St Bedes/ Mentone Tigers outclassed newly promoted Old Essendon Grammarians on Saturday on a perfect autumn day for the start of the 2009 season at Brindisi Street.
The Tigers were up and running early with an overwhelming percentage of the play as well as their trademark attack on the football but would have been disappointed with the resultant 27 point lead at the first break.
In the second quarter, led by the outstanding defence of Simon Richards, Daniel Poynton and Michael Curcio, the Mentone team streamed forward to add 9 unanswered goals and go into the long break with an amazing 14.6 to 1.4 scoreline and an unassailable 80 point lead.
The Tigers were simply irresistible in their ferocious attack on the football and the ball carrier and had the Essendon team non-plussed by the heat around the footy.
In the third, the game seemed to stabilise as both teams had a similar amount of possession but the hard gut-running by the Tigers, led by Ben Phibbs and Sam Anstey, showed that they had spent the summer preparing assiduously for their premiership defence.
The Tigers finished off, as they so often do, with an 8 goal blast led by Pete McGettigan who finished his day with 7 goals and showed why he was selected in the all-Australian Amateur team to tour Ireland at the conclusion of the 2008 season.
The Tigers’ Reserves, Under 19s, Under 18s and Club XVIII all also had satisfying wins to round out an ideal start to 2009 for the club.
Next week the Tiges journey to Camberwell to take on last year’s semi-finalist Old Scotch in the traditional ANZAC Day fixture.