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This week's match report is brought to you by none other than Luke "HeadCoach" Andrews...

The football cliche, "it's a game of two halves" has never been more appropriate that in the Tigers V Green Island match at Birchgrove Oval on the weekend.

After nine weeks of consistent performances, the Tigers dished up the football equivalent of stale bread and gruel for its supporters in the first 45 minutes, turning in their most disappointing half of the season.

After showing glimpses of control over the initial period, the team across the park went missing for a ten minute period and were punished severely by a up tempo, physical Green Island side. Green Island managed to score three goals in the space of ten minutes. The Tigers, resembling a set of witches hats at times, were left bemused and frustrated.

To their credit, the Tigers managed to get on the scoreboard prior to the break with a goal to Daniel Totaro. There were however long faces on both the players and the supporters as the Tigers entered the change rooms.

The contents of the half time discussions will remain secret, but the team that emerged for the second half did not in any way resemble that of the first. Right from the start of the half, the Tigers played positive football and began to control the tempo and play.

Louis Soares moved to defensive midfield and controlled the play, while the twin towers of Dominic and Tyrell (on debut) began to get the better of the two 7ft strikers from green island. Up front, Daniel Totaro continued to work hard in the air, with the striking combination, likened by some to "Ren and Stimpy", causing constant problems.

Still trailing 3-1 after the break, the Tigers clawed another goal back through Anthony Trieste, who sent a thunderbolt into the back of the Green Island net from 30 yards out. 3-2 and the tigers were coming back.

After the height of hitting the back of the net, Trieste was to feel a painful low as he was hit in the head by a foot so, so high it needed launch clearance from Cape Canaveral. The sickening kick, which only received a yellow card, opened up Triestes nose and resulted in the immediate substitution with veteran Dave Hardwick making his comeback appearance.

The Tigers come back continued on 75 minutes when left footed still ball specialist Jeremy came into play a neat one-two off the wall from a set piece. Three all. Could the Tigers achieve the unthinkable. Could they win after being 3 nil down?

No. They could not. Green Island, shell shocked from the resurgent Tigers performance, rallied and performed save after scrappy save to keep the Tigers from scoring the winner. As the final whistle blew across a cold Birchgrove oval, the side from green island looked disappointed, while the Tigers looked relieved.

As frustrating as the first half performance was for the Management, supporters and players, the character shown in the second half of the match sets a level that must be maintained if the Tigers are to be true finals contenders.

Strong performances by Tyrell on debut and Daniel Totaro highlighted the match that will go down as a great escape for the Tigers, but at the same time as a reality check. With solid performances from bench players, and good depth from the under 20s squad, changes can be expected for this weekends match with the Bathurst 75s.

As for the 20s, they brushed aside their opponents 6-1 in a game that could quite easily have seen double figures registered by the Tigers. Birthday boy David Pirelli celebrated with a goal that surely must be one of the best ever scored on old Birchy. Approaching a bouncing ball about 30 yards out, he let fly with a vicious half volley that screamed into the far top corner, still rising as it hit the back of the net. It reminded one of Steven Gerrard in the FA cup final so magnificently won by the mighty reds of Liverpool recently, only this was better. Julian Bracewell bagged a double and Uri Gandalf a hat trick as the Tigers ran away with things in the second half, leaving coach Kaltenegger a very satisfied old Tiger.

The future looks bright for the Tigers, after another solid day's work on the weekend away at Prospect. Both grades can be happy with their results as a difficult pitch and a threadbare squad made it difficult for the Tigers. However, the boys can expect further trying times over the coming months, as injuries and World Cup holidays promise to stretch Balmain to its limits. But if Saturday is any indication, as Abe Stirling might have said... "the boys'll be alright."

The undermanned Under 20s were unable to field a full bench, as injuries looked to conspire against their excellent start to the season. Still, the Tigers appeared dangerous, with a plethora of attacking options in the starting line-up. Tristan returned to right-mid for a reserves hitout after his match-breaking first-grade performance two weeks previously against Auburn and Jules lined up wide on the left for the first time since playing there in an intimidating Balmain reserves line-up in 2000.

