Tigers take NEAFL Eastern honours

The Queanbeyan Tigers are the 2012 NEAFL Eastern Conference premiers after surviving a last quarter surge by the Sydney Swans, to break a 12 year premiership drought by 30 points, at Manuka Oval on Sunday.

The Swans pushed hard and got within nine points in the final term, but the Tigers rallied to win the match 18.13-121 to Sydney 13.13-91.

The opening quarter saw a real arm wrestle between the two best sides of the home and away season, with neither side able to shake their opponents.

It was Sydney through Trent Dennis-Lane who got the opening goal of the afternoon after the Swans locked the ball in the forward 50 for an extended period, before the classy forward finished coolly. The Swans pressure was telling further up the ground too when the Sydney-siders turned the ball over at the half back flank and moved the ball swiftly from one end to the other for Sertbas’ first major.

From then on the momentum shifted towards Queanbeyan with Toby Conway slotting through the Tigers opening goal, while veteran full forward James Kavanagh got Queanbeyan within one point with a fantastic long range bomb from outside 50.

Yet it was the Swans who took a 9 point advantage into the first change after James Kavanagh kicked his second goal of the match after the quarter time siren.

The second quarter opened with a brilliant rundown by the Tigers’ Kavanagh in his forward 50, but he failed to convert, and the Swans punished the Tigers on the rebound with Dennis-Lane putting through his second of the afternoon to extend the margin to a game-high 14 points.

The Tigers took control in the latter stages of the second quarter with cult-hero Daniel ‘piggy’ Campbell at his antagonistic best, kicking two goals in the term, the second of which coming after the diminutive forward drew a 50 metre penalty. The Tigers incredibly lead by 18 points at half time after two late goals to player-coach Kade Klemke and James Kavanagh.

The Tigers maintained their stranglehold on the game in the opening stages of the third quarter, but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking the opening three behinds of the term. It was Campbell again having an influence as he handed off to Sam Jensen to push the margin out to 22 points.

The Swans were not ready to put the cue in the rank just yet though, answering Jensen’s goal almost instantly with a brilliant crumbing goal to David Lycakis, and when Harry Cunningham nailed a 60 goal that brought the margin was back to 12 points mid-way through the quarter.

Again it was Campbell who set the Tigers alight when they needed it, booting his third goal of the game after evading several Swans with some fancy footwork, and when Kavanagh nailed another long range bomb to secure his fifth for the afternoon, the margin was suddenly pushed out back beyond four goals.

Kaine Stevens was dictating terms through the middle of the ground, giving his forwards the best opportunity with his precise foot-skills, while the Swans lacked drive from the half back flank when Tony Armstrong left the ground.

Back-to-back goals to Campbell and Ben Klemke looked to give the Tigers the ascendency going into the final change, but the Swans were not to be denied, with enigmatic forward Trent Dennis-Lane starting to get involved setting up a goal before side stepping a Tiger defender brilliantly to shave the margin down to 22 points at three quarter time.

The Swans momentum that they generated in the latter stages of the third term continued in the final quarter as Dennis-Lane booted his fifth for the game in the opening minute of the final term to reduce the margin to three straight kicks, and when Harry Cunningham nailed his second goal from outside 50, the Swans had the Tigers on the back-foot.

Queanbeyan Coach Kade Klemke took it upon himself to lead the way for his team, moving onto Dennis-Lane after his fifth major in an effort to quell the Swans’ game-breaker in a move that proved decisive as Dennis-Lane’s influence was severely reduced.

The Tiger lead was cut back to just nine points when Lycakis outsmarted his opponent to nail his third goal of the game. The Swans looked likely to completely overrun the Tigers, but it was ruckman Ryan Quade who marked and goaled in the goal square to add some breathing space between the two teams, and again the big man asserted his dominance with another late quarter goal to put the margin beyond doubt.

Dan Campbell put the exclamation point on the win with a brilliant rolling goal from the boundary to claim his fifth for the match that sent the Queanbeyan faithful in the stands into raptures.

The Tigers will now go on to meet the Brisbane Lions in the NEAFL Grand Final next week to fly the flag for the Eastern Conference.

Sydney Swans　 4.4.28/ 5.6.36/ 9.10.64/ 13.13.91

Queanbeyan　 　3.1.19/ 8.5.53/ 13.10.88/ 18.13.121

Sydney Swans

Goal Kickers: T. DENNIS-LANE 5, D. Lycakis 3, H. CUNNINGHAM 2, B. MEREDITH, N. GORDON, D. Hadden

Best Players: C. HEATH, J. Weir, H. CUNNINGHAM, D. Lycakis, T. DENNIS-LANE, M. SPANGHER

Queanbeyan

Goal Kickers: J. KAVANAGH 5, D. Campbell 5, B. Fruend, B. Klemke, K. Klemke, T. Conroy, R. Quade, R. Jaques, M. Daniher, B. King

Best Players: K. Stevens, D. Campbell, W. Griggs, M. Heaslip, J. KAVANAGH, S. Jensen