will have the experience of being there recently and are always tough opposition.
These two teams match up well on each other and it'll be the team that settles the quickest that should grab the title in 2024, game starts at 11.55am.
Head-to-Head 2024
Rnd 4 - QBN 5.4-34 def BMFC 4.4-28
Rnd 9 - QBN 9.9-63 def BMFC 0.4-4
Rnd 13 - QBN 5.13-43 def BMFC 1.4-10
QF - QBN 6.5-41 def BMFC 3.4-22
GRAND FINAL PREVIEW - Men's 1st Grade vs. Eastlake.
THE CLASH OF THE YEAR!
The build up to this game started way back in February when both clubs seen a host of players come to their respective clubs over the preseason.
The Tigers had an influx of returning premiership stars post their foray to the country all wanting to be part of the 100yr celebrations while Eastlake under a new coach recruited heavily also bring some former players back to their club.
This year's AFL Canberra men's comp has been the closest for many a year with anyone in the Top 4 a chance to upset the other on a given weekend so picking a winner this Saturday will again be a toss of the coin.
What the Tigers can rely on is they have a huge amount of experience with players that have been on the big stage before over the last 4 years and know how to get the job done. This will be led by the big guns in Swan, LoPilato, Pollock, Collins and Bowyer not to mention the countless other big game players in Highfield, Bryce, Lovell and Nunn to name a few more.
The tigers are well balanced and complement each other and it will be these connections that the tigers hope will get them home in what will be a tough and tight contest. The 1st Grade game starts at 3.55am.
Head-to-Head 2024
Rnd 5 - QBN 8.11-59 def by Eastlake 13.11-89
Rnd 11 - QBN 13.8-86 def Eastlake 8.10-58
Rnd 14 - QBN 14.15-99 def Eastlake 11.7-73
