Tara Murray
The fight for a finals spot in the Essendon District Football League division 1 competition took another turn, with Westmeadows beating Roxburgh Park on Saturday.
The two sides and Rupertswood have been in a fight for fourth spot for a number of weeks, with no team able to lock up the spot.
On Saturday, the Tigers had one of their best performances of the season against the Magpies.
The Tigers started well and were able to build from there to record a convincing 19.9 (123)-6.10 (46) win.
Tigers coach Mo Kaakour said they had looked to address their poor starts in recent weeks, and were starting to play some good football early.
“Last week against Airport West we kicked five goals early,” he said. “We were able to have a good start on the weekend, we just weren’t able to capitalise on it.
“We looked to get into a defensive mindset and our pre-game is a little bit different. We’re getting a bit more a sweat up.”
The defensive pressure was there early for the Tigers. While they only led by 12 points at quarter time, it set the tone for the rest of the match.
“We started well and pressured the ball carriers,” Kaakour said. “We were able to play in our forward half and we put them on the back foot and forced some turnovers.”
The side was able to build throughout, with 13 goals to three in the second half.
George Nabbout kicked five goals while Omar Saad kicked four goals.
Kaakour said Marwan Abdul-Wahad and Aaron Evans were really good in the midfield and getting the ball out to his teammates, while Riley Hearne was good down back and Mohammed Yassine on the wing.
The win moves the Tigers up to fifth and they’re now just a game behind Roxburgh Park in the hunt for fourth spot.
Kaakour said they need to keep ticking the boxes in the back end of the season if they’re any chance to play finals.
“We’ve been OK,” he said. ”We need to get more consistency into our game.
“It’s a fine balance between playing the kids and mature age players. We’ve used 38 players trying to find that balance.
“Our aim is the longevity of the club. We understand we have to be patient and keep on improving and work towards our goals.”
The Tigers this week face the Sunbury Kangaroos, who are coming off their first win of the season.
The Kangaroos beat 10.11 (71)-9.7 (61) Craigieburn. Tullamarine had another good performance, beating West Coburg, 16.12 (108)-12.6 (78).
In premier division, Greenvale lost to Pascoe Vale.
