UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND v. LABRADOR
Labrador 5.5, 11.8, 18.10, 27.14 (176)
University of Queensland 2.1, 5.2, 5.4, 6.5 (41)
Like the Tigers of old, they were strong and they were bold.
It’s the Labrador we have come to expect. Quick and clean in the midfield, potent up forward, and their big blokes kicking bags.
Baxter and Retzlaff had 15 goals between them, showing why they are tipped to be the most lethal forward line combination in the league.
While the score line blew out, especially in the last quarter, UQ showed a bit in the first half.
But once the game opened up, the Tigers flexed their muscles, and put the foot on the throat.
Nine last quarter goals to one tells the story.
Goldsmith was excellent, and Sam Walker looked very lively until he suffered a broken leg late in the game.
For UQ, Macanawai stood up again, as did George Hannaford around the ball.
It was the four quarter performance the Tigers were looking for, sending a gentle reminder to the competition that they are still the hunted.
Coaches thoughts:
John Tootell – UQ
“We had a fair few out, but they were very good, and we were very ordinary after half time, that’s just the way it goes.
“There wasn’t too much difference at half time, we lost a few blokes, but they just ran the lines better. Their bigger bodies up forward really hurt us.
“They are a good side, they were hurting after last weeks loss, came back with a bit of vengeance and we were on the end of it.”
Perry Meka – Labrador
“We had enough on the park this week.
“Our key forwards were the difference. We hit the scoreboard fairly well, but all over the ground we had some really good contributors.
“We knew the small grounds were a bit of a weakness, so we set up the forward line accordingly, and the boys had a bit of space which was good.”
MORNINGSIDE v. PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN
Morningside 2.4, 6.5, 10.9, 14.16 (100)
Palm Beach Currumbin 2.2, 4.7, 9.8, 13.10 (88)
Full recap: https://aflq.com.au/live-145-morningside-vs-palm-beach/
It was a game that had everything. Lead changes, swings in momentum, points in the game where you thought both teams were certainties, but in the end, it was Morningside who peaked at the right time.
But it wasn’t easy.
Half way through the second quarter, after the Panthers kicked four in a row, Palm Beach looked shot.
All off a sudden, on the stroke of half time, they kicked to quick ones to inject some life into the game.
Fast forward to half way through the last quarter, when Jarryd Douglas goaled, Palm Beach were 16-points up, and looked absolutely home.
The senior heads of Morningside had other ideas, led by one man in particular, Matt Logan.
He kicked three, took crucial marks, and came out of stoppages with the ball like a magician all afternoon, taking out the Dr. Zolte medal for best on ground.
The Panthers kicked the last four of the game to run out 12-point winners, and go 2-0 in 2016.
If you’re going to take one thing from this game though, it’s that these two teams are going to feature heavily later this year.
Coaches thoughts:
Matt Walder – Morningside
“We got ourselves into a deep hole, after controlling the game early on, opened the door and allowed them in to kick the last two or three of that first half.
“That was the catalyst for them to fill up and for us to not feel good about ourselves.
“We were able to steady, but full credit to Palm Beach. It’s four points banked and we will take it.”
Chad Owens – Palm Beach
“It’s disappointing, because we had them and we should have beaten them. They just did the simple things right when they were under pressure where as we just fell away a little bit and did too much when we didn’t have to.
“We had complete control of the game, late in the game, and we tried to over create things we didn’t need to. As a result, those things didn’t happen, and they got us on the rebound.”
SURFERS PARADISE v. BROADBEACH
Broadbeach 2.2, 5.8, 11.10, 14.16 (100)
Surfers Paradise 3.2, 5.2, 7.6, 8.12 (60)
If you looked at the scores mid way through the first quarter, you probably would have expected a 40-point margin in this game… just not to Broadbeach.
It was Surfers, all be it with the wind behind them, who jumped out of the blocks like Usain Bolt in the 100 metre final.
15 minutes into the first quarter, they had three goals to zip, and Broady hadn’t really touched the leather.
That all changed though.
Goals to Serle and Darcy Dienjes late in the first swung the momentum around, and from that point on the Cats went to town.
Quick was supreme in the midfield and Burton was more than handy up forward, kicking three.
Surfers went away from their structures a bit, and Broadbeach capatalised.
