At the half-way mark of the 2023 Goulburn Valley league season, Rochester sits 11th on the ladder with just one victory.
The Tigers have been competitive through the midfield, but with limited height in its team, has struggled to match it with opposition key forwards.
Here is a round by round assessment of where the Tigers have won and lost this season.
Round one: Marking was the difference, Kyabram taking 18 inside 50 marks to seven and 18 contested marks to six.
The one-sided inside 50 count (30-55 in the Bombers favour) was another factor. Kyabram ruckman Zac Norris (162 ranking points), last season’s Morrison Medal runner-up Kaine Herbert (159) and Anthony De Pasquale (153), were the stars.
Norris had 24 disposals in the rucking role and 11 clearances. He also took four intercept marks. De Pasquale took seven marks inside 50, had 23 possessions and eight scoring shots (only kicking four goals).
Joe Atley was the fourth ranked player (117 points) on the ground with 33 disposals, behind Bomber Toby Wooller (120).
James McPhee was the only player to take more than one mark inside 50 and, with Sean Williams, kicked two goals apiece. The centre clearance count was 15-3 against the Tigers and Kyabram won the clearances overall 45-16.
Both teams had a high turnover count, Rochester five more than the Bombers with 72.
Round two: Marks inside 50 was again a key statistic in round two, despite the fact Seymour had only one more forward 50 entry for the match.
Seymour took 13 marks in its attacking arc, while the Tigers managed just six, McPhee taking half of those.
Like the week before, when De Pasquale took seven inside 50 marks, Seymour captain Lachlan Waite took six inside 50s (equalling the total taken by the Tigers). He kicked four goals from his eight kicks.
Rochester lost the tackle count 82-65, with Seymour laying 17 tackles in its front 50 compared to the Tigers’ eight. In the highest free kick count of the season Rochester was awarded 13 less free kicks (29-42).
Joe Atley was the highest ranked player with 33 disposals and 13 clearances.
Round three: Rochester lost the round inside 50 marks count 12-22 to Echuca, despite having 13 more marks for the match.
The inside 50 count was totally one way, Echuca winning 63-29 and that was reflected in the clearance count (50-25 to Echuca)
Rochester had 14 more tackles, as expected when the disposal count was 40 in its favour (despite having the leading two ball winners on the ground, Joe Atley with 29 and Blake Evans with 31).
Amazingly, however, 13 of Echuca’s tackle count were in forward 50. The Tigers laid just three tackles inside their attacking arc.
Atley was again the highest ranked player (140 points) he was outgunned by four Echuca players (coach Andrew Walker and former GWS player Sam Reid among them) who had 28 clearances between them.
Round four: Rochester missed five shots on goal in the final term of its match with Shepparton, which was the difference in the result.
The Tigers had less overall possessions, but won the contested possession count, dominated the hardball gets 60-37 and had more marks inside 50.
They doubled Shepparton on the clearance count, including 10-4 from centre bounces and an amazing 20-5 at boundary throw ins.
Rochester had one more inside 50 entry, but 12 more turnovers and the missed shots on goal offered its opponent enough opportunity to grab the four points.
Round five: Joe Atley and Blake Evans continued their early season form by being the two highest ranked players of the match against Tatura.
They did their work at opposite ends, Atley having 26 disposals and 10 inside 50s, while Evans had 32 disposals and eight rebounds 50s.
Contested football went in favour of the Tigers, despite Tatura having 32 more disposals. In an indication of Rochester‘s determined approach it won the contested possession count by 19 and took five more contested mark (despite losing the overall marking count by 33).
The teams broke even in the clearance count and there was a marginal difference in the inside 50 category and the pressure acts category.
Round six: Mooroopna had 20 more inside 50 entries, laid nine more forward 50 tackles and took 12 more inside 50 marks to play the game on its own terms — particularly in the second half.
Rochester had just two scoring shots after half-time, having still been in the game at the long break (trailing by just 10 points).
Mitch Cricelli was the stand-out Tiger with 17 disposals, 26 hit outs, three inside 50s and four rebound 50s — along with two goals — as he spent time in defence and attack.
Round seven: Rarely this season has a midfielder dominated the Tigers, but Brett Mahoney did just that when he put the bull inside 50 on nine occasions and kicked three goals himself (along with 37 possessions and five tackles).
Mansfield won every disposal category, had more marks, 11 more inside 50s and if it had of kicked straight, the result could have been worse than 50 points.
Round eight: Benalla’s Jarrad Waite was the difference between the two sides, but both teams had 13 inside 50 marks for the match.
Inaccurate kicking cost the Tigers, having 26 scoring shots to 18 and still losing by two points.
Mitch Cricelli’s dominance saw them win the clearance count comfortably and the Tigers had 17 more inside 50 entries.
