From the first bounce, signs were ominous for the visitors as the G.J Gardner Tigers easily cleared it and found big forward Paul McMahon for the first goal of the season. McMahon finished the day with 13 goals in a dominant display up forward. He had plenty of support from Tom Eltringham (10 goals), boom recruit Billy Driscoll (seven goals) and youngster Jesse Galea (five goals).

Smythesdale, led by Nathan Dyer, was able to win some ball in the second term, however the Tigers hurt themselves with inaccurate shots on goal.

Springbank took a 101-point lead into half-time and continued on running out the game through the middle and taking strong marks up forward. This saw the Tigers pile on 17 goals in the last term for valuable percentage.

Smythesdale simply could not match the pace or size of the home side.

Victorious coach Sam Giblett was impressed with the win and the leadership of the new recruits, especially Tim Malone.

“Tim Malone, he’s a general around the playing group. He has everyone listening. It’s something we lacked last year,” Giblett said.

Springbank will travel to Creswick to chase its second win, while Smythesdale will host Skipton next week.