A stellar try from young gun Bayden Fritz topped off an outstanding Old Boys Day at Tingha on Saturday as the Tigers took on Walcha.
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A huge crowd gathered in the Tigers Den knowing Tingha had to either win or draw to make the Group 19 second division semi-finals.
Tingha Tigers' James Sheather said while details were all a bit of a blur, he knew one thing was for sure- it was a tough game.
"At half time we were a bit nervous. I can't remember whether Walcha were back in the lead or not but we sat down and told the boys to focus on basics and completing their sets. We started strong in the second half," he said.
Describing the game as "tit for tat" the last minute crept up on the Tigers and Walcha were leading by one try. Fritz, who'd already scored two tries for his side, took control seeing an opportunity to even the score board.
"We needed a draw or a win and we scored in the last 30 seconds of the game in the corner right in front of our old boys. It was an exciting moment for the boys. Bayden is one of our younger boys but he played very well."
The final score set at 24-all meant Tingha's men finished fourth and will play in the semi-final against Ashford Roosters on Saturday at Ashford's sports ground.
Meanwhile, Tingha's strong ladies league tag side has only seen one loss all season to Uralla. On Saturday, they smashed Walcha 36-0. "Our girls have been outstanding all year." Sitting in second, the girls will play in the major semi-final next weekend against Warialda.
Returning back to Group 19's second division this year, Tingha's men had a rough first round but managed to secure a few crucial wins and bounce back in round two.
"We've had a much better round this time. We've only lost to Warialda but this year we've been focused on just getting the boys to training. We're a bit shocked we ended up finishing fourth," Sheather laughed.
The Tigers thanked those who turned out on Saturday to show their support for the side and hoped people who travel over to Ashford this weekend.
"We should have all the boys back. We're pretty pumped to have made the semis and hopefully we can go out and stick with Ashford because they have a pretty handy side as well. We'd like to see a big crowd this weekend to support local footy."
Sheather also thanked Inverell Shire Council for watering the ground at Tingha on Saturday to settle the dust on the field before play.