It soon became clear though that it was going to be a hard day's work for the Tigers. Seven-foot strikers, a sandbox of a pitch and a steep uphill first-half incline put the Tigers on the back foot from the kick-off. Like in each previous test thrown their way this season though, again the boys stood firm. In the half’s most dramatic moment, as a Prospect strike hit the post and spun across the goal line, cameo defender Jamie swang wildly at the ball, offering an inspired decoy to foil the onrushing Prospect forwards before the ball rolled out for a well-earned goalkick.

More of the same in the second half saw the Tigers improve, but not substantially enough to overcome a stubborn and physical Prospect side. A fair result for both sides keeps the Tigers within touching distance of the table's summit.

First-grade was unchanged from last week's disappointing draw against Kellyville. 2005's top two players of the year were still unavailable - Hardwick through injury, and Trieste through suspension - but the side nonetheless looked settled and formidable.

Ball-playing on William Lawson had been a hard task in the past, and ball-playing on William Lawson Reserve was proving to be much the same. Still, as the pub crawl later that night showed, the Tigers are nothing if not hard, and they were soon outmuscling a surprisingly feeble Prospect side across the park.

Set-pieces were proving particularly dangerous for Balmain as Muggsy volunteered his entry for the Miss 2006 Pageant with a howling sidefooter in space with the whole goal to aim for. "Don't worry Tigers" said Captain Lozza, as minutes later he led by example and buried a back-post volley in typically specacular style for 1-0.

Balmain was shading proceedings, but the pitch and, well, our underperformance, were keeping things rather ugly. Halftime came and went, and things didn't really improve, until Eamonn's direct ball forward found Ilias who jinked right and finished left for 2-0.

Instead of going on with it though, the Tigers hit cruise control. At about 35km/h. In a 60 zone. And it was probably only because Propect - all eleven of them - were driving the metaphorical ride-on lawnmower that they couldn't overtake us.

Coach Andrews took advantage of the scoreline to blood two more of Balmain's future crop, as Parellii and Tyrell made their debuts together. In only limited time on the field, both showed glimpses to suggest that we'll see plenty more of them in the future.

Next week it's the bye, giving the Tigers a chance to repair and regroup for the clash against Green Island the following Saturday. Saturday at Birchgrove instead sees Balmain offering a corporate football day. We request everyone's attendance to lend a hand and share a laugh, if only for an hour or two between 10 and 3. Speak to Grilvinho or one of the committee boys for more info.

Well it wasn't the six points the Tigers so desperately craved, but with another Under 20s victory and other results going our way, the Tigers can be somewhat satisfied with the weekend's business. Things get better when you look at the season so far: having played all the recognised title contenders, we're unbeaten after eight rounds. With the best defence in the league. And less than one win off top spot in both grades. A solid start indeed, but can the Tigers take it to the next level?

Saturday saw the Under 20s performing a great comeback for a 3-1 win. Having lost Diego before the game to a mystery illness and Hugo to tonsillitis not far into the match, it was headaches all round for the Tigers as they went into half-time trailing 1-0.

But in a blistering opening to the second stanza, first a Kellyville own goal then a monumental Delaney save, followed by a Tigers penalty all of a sudden swept the Tigers into the lead.

After some fine work from strike pairing Yuri and Matt, Sasha grabbed a third on the counter-attack, and the Tigers were going home with three points. They're still second, but continue to pile the pressure on UNSW.

By first-grade kickoff time, darkness had descended upon Bernie. With the sun wisely leaving Kellyville early, the temperature dropped. Without the soothing cries of "ball speed" from absent Coach Andrews to settle our nerves, the Tigers knew we faced a stern test.

After a hearty warm-up we started well, crunching into challenges and shutting up Bernie's boo boys on the hill. But then the ghost of games past drifted onto the ground, for 10 minutes transforming the Tigers from razor-sharp superathletes to slack-jawed buffoons.

As this evil spell finally wore off, the scoreboard read 1-0 to Kellyville. How rude for otherwise such gracious hosts to take the lead!

