Strong first-half guides Tigers to comfortable win over Magpies in slippery conditions at McLean Park

Railways extended their winning streak to seven games after a strong opening half was enough to down Denmark-Walpole by 79 points at McLean Park on Saturday afternoon. A six-goal to two first quarter by the Tigers set the tone for the visitors and they stretched the advantage to 55 points by the long break as twin forwards Clay Michael and Matt Palfrey caused plenty of headaches for the Magpies. The Magpies were scoreless in the second and managed only one behind in the third as the Tigers surged 82-points clear by the final change. Goals from Jarrod Brack and Carlton Godfrey helped the Magpies win the final quarter and finish on a better note but they went down, 16.12 (108) to 4.5 (29). Michael had three goals at half-time and was a towering figure in the third with three more, finishing with a game-high six majors. Palfrey again had plenty of influence with five majors, three of which came in the second term. Youngster Ryley Valli was superb in the middle of the ground to be a driving force behind the Tigers’ 12th win of the season. The game was played in slippery conditions after half-time but Craig Frost and Ryan Davies were also valuable contributors. Tigers coach Mark Bayliss said they experimented with a few players in different roles and were pleased to get through the game unscathed. “The first half was the difference,” Bayliss said. “We threw a few blokes around after half-time and were able to take some of our better ones off and got through without any injuries which is important.” Tyler Stone, Ryan Gaerth and player-coach Brad Nisbett all toiled hard for the home side while Aaron Wheeler won plenty of the ball, Jesse Court worked hard between the arcs and David Scriven was sound in defence. “They tried a few different things which benefitted us a little bit,” Nisbett said. “Defensively they are a very strong team and it was hard to score against them.”