By Abby Collins
This weekend’s jungle rumble will see the big cats, Morningside and Labrador, facing off in a rematch of round 1.
The showdown promises to be a nail-biter as both teams shuffle their player decks due to injuries.
The Panthers mauled the Tigers in their last encounter, but Labrador is hungry for revenge on their home turf after the 14.16 (100) to 22.8 (140) opening round loss.
The Tigers won’t just be changing their stripes this round; they are changing their whole playbook.
Nick Jackson, former assistant coach has moved into the head coach role, bringing a wealth of experience, and a dash of unpredictability to the den.
Morningside will be the first to face off against the new, potentially game changing strategy.
They welcome back Keegan Downie, Garrett McDonagh and Zac Straker.
Stepping out of their list for this week are Jacob Lohmann, Harry Milford and Wyatt Greenaway.
Labrador’s new coach has a five-person shuffle, some of which are key injury returns. Jesh Morgan, Aiden Hall, Jake Goldsmith, Jed Riddle and Dean Robinson are in for the Tigers this weekend.
These players will be replacing Matthew Watmuff, Finn Brown, Matthew Hoy, Zach Molloy and Caleb Back.
Keep your eyes peeled for Labrador’s midfield maestros Jack Goldsmith, Tom Simpson, Jay Foon and key back Rhys Nicholls.
“The Tigers’ midfield are always pretty strong with the likes of Tom Simpson and Jay Foon,” Morningside coach Paul Egan said.
Morningside’s Tommy Horne and Brad Hodge will be the ones to watch as they look to tame the Tigers midfield, with Cam Lovig standing tall in defence.
Lachlan Niland-Rowe and Sam Godfrey will be chasing a win to celebrate 100 games this weekend with the Morningside seniors.
The Panthers will benefit from the return of Keegan Downie, one of the season’s top performing forwards.
Labrador’s new coach, Nick Jackson, is ready to unleash his team’s inner beast, chasing down their redemption.
“The last time we played them they really beat us around the ball,” Jackson said.
“So, it’ll be about our ability to maintain possession. Having had some coaching and footy club changes this week, we will be trialling a different style of play.
“The boys will hopefully play with a bit more dare and we will just have to wait and see where it takes us.”
But Morningside’s Paul Egan isn’t ready to relinquish the throne just yet.
“It feels good to be at the top of the table, but we are only halfway through the season,” Egan said.
“It is still anybody’s game and any team’s season.”
As these two predators prepare to face off at Cooke Murphy Oval, one thing is for certain- this match will introduce us to a new Labrador Tigers.
Will the Tigers’ new strategy be enough to beat top of the table Morningside?
