Australian football
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Wagga Tigers ............... 10.16 (76)
Griffith ............... 5.3 (33)
GRIFFITH was given a harsh dose of reality on Saturday as the Wagga Tigers reigned supreme by 43 points in a one-sided contest at Robertson Oval.
A week on from the club's centenary celebrations, the Swans simply didn't turn up and were promptly punished by a well-drilled Tigers outfit that piled on 20 scoring shots to just four across the first three quarters.
The visitors had the better of the last term and actually outscored the Tigers, who won 10.16 (76) to 5.3 (33), but the damage was already done.
Griffith coach Brandon Mathews was bitterly disappointed, labelling it a "deplorable" performance across all facets of the game.
"They really showed us how far we have to go if we're going to be competitive," Mathews said.
"They were pretty good, well-drilled, but we just folded like a deck of cards under their pressure."
The Swans were held scoreless in the second term as Wagga kicked away and managed just one goal in the third as the Tigers pushed on to lead by 45 points at the final change.
The usual suspects starred for Griffith with Tim Mathieson, Dave Dunbar and Richard Malone continuing their strong form from last week's win over the Crows, while skipper Guy Orton produced his best game for the year.
But too much was left to too few, Mathews said.
"Maybe having a win last week with the weekend it was, the boys thought it was going to make the year," he said.
"We had a little bit of a go late on to save a bit of face but the damage was already done.
"The scoreboard flattered us - it should have been 100 points.
"We didn't do a thing to help one another out.
"We let ourselves down pretty badly and probably took a few steps backwards."
Charlie Cunial's impressive first-grade debut was one of few positives, while Fletcher Josling played his first senior game for the year and fellow young gun Riley Holland also did well.
"There were probably half a dozen blokes that went alright but it's pretty hard to win like that," Mathews said.
It's now back to the drawing board for the Swans ahead of a tough fortnight to come, with clashes against premiers Coolamon (away) and Mangoplah-CUE (home) next on the agenda.