AFTER booting their way to a 120-point mauling of the Saints in Young, Orange Tigers coach Joashim Mahon knows if his side doesn’t again bare its teeth against the Parkes Panthers today the four points earned last weekend will mean nothing.
The Tigers kicked 21 goals to three in a win Mahon describes as the club’s finest in his time at Tigerland last weekend in Young.
It’s the kind of win that kick-starts a team’s season.
But Mahon said his side was refusing to get too carried away, insisting the Tigers would today be tested by a much improved Parkes outfit compared to the one Orange defeated way back in round one 14.9 (93) to 9.7 (61).
“If you look at the ladder they’ve only won the one game but if you look at their results, they pushed Bathurst last weekend,” Mahon said ahead of today’s clash at Orange Ex-Services’ Country Club Oval.
“They’ve been going alright and we’re not going to get overconfident.”
The Tigers’ win last weekend shoots them into a share of third with Dubbo on the Central West AFL ladder.
But Orange could climb further up the ladder with a favourable run home.
The Tigers only play competition big guns Cowra and Bathurst once over the final seven rounds while five of those games are at home.
It’s the ideal way to gain momentum leading into the finals.
Mahon said his side had its eye on outright third on the ladder with a win over Parkes going a long way to helping the black and golds secure a place in the top three.
“That’s the goal. Last week’s win doesn’t mean anything if we don’t make the most of it and head into the finals in a strong position,” Mahon said. “If we come second, and we’ll probably need a few results to go our way, then we get that second bite of the cherry.
“But at the moment third, that’s the goal and we’ll see how we go from there.”
In other round nine games premiers Cowra hosts Young and the undefeated Bathurst travels to South Dubbo Oval to take on the Demons.
Orange tackles Parkes at 2.30pm.