The Batemans Bay Tigers had to do it the hard way to qualify for the 2018 grand final.
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After a disappointing 2-5-1 record in the regular season, the Tigers have won three straight finals to qualify for their second straight decider.
The going was always going to be tough early, as the side lost more than 10 players from the 2017 team.
The loss of troops came to a head in round one against the Roosters, as the Tigers were only able to field 12 players in a 20-10 loss.
Coach Mason Harrison managed to get a 13th player heading into round two, but it still wasn’t enough in a 38-16 loss to the Eden Tigers.
The club had a two week break after the loss to Eden, and they returned in a big way with a 62-0 win over the Cooma Stallions to get on the board. Mitch Hockey was the star on the day with four tries.
This kicked off a string of decent form for the Tigers, as their next match was a 16-16 draw with minor premiers Narooma. Ethan Wood scored a try in the dying seconds to rescue the point.
They couldn’t continue with the momentum though, as the Roosters handed them a 24-10 loss in round eight.
Round nine was another loss to the Eden Tigers, but the 16-10 result showed the improvement the team had made to that point of the season.
The team had three weeks off after their loss to Eden, due in part to a forfeit from Eden in round 10, and were a little rusty against the Cooma Stallions in round 12.
The Tigers won that match 22-16, but they needed a late rally to get the points.
Batemans Bay was locked into fourth place heading into their final-round match against the Narooma Devils, but a strong showing showed they would be a tough out in the finals. The Devils won that match 28-22, but the Tigers held the lead deep into the second half.
The Tigers have faced three elimination finals on their way to the grand final, and have won them all in an impressive fashion.
Their 42-16 win over Cooma in week one was fairly run-of-the-mill, but their week two win over the Eden Tigers proved their credentials. Batemans Bay held a 20-4 lead in the second half, and withstood a fierce rally to come away with a 26-14 victory.
The preliminary final victory may have been more impressive, as the Tigers kept the Bega Roosters scoreless in the second half to record a 28-16 win.
The Tigers will now take on Narooma in the grand final.