THE Grafton Tigers were brought crashing back to earth by the Sawtell Saints in their North Coast AFL match on Saturday.
Still on a high after their 101-point win over arch-rivals Port Macquarie the week previous, the Tigers were upstaged 9.16 (70) to 6.8 (44) by the in-form Saints in Sawtell.
Despite the loss, the Tigers retain top spot on the premiership ladder ahead of the Magpies with the Saints now third.
The Saints demonstrated their intent from the outset on Saturday, booting a quick goal soon after the opening bounce.
Despite the early score, defence dominated the opening term with the Saints leading 15-14 at the first break.
The Saints repeated their rapid-fire start in the second term, slotting another major to have the Tigers on the back foot early.
The Tigers regrouped with the next goal before the match developed into a see-sawing affair as the rival mid-fielders battled for ascendency.
The Saints grabbed the advantage just before the main break, booting another major to open up a nine-point lead.
Tigers coach Adi Campbell pointed out to his players at half-time that the game was still there to be won and the visitors started the third term in dominant fashion.
The Tigers landed two goals to snatch the lead midway through the term but the Saints responded with a late goal to lead 40-35 at the end of the third quarter.
With the match hanging in the balance, both sides dug deep in the final term but the home side made good use of the wind at their backs to push the ball wide at every opportunity.
The sides traded goals midway early before the Saints kicked clear of the reigning premiers with three late goals.
Captain Dan Zacek was among the Tigers' best. Zacek finished with one goal and consistently outplayed his direct opponents.
Another to impress was Lee Anderson who booted three goals, including one that came after he had defused two attempts at the other end and then run the length of the field to score.
Sean Duroux and Luke Hayman also created plenty of trouble for the Saints up forward.
Will Darby and Ryan Sheather were among the best for the Tigers in defence.
In Reserve grade, an undermanned Tigers outfit battled bravely but the reigning premiers were too strong, running out winners by 29 points.
The Tigers will travel to Coffs Harbour on Saturday to take on the North Coffs Kangaroos.
The Reserve-grade match is set to start at 1pm with the seniors starting at 2:30pm.
SCOREBOARD
Sawtell Saints: 9.16. (70) d Grafton Tigers 6.8. (44)
Goals: (Saints) E Schmitt 2, L Cohen 2, M Couzens, B Hooke, J Saunders, S Lott, A. Pearson. (Tigers) L Anderson 3, L Hayman, S Duroux, D Zacek
Reserve Grade:
Saints 8.12 (60) d Tigers 5.1 (31)
Goals: (Saints) P Churchill 3, R Zeggers 2, D Pritchard , H Addison, E Linares. (Tigers) A Vassallo 2, J Bagnall, S Duroux, G Scheffers
Last Modified on 01/07/2012 15:38