TSL: Jobi Harper has 43 disposals as Launceston win big

It was the Jackson Thurlow and Jobi Harper show in front of the big sticks with nine of Launceston's 14 goals coming from the pair as the former Cat and Swan kicked five.

Returning to the field for the first time since last year's premiership win, Mitch Thorp was pleased with the victory.

"They beat us last time so we knew it was going to be a really strong contest," he said.

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"Early in the game, it was a really hard grind but we knew if we kept at it we could open them up in the second half with our fitness levels."

For the second week running, Harper's performances bettered those around him, amassing 43 disposals and 16 clearances to go alongside his four majors.

His first goal came early, using his body in his new-found ruck position to outmuscle his opponent and find the sticks before kicking three in the last to have a day out.

"The individual player we all know but the leader is what I look at and he's the perfect person to lead a TSL team," Thorp said.

Strong performances from Fletcher Seymour (33 disposals and 11 tackles) as well as young guns James Leake (12 disposals in the first half and eight tackles) and Bailey Gillow (nine tackles) pleased Launceston's coach in a solid team performance.

The victory was a stark contrast to the last time these teams met, which saw Lauderdale come away 28-point winners, handing Launceston their only loss for the year.

"There's no excuses, we got beaten straight up last time and we went to work on a few areas that we got nailed and our clearance stuff, it sets up your offence and protects your defence," Thorp said.

"We got heavily beaten at clearance last game and we got a pretty heavy win our way. When Jobi has 16 himself, it's a pretty important day, isn't it."

Thurlow kicked the first two goals of the game and the Blues' two first-quarter majors as they took a six-point lead into quarter-time thanks to a casual and silky boundary-line goal from Lauderdale's Nicholas Hooker.

Unfortunately for the visitors, they weren't able to kick a major at the other end of the ground in either the second or the fourth quarters as Thorp's men looked to make them pay.

At one stage, it looked like their day could be worse, with skipper Bryce Walsh hitting the deck hard in a potentially dangerous tackle, spending some time off the ground before coming back on and finishing the game out.

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Goals to Brendan Taylor, Harper and Brodie Palfreyman extended the lead to 22 points at the main break as the Bombers looked to make inroads.

They goaled through Allen Christensen and Walsh either side of consecutive Ryan Tyrell pack marks where he produced a seven-point play, but that would be all she wrote in the majors column for the visitors.

Zach Morris, Thurlow, Gillow and Harper enjoyed the Launceston spoils to finish the game with eight consecutive goals and secure the win.

Oscar and Ned Shaw, former Geelong Cat and Brisbane Lion Christensen and electric mid-forward Jayden Magro were named as Lauderdale's best players in the defeat, with the Bombers set to face North Hobart next week and Launceston to travel to Clarence.

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