What a game domestic two was. The Jackals, mauled last week by the Panthers, needed to respond and they did, fielding an almost full-strength team and fighting hard for a win that seemed likely for the first three quarters of the match but was almost snatched from them at the death. The Panthers, undermanned and sustaining injuries to key players during the match fought bravely and came so close to pulling off a famous victory.

The Jackals kicked three in the first and two in the second to go into half-time with a comfortable lead. Big Mike, in his first game for the Tigers and his first since high school had a storming debut down back, and with Hooey there too the Jackals defence was just too strong. The first half was notable for a nasty clash that led to J-Mac hobbling off with what was later diagnosed as a broken foot. Hasto stuck his foot out for the ball but caught J-Mac’s foot instead. It seemed possible for J-Mac to play on but he wisely chose not to and his loss made the job even harder for the Panthers. The incident was so notable that it made the international news cycle with David King discussing the footage on Fireball on SEN. They came down hard on Hasto for the tackle.

The Jackals lost Hooey in the second half as he left to represent the Southerners in the Bangkok 10’s. His loss was felt immediately as the Panthers outscored the Jackals in the third quarter two goals to one. Throughout the match Hasto as Head Coach implemented a strict substitution system, demanding regular changes halfway through each quarter. There was also a real effort to play the women in key positions. This is great for the development of the squad, however as the Panthers continued to kick on in the final quarter, scoring the first two goals, the Jackals surely wished that Hasto was on the field instead of coaching from the sideline. But Hasto held his nerve and not until the final six minutes did he bring himself back on. The Panthers were surging, they kicked two more and took the lead for the first time in the match with just four minutes to go. But in stepped Melvo for the Jackals. He won the ball from the ruck, weaved his way through the defence and gave the ball an almighty thump. He kicked it gaelic style, hitting it fat, but it never looked like missing and it made the distance easily for a goal. Minutes later the ball was back in the Jackals forward line, this time Welby fought for a strong mark and kicked one from the corner to seal the win.

In a touching gesture Kai was carried off through a tunnel of his teammates as it was his final match before heading off to university in Melbourne. Good luck, Kai, and thanks for your contribution to the club over the years. It’s been a pleasure watching you grow up into such a great player and a fine young man. In an interesting aside to the aforementioned slide tackle on J-Mac that speaks to the integrity of both players, Hasto is trying to give himself a three-match ban and J-Mac is fighting for the ban to be overturned. Watch this space for the final outcome. Other notable points from the weekend’s match were the massive 40 meter goal from Mani that brought the house down and the return of the sausage sizzle. Nothing screams Tigers football like the sight of Big Mark “Meat Tray” Saunders flipping a snag on the sideline. It was another great day out for the Thailand Tigers community that was followed up by an afternoon at the Clubhouse on Saturday and an afternoon at Hemmingway’s on Sunday. What a time to be a Thailand Tiger!