Sport
21 May, 2026
Tigers ready to take on Demons
A 74 point win over SMW Rovers in the round five Mininera and District senior football match sees Woorndoo/Mortlake remain undefeated so far in the 2026 season.
An injury hit Tigers led all day at Conna Wilson Reserve in Mininera to record a 16.14.110 to 5.6.36 win.
“It was pretty hard, we were up against it a little bit, we had to pull three reserves boys out to fill our team, that's where we're at at the moment” Woorndoo/Mortlake coach Tom Ludeman said.
“It made it really good to get that win, considering how depleted we were.”
While the margin hinted at a one-sided game, Ludeman said his team had to work hard for the win.
“It wasn't as easy as what we first thought, that's how it was until about 10 minutes before half time, then we sort of blew them apart.
“They were certainly competitive, they had some good players running around and it was one of those days too, just a hard day at the office with the wind and a bit of rain.”
The Tigers unveiled junior player Elijah Bradbury as their latest senior debutant.
“Elijah was great, he didn't look out of place at all, just exciting for the club to be able to see juniors come through.
“He played on the wing, then we gave him a little go through the midfield in the second half, he's built pretty well for his age.”
Wil Fleming continues to impress at the Tigers in his first season since crossing from the Hawthorn Amateur FC, named best and kicking four goals.
“I was going to leave him out of the best players, just to not get him much attention with the opposition.
“But he deserves to be listed, I think the league is really suiting him, he had a good day just controlling the midfield.”
Ed Gubbins was also listed in the Tigers best.
“Ed’s just a brute, with our back six as a whole, it's probably our weapon at the moment I reckon, they just look strong, and they're polished.
“Gubbo's good, he's got real fitness, he's kicking the ball well, and just hits the contest with good force.”
Dedicated Woorndoo/Mortlake clubman Tom Carmichael played his 250th game on Saturday in yellow and black, being one of the players coming up from the reserves to fill the senior team.
“Typical Tommy Carmichael, just flying under the radar, he was one that played the reserve game and just did the right thing and jumped on the bench for the seniors.
“He texted me the next day and said “250th club game on the bench, how good" but it just sums up what sort of bloke he is for the club, he had a torn groin, the bruising was phenomenal on Thursday, Friday, he was never gonna play, and he's ended up playing two games just to be that good club man.”
In addition to Fleming’s four goals, Jordan Buckley, Matt Pemberton, Lochie Gunning and Wayne Loader kicked two goals each.
This Saturday sees a mouth-watering clash between the competition’s two unbeaten teams in Woorndoo/Mortlake and Lismore/Derrinallum at Mortlake’s DC Farran Oval.
The reserves match saw SMW Rovers score an 8.6.54 to 4.7.31 win.
William Kosch, Chris Crawley and Mark Jones were best for Woorndoo/Mortlake, with Crawley kicking three goals.
There was no under 17 or under 13 matches with SMW Rovers not fielding teams in those grades in 2026.
In the A grade netball, Woorndoo/Mortlake led all day to record a 54-27 win.
“We had a great win on the weekend, the girls came out firing” Tigers coach Renae Reynolds said.
“We had a couple of outs for the weekend, so we had a couple of B grade girls step up, Sarah Muir played a full game for us, she was awesome.”
Abbey Burford and India Thomas were best in the win for Woorndoo/Mortlake.
“Abbey had hands to every ball, paced everything up, exactly what we've been working on at training.
“India also had an outstanding game, lots of talk, she really stepped up this week, which was fantastic to see.”
Ashlea Spokes led the Tigers scoring with 35 goals, with Rachel Eldridge scoring 16.
“Ashlea had a ripper game, great drive, defensive pressure, the whole works.”
Reynolds is looking forward to Saturday’s game against Lismore/Derrinallum.
“It's going to be a tough one, we’ve got Mia Richie hopefully back in this week, and Lucy Carmody will be back, which will definitely help our team out, but it's gonna be a very hard fought out game I think.”
Woorndoo/Mortlake had a 36-26 win in the B grade game.
Holly Trajcevski was best for the Tigers, with Kristy Crawley, Chloe Goldsworthy and Brooke O’Brien all shooting 12 goals each.
The C grade game saw Woorndoo/Mortlake score a strong 37-11 win.
Ashlee Killen and Olivia Schuuring were the Tigers best, with Ava Wardlaw shooting 20 goals and Natalie Krepp 13.
There was no 17 and under game with SMW Rovers not fielding a team in that age level.
In the 15 and under game, SMW Rovers had a 30-20 win.
Best for Woorndoo/Mortlake were Paige Maddock, Ivy Wardlaw and Ashlee Killen, with Wardlaw shooting nine goals.
SMW Rovers also got the points in the 13 and under game, with a 25-18 win.
Monique Clark, Paige Maddock and Sadie Wardlaw were best for the junior Tigers, with Maddock shooting eight goals.