We set about overturning the deficit, and were soon rewarded. Thanks to Danny's improbably placed freekick from deep on the right flank we had nicked our equaliser, and things were looking up.

The second half saw the Tigers again dominate proceedings, but we couldn't quite find enough cohesion to convert our field position and possession into chances. It was the same old story for the Tigers, who will be keen to click into top gear as the season approaches its halfway mark. With the World Cup attracting a chunk of senior players, Balmain will be looking to its young army to contribute to even greater successes in the coming months.

Next week it's Prospect United at William Lawson, followed by the FA Cup Final. Go you reds!

And a big cheerio to Jake and Noodles, who are off to England to find stale weather and miserable people. The club will be poorer for your absence. Australia's backpackers, even more so. Have a great time and we'll see you again at Birchgrove on one of our famous Saturday afternoons.

Balmain welcomed the winless Auburn Stars to Birchgrove on Saturday, hoping to assert themselves at the head of the table. Two 4-0 victories later and the Tigers had banished the Stars to their biggest losses of the season. For the Tigers, it was the ideal preparation for a make or break trip to fellow contenders Kellyville next weekend.

While the Under 20s should be pleased with their 4-0 win, such was their domination they could have even won by more. Despite its solid return of four goals, the match also offered nominations for miss of the season, fluffed penalties and several wasted chances. Still, it was a resoundingly dominant and entertaining performance, and the four-goal margin was the largest yet for Auburn.

The Stars' goal was under siege early, with Hugo hitting the crossbar and Sasha sensationally blasting over from six yards with the open net at his mercy. It wasn't to prove costly though, as the Tigers soon moved in front from a Richardson free kick that the goalkeeper let dribble past him. Jem doubled the lead with his second, again pouncing on a keeper error from a Hugo shot to slot home from just yards out.

The second half was even more Balmain. Though Karl missed a penalty, Sasha was to atone for his earlier howler with a simple finish following some good lead-up play. The scoring was rounded out by Uri, who came on for his customary sealer with another fast break and finish. Though more chances were missed, Coach Kaltenegger's team were always entertaining with good performances across the whiteboard, in particular from the Dons Diego and David in midfield and sparkling substitute Owen. The Tigers can be satisfied with the victory that keeps them just one point off top spot.

First grade had it a bit tougher, but can be equally pleased with their result. Auburn coach Dingo sent out his side with one objective - hit it long - and for the first 30 minutes the Tigers struggled to find their feet. The referee, watched by a small army of inspectors, was blowing up even the most affectionate of love taps giving Auburn their best chances for a breakthrough. Fortunately, they weren't able to capitalise. A couple of narrow misses from dangerous Auburn freekicks finally woke the Tigers from their slumber, and before long the first goal arrived.

Danny's excellent corner found big Bonus in the middle, who buried a powerful header to put the Tigers one-up. Through to half-time and into the second period, the Tigers were still fighting for every inch. It definitely wasn't vintage football, but the boys remained disciplined and finally got their reward. The all-important second goal came from a beautiful flowing move climaxing in a Lozza lay-off to Tristan. The Basque youngster, under considerable pressure, blasted a 25 yarder past the goalkeeper's right hand for his first goal in first grade and one that broke Auburn's hearts.

At the point the Stars finally gave up their resistance and the Tigers were soon three-up. A pinpoint, bewitchingly-played long-range through ball from Muggsy ducked and dodged its way through the Auburn defence. It made it all the way to goal-poacher Ilias who slotted the ball calmly for a goal. There was still time for debut Dom to mark his first-grade debut with a sensational side volley from the top of the box after a perfect cross from Tristan.

Though the victory was hard-earned and provided an important boost to the goal-difference, there is still room for improvement for the Tigers. Looking ahead to next week's crunch match against fellow contenders Kellyville away at Bernie Mullane, the Tigers will have to take it up another gear to ensure we continue the season's solid start.

And look out punters at the Exchange - Captain Lozza has declared it a club night out next Saturday when we get back from Kellyville at around 10pm. Join us to hopefully celebrate another Tigers victory!