Match of the Round Preview – AFL CW Tier 1: Orange Tigers vs Bathurst Giants

Orange Tigers vs Bathurst Giants

Time: Saturday, 28 May, 2:15pm

Ground: Waratah Sports Club

Competition: Men’s Tier 1

 

In Round 5 of the AFL Central West Tier 1 competition, it’s the battle of the top goal scorers as the Orange Tigers host the Bathurst Giants at Waratah Sports Club.

The Tigers will be aiming for their third win of the 2021 season whilst the Giants will be looking to repeat their victory over the hosts from a fortnight ago.

Tigers forward Todd Fagan currently leads the league with 20 goals while Sam Sloan is leading the Giants with 17 goals. So look for both forwards to have an impact if their team is to be victorious on Saturday.

The Orange Tigers will be celebrating Indigenous Round with an Acknowledgement of Country by their Indigenous players. Both their traditional language and the English translation will be used in the acknowledgement, a fantastic way to recognise these club people’s culture.

 

Orange Tigers

The Orange Tigers will be looking for their third win of the season when they face the Giants in Orange. For Tigers coach Dean Price, the Tigers recent success comes from being able to play their style of footy.

“We played our style of footy that we wanted, and managed to have a good day out,” he said.

Todd Fagan has been huge for his side during the recent run of form. The Tigers forward has kicked 15 goals over two games against the Demons. Despite this, he has struggled to replicate this success against the top sides, only kicking 5 goals against the Bushrangers and Giants. Price isn’t worried, and acknowledges the delivery to his forward could be better.

“The delivery to Todd can be improved, and we are definitely working on that at training,” he said.

“I’m sure that if we can get that right, he will kick a few more against the top sides.”

READ: ICYMI – Round 4 Match of the Round Report

The hosts have been busy on the training paddock this week. According to Price, the side has worked on improving their structures around stoppages.

This is the second match played between the two sides this year. Conditions were terrible at Orange a fortnight ago when the two sides first clashed. However, the loss to the visitors did give Price the chance to evaluate the Giants first hand.

“I think its given us an idea of where the Giants are sitting,” he said.

“By all reports the conditions might not be much better, so it might be a perfect rematch.”

Sam Sloan has been huge for the Giants this year, kicking 17 goals in four games. While Price is aware of Sloan’s capabilities, he is confident of limiting his impact.

“I think if we hold up to our discipline and our structure within our zones, we will try and at least deter him anyway, ” he said.

 

Bathurst Giants

The Giants will be coming off their first loss this season against the Bathurst Bushrangers. While there were positives for the side, Giants coach Mark Kennedy admits that both teams weren’t at full strength.

“Yeah there were positives, but we had a number of players out and I think the Bushrangers did as well,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I would like to see both teams have their best players out on the paddock.”

Kennedy also praised his key forward, noting that his success has meant that the team has often looked to him as a focus. whilst alluding to a strength being that Sloan is attracted to the football.

“He is often just in the right place at the right time,” he said.

READ: AFL Central West Round 5 Preview

Kennedy brushed off the idea that the side was leaning on Sloan too much, saying the team isn’t set around one player.

“We don’t look or pinpoint forwards, we have a number of forwards that can do the job for us.”

“Look at Leigh Monaghan in the last few games for example, he has kicked away. I think he even kicked 3 or 4 in the last game.”

The visitors will be traveling to Orange with hopes of repeating what they did a fortnight ago, when they defeated the hosts by 50 points. Despite this, Kennedy is aware that the challenge will be tougher as the side isn’t at full strength.

“The Tigers will be really tough, and it’s probably going to be really close,” he said.

“It will be a good game but our side is depleted in numbers due to injuries and players not being available, but we will get out there and give it a good red hot go.”

 

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