Richard Tambling and Graham Polak were among the best players in Coburg’s loss to Geelong yesterday.
Tambling collected 29 possessions and took eight marks, while Polak, playing in the forward and back half, had 17 touches and took four contested marks.
However it was a disappointing day for Coburg, going down to Geelong by 29 points at Craigieburn.
The Tigers trailed by just two points at half time, but a five-goal third quarter burst from the Cats effectively put the game out of reach.
“We played some reasonable footy in the first half, but Geelong really capitalised on our turnovers and made us pay dearly,” Coburg coach David Newett said.
“We let ourselves down in the third quarter, and that’s probably where the game was broken.
“We got back to within a couple of goals in the last quarter, but their experience put the win out of reach for us.”
The loss dashed Coburg’s slim finals chances. With four games remaining in the season, the Tigers are three games and percentage outside the top eight.
“We just have to make sure we finish the season strongly, and continue the development of the players,” Newett said.
“We’ll continue to give the boys the opportunity to learn the game plan and our structures, so we can hit the ground running next season.”
Coburg takes on Frankston at Highgate Reserve in Craigieburn, this Saturday at 2pm.
Final Scores
Coburg Tigers 2.3 8.5 9.6 14.7 (91)
Geelong 4.1 8.3 13.4 19.6 (120)
GOALS:
Coburg Tigers: Dahl 3, Polak 3, Vickery 2, Clifton, Carnell, Piuselli, Power, Morgan, Lawton
Geelong: Johnson 5, Menzel 4, Simpkin 3, Vardy 2, Motlop 2, Hunt, Weston, Simpson
BEST:
Coburg Tigers: Tambling, Polak, Dahl, Rayson, Kahlefeldt, Power
Geelong: Hogan, Johnson, Laidler, Djerrkura, West, Simpkin