They might still be a little underdone, but they attacked the contest hard all afternoon, which put them in a winning position.
In the end, the Cats kicked nine-second half goals three, and took the battle of the backyard.
Coaches thoughts:
Peter Young – Surfers Paradise
“We were disappointed, we thought the boys played pretty ordinary today, but we have to give Broadbeach full credit.
“After the first quarter, our boys thought it was going to be an easy game, got ahead of themselves, put the cue in the rack, and got smashed by a side that was everything we wanted to be.
“We went away from our structures, they just wanted the ball more than us. They attacked the footy well.”
Brett Andrews – Broadbeach
“It was a good win. They jumped us at the start; I don’t think we touched the ball for ten minutes.
“They dropped off a little bit, we picked up a little bit, we got a bit smarter, and a bit cleaner.
“We have still got a long way to go, but our young blokes got a bit more game time, our underdone blokes got a bit more game time, so all in all, if you asked me at the start of the game if I would have taken the 40 points, I gladly would have said yes”
WESTERN MAGPIES v. WILSTON GRANGE
Western Magpies 13.14 (92)
Wilston Grange 7.9 (51)
Anddd they’re back. The black and white army have proven round 1 was just an off day with comfortable victory over Wilston Grange.
And guess what? They did it by controlling the stoppages.
Shock horror I know.
The Magpies shut down the run and the spread that the Gorillas had last week, controlled the football, locked the ball in their forward fifty, and hit them where it, the scoreboard.
The skipper, Cal Carseldine was his usual, contested ball king self, and Gareth Crawford lived up to his recruitment hype, winning a lot of the footy.
Wilston Grange just couldn’t find the gear they needed to, to go with the Magpies.
After getting themselves up for such a big day last week, they were just a bit flat, which isn’t an uncommon thing in football.
Now the Magpies need to build from this, forget about week one, and carry this momentum in form into next week and the rest of 2016.
Coaches thoughts:
Glenn Humphrey – Western Magpies
“We controlled a lot of the game for a lot of the day. We won the stoppages, and controlled the football, which was pretty good considering the blokes we had out, so we are happy with that.
“We spoke at the end of the game, now that we have set a standard, that’s the minimum for the rest of the season.”
Aaron Lohrey – Wilston Grange
“We let them play their own game. We know how they structure up, and we just let them play that way.
“They just set up better. I think we cracked in, in the third quarter, but that was the only part we matched their intensity.
“I think we just need to regroup now. Go back to basics, and try an make amends with UQ on Friday night.”
SANDGATE v. MT GRAVATT
Mt Gravatt 3.6, 6.13, 14.14, 17.18 (120)
Sandgate 1.0, 2.2, 5.3, 10.7 (67)
Mt Gravatt could have suffered a case of the second week blues, fallen a bit flat, and gone through the motions.
They didn’t.
What they did was play another scintillating game, and if they were more accurate in front of the sticks, it could have been even better.
They blew the game wide open early, with repeat forward 50 entries, but missed a few gettable shots.
At half time, the margin was 35-points, but the difference in scoring shots was 19-4 in favour of the Vultures.
They tidied it up in the third quarter, to extend their three-quarter time advantage to 65-points, through the likes of Carbone in the middle, Tronc down back, and Estall up forward.
In front of their home crowd, Sandgate showed in the last quarter that they weren’t throwing in the towel, and that they definitely weren’t happy with how things had played out.
They outscored the Vultures five goals to three, but the game was iced.
Mt Gravatt is 2-0, their best start since 2011. Real deal.
Coaches thoughts:
Graham Adams – Sandgate
“Mt Gravatt are a very good football side, they moved the ball really well.
“We competed really well and we tried really well but they just finished better than we did. Our skill level at times just let us down.
“As far as our commitment and endeavor goes, it was really good, especially missing some of the key players we were.
“I know we have improved, we just have to start winning games to show we have improved.”
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt
“It was a solid win. It’s a good sign when the boys are disappointed they didn’t win by more.
“Early in the game we played some pretty good run on footy, but didn’t get the rewards for effort. We missed a lot of goals and kicked a lot of points.
“To Sandgate’s credit, they really had a crack at us in the last, but we are really pleased with how it played out.”
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles
