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Sunday's visit to UTS turned out to be a very forgettable day as Balmain ended up on the receiving end of a 6-0 hiding. A very fired up UTS scored three goals in each half while Balmain didn't manage to hit a single shot on target. The Tigers were well and truly out-battled and outclassed on the day.

The reserve grade game was a very different story and Balmain can count themselves extremely unlucky to end up on the wrong side of the 3-2 scoreline. The Tigers went into the half time break down 2-1, with Max heading in their first half goal. Shortly after half time Luigi levelled things, and Balmain proceeded to dominate the possession of the ball. However after Balmain squandered several gilt-edged chances, UTS won the game by converting one of the most dubious penalties you will ever see for a handball (apparently you aren't allowed to chest the ball these days). The good news is that with other results going their way, the reserves are still only one point from a top four position.

Balmain made the Saturday afternoon trek out to Little Bay Oval, a square shaped ground two doors down from the notorious Long Bay correctional facility, looking to stay in touch with the top four. The first half was all Balmain as they picked up where they left off last week with their sweet passing game. Trasandinos were content to play on the break and after a couple of missed chances at both ends the half time whistle sounded with the score 0-0. The Tigers looked to have the home team on the ropes when a Trasandinion was sent off early in the second half for his second yellow card. However Balmain didn't show enough determination to finish their opponents and the Trasandinos counter attacking strategy paid dividends as they snatched a jammy winner in the dying minutes of the game.

The reserve team was so short of players due to injury that coach Dave Grill had to come out of semi retirement to play the defensive lynchpin role at sweeper. Balmain started well, with Max Civili scoring early to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead, only to see Trasandinos hit back shortly before half time to make the score 1-1. The hunger just wasn't in the Tigers in the second half and Trasandinos made them pay dearly, racking up three more goals to take the match 4-1.

Balmain's second round clash with Roosters FC turned out to be a game that will live long in the spectators' memories, as the sides produced a pulsating 11 goal thriller. Unfortunately for the competition cellar dwellars, the mighty Tigers scored all 11 goals while racking up the biggest win in the league this season. After a three goal blitz in the first ten minutes plus a cracking free kick from Hass Reda, Balmain coasted into half time with a healthy 4-0 lead. The second half was a merciless seven goal rout as the Tigers made the Roosters run around like... wait for it... you know it's coming... chooks with their heads cut off. Boom boom ching. In a game where everyone who played in front of the back four scored, Dave Hardwick led the way with four goals.

Our sideline eye informs us that Dave Grill, high on the euphoria of a 10-0 lead and with time almost up, loudly proclaimed "if they score 11 I'll strip naked and run nude round the park". No sooner had the word nude rolled off his tongue than the referee's ears pricked up and the whistle was blown, not for full time, but for a last minute penalty. Ah well Dave, we're still waiting...

Reserve grade entrenched themselves in the top three with a tidy 3-1 win in the earlier fixture. After taking an early 2-0 lead, the Tigers faced a bit of a struggle for much of the game against opponents with a lot more spirit than their first team clubmates. However they sealed a deserved win with Andre's silky run and finish in injury time.

Saturday's 4-3 home loss saw the Tigers hand the initiative to the Sharks on an Exchange Hotel sized platter - the result being a 2-0 deficit within the first ten minutes. Balmain managed to hit back before the break, with a disallowed goal then finally a legitimate one to make it 2-1. However the momentum swung back to the visitors as some poor concentration let the Sharks seize a 3-1 lead just before half time. The second half was much better as Balmain dominated passages of play, but they could never get closer than a goal. Has Reda converted a penalty on his second attempt to make the score 3-2, before Balmain conceded a clanger directly from a corner to hand the sharks a 4-2 lead. Mahmoud smashed in his second in injury time from outside the box, but the Sharks held on for the victory.

The Reserve team match saw the surprise return of Jackson Gothe-Snape (complete with fractured ankle) after coach Grill's injury riddled squad was whittled down to only 10 other fit players. Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession, the Tigers were unable to break down a determined Sharks defence, and so the first half ended 0-0. It looked like the Tigers would be mugged on the day as the Sharks curled in a free kick with 20 minutes to go. Fortunately Nick Bounds stepped up and chipped the keeper from all of 30 yards to level at 1-1. Plucked from the first grade warm-up, emergency substitutes Alex Kaltenegger and Jem Richardson combined to produce a match-winning opportunity at the death, only to see Richardson's effort go over the bar by the width of a Tiger's whisker.