Sport
25 August, 2024
'Grit and determination' sees Tigers triumph in stormy weather | HDFNL final
Pimpinio beat Laharum in the 2024 HDFNL elimination finals.
After a 15-year long finals drought, the Pimpinio Tigers have made a winning return.
Playing on their home field on Sunday, August 25, the Tigers beat the Laharum Demons 8.9 (57) - 5.11 41), in the HDFNL's second elimination final.
Finals
HDFNL
Pimpinio's stand-in coach Brett Thompson called it an 'unbelievable effort'.
"We've got a very young team, 13 blokes under 23, and they all stood up when it counted," he said.
"The only way we were going to win today was to stand up and just play tough footy."
Pimpinio was strong out of the blacks and took control of the opening quarters.
While Laharum was kept goalless, the Tigers kicked three goals in the first quarter.
"We probably should have kicked five or six goals in the first quarter," Thompson said.
"We were moving the ball well, moved it quick, and were just linking up well."
"We probably went away from that a bit the second quarter."
Laharum hit back after the first break.
For long periods of time in the second quarter, Laharum had Pimpinio pinned inside their backward 50.
Although the Demons were struggling to convert their strong position into six-pointers.
Despite eight scoring shots in the second term to Pimpinio's zero, six of them were only worth one point, and at half time, Laharum still trailed.
Laharum did hit the front in the third term, but it wasn't long before the conditions changed.
Having defied the forecast for most of the day, a storm finally hit Pimpinio not long into the third quarter.
Winds blew a gale from end to end and rain poured.
With the wind at their backs, Pimpinio capitalised to kick four unanswered goals.
"Once the rain came, it just came down to grit and determination," said Thompson
"I thought we adjusted really well. But, at the end of the day, the conditions were the same for both sides, we're just so proud of the boys, they had a red hot crack."
When teams changed over once again at the final break, Laharum wasn't able to find that momentum.
While the Demons kept most of the football in their attacking end, the side couldn't close down Pimpinio's lead.
With this victory, Pimpinio spoiled Laharum's weekend sweep.
All four of the club's football teams had qualified for the elimination finals, and three of them have won through to the semis.
Laharum's reserves won on Saturday, August 24, while the Demons under 14s beat Taylors Lake 6.8 (44) - 3.2 (20), and the under 17s beat Noradjuha Quantong 11.9 (75) - 6.10 (46) on Sunday, August 25.
Also on Sunday, Kalkee beat Harrow Balmoral in the reserves 14.10 (94) - 7.8 (50).