A dominant second half performance helped Wagga Tigers to a spirited 31-point win over Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes on Saturday.
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Tigers came from 23 points down midway through the second quarter to maintain their undefeated start to the season, 12.13 (83) to 8.4 (52) in a fiery contest at Robertson Oval.
MCUE turned up with a plan and executed it perfectly early, beating Tigers at the stoppages as they ran in the first four goals of the game.
Tigers were goalless until the 13 minute mark of the second quarter but managed two before half-time to get within nine points of the Goannas at the main break.
The home team upped the ante in the third term and broke the game open with a seven-goal quarter.
The Goannas failed to match their intensity from earlier in the contest and ran out of steam, going goalless for the final 30 minutes of the contest.
Tigers sealed the victory with the only three goals of the final term.
Tigers coach Troy Maiden was pleased to extend his team's winning streak to three to start the season.
"Defintiely. It was probably a bit unknown at the start of the year where we'd sit because we are coming from a fair way back," Maiden said.
"We're a young side and we're still learning so three from three, yeah happy."
It was the second time within eight days that an opposition team had taken it right up to Tigers. Maiden was proud of the way his team responded.
"It was good. We could have lost our heads in the first half of the game. They did come fired up, pumped up and had a real crack at us," he said.
"To our boys' credit, most of the time they kept getting their head over the footy and winning the footy. That's what we're about.
"We've got a lot of leaders out on the ground, even though they're young and our expectations are that they will step up and at the moment they have been."
There were two reports out of a fiery contest. Tom Keogh for striking at quarter-time and Andrew Dickins for the same offence midway through the third quarter.
The Goannas made life tough for Keogh from the start, in his first game against his old club. Lachie Kendall ran a tight tag on him, plus he received plenty of attention from his former Goannas teammates.
Reid Gordon was outstanding for Tigers in the win. He moved forward and kicked three goals and was strong throughout.
Nick Ryan was brilliant all day, and kicked two goals, while Tom Osmotherly was influential in the ruck. Cooper Pavitt kicked two goals on debut.
For MCUE, they were well-served by Jack Collins, Paddy Griffin and Jack Carey. Goannas coach Jeremy Rowe was a late withdrawal.
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