By Beth Newman
Allied Pickfords Cup Rd 9 Update
Palm Beach Currumbin 5.1, 8.7, 11.11, 15.13 (103)
Springwood 2.3, 4.6, 7.7, 10.10 (70)
An undermanned Palm Beach sent a message to the rest of the Allied Pickfords Cup, snapping Springwood’s undefeated streak and taking top spot off the Pumas.
The Lions, who were missing a number of players due to illness, dominated through the middle of the ground, beating the Pumas’ bigger bodies with their speed and execution.
Springwood was on the back foot from the start, struggling to gain possession out of stoppages and provide opportunities to their forwards.
Palm Beach’s counter attack was particularly brutal, with the Lions threatening to score off almost every Pumas turnover, led by the class of Zane Murphy through the middle.
After a reasonably one-sided first term, the Pumas managed to claw their way back into the contest, through strong defensive efforts from Nick Tronc and Blake Wallis.
When Albert Proud kicked the first of the third term for the Pumas, they had all the momentum, but Palm Beach managed to hold them out, with their stronger execution.
The Lions’ inconsistency in front of goal plagued them throughout the match, once again, with a number of missed shots.
In a major blow for the Pumas, gun midfielder, Rhan Hooper, went off after half-time with a hamstring injury, and looks set to miss 3-4 weeks.
Springwood coach Tony King upbeat after the match, despite registering his first loss this season.
“It’s something that had to happen,” he said.
“It’s one of those things you deal with and move on pretty quickly.
“We’ve taken on every team that’s come across us so far and if you’re going to get beaten, then at least it was by the top team.”
King said a tough opening half of the season was taking its toll on his players, who tired towards the end of the match.
“I think as the game got out of reach, fatigue really set in,” he said.
“It’s been a big nine weeks.”
Lions coach, Daryn Cresswell, was reluctant to read too much into the result, which reinforced their status as premiership favourites.
“It gives us a lot of confidence, we’ve been pretty good against the top tier teams,” he said.
“But the competition’s pretty even. If you’re not at your best, any team can beat you.
“We got Coolangatta next week and our eyes planted firmly on that and then we going into the bye and we can reassess then where we’re at, who we play and how we’re going to go about it.”
Wilston Grange 7.8, 12.11, 19.14, 23.20 (158)
Burleigh 1.1, 1.5, 2.7, 5.10 (40)
Wilston Grange gave its percentage a handy boost, thrashing Burleigh by 118 points on Saturday,
The Gorillas were a class above the bottom-placed Bombers and showed it from the outset, with a seven goal to one opening term.
Andrew Mills finished with six goals for the Gorillas, while David Campbell starred on the half-forward flank.
The win sees Grange leapfrog Surfers Paradise in to third spot, by 0.12 per cent.
Midfielder Hugh Priest was a standout for the Bombers in the match.
What the coaches said:
Shane Williams (Burleigh):
“We were terrible. It was the worst we’ve been all year.”
“We were totally annihilated by a very good side that were much bigger and stronger than us.”
“Grange is by far the best side we’ve played – they’re big, strong and well-disciplined. They’ll take a lot of beating.”
Western Magpies 9.5, 16.16, 20.23, 30.26 (206)
University of Queensland 0.2, 1.4, 1.5, 3.5 (23)
UQ slumped to a second straight loss of over 100 points, at the hands of the Western Magpies.
The Magpies signalled their intentions from the outset, with nine goals to quarter-time.
Veteran forward, Anthony Corrie, had a field day finishing with 11 goals for the Magpies.
Sitting in fifth after the match, the win gave the Magpies a crucial percentage boost, which could play into their hands in the back half of the season.
Zak O’Gorman had another good game for the students, in the loss.
What the coaches said:
Craig St John ( Western Magpies):
“It was a big step forward but we’ve got a long way to go yet.”
“Getting some experienced players back on the track seriously helps.”
“It was good that our senior players stepped up and really delivered.”
Matt Stewart (UQ):
“We played terribly.”
“We’ve got a lot of players missing but I don’t think it’s any excuse. There are some non-negotiables that we deviated from.”
“We certainly can’t ignore it- 200 point losses aren’t acceptable, regardless of who you’ve got playing.”
Mayne 3.5, 8.6, 14.10, 18.14 (122)
Maroochydore 1.3, 2.7, 3.9, 7.12 (54)
Mayne continued its scintillating run of form, with a fifth win in six weeks, against Maroochydore.
After a reasonably tight first term, the Tigers kicked 15 goals to six for the last three quarters, dominating all over the ground.
Luke Faulkner showed his class for the Tigers in the match, in his second game returning from a back injury.
Maroochydore small forward, Jaryd Hill, coming off a run of super form,was well held by Tom O’Malley, finishing with only one goal.
What the coaches said:
Mitch Ferguson (Mayne):
“It was another good all-round performance again, to back up from last week.
“It’s been really good (our recent record) and keep riding that momentum for as long as we can.
“We kept our pressure skills up all day and we didn’t allow them a chance to get into the game.”
“Maroochydore is a really tricky opponent and they move the ball really well.”
“We needed to slow them down, which we were able to do.”
Coolangatta Tweed 4.4, 7.6, 12.10, 14.14 (98)
Noosa 3.0, 5.4, 8.5, 15.7 (97)
Coolangatta clinched their first win at Noosa in recent memory, but both sides were kept in suspense after the final siren.
The scoreboard showing a draw at the end of the match and it was not until the umpires conferred that the Blues’ win was confirmed.
With five players backing up from the reserves game from Coolangatta, the Blues were simply running out of legs in the final stages, but managed to hold on.
Ruckman Matt Boughton was a standout for the Blues, finishing with six goals.
The win was Coolangatta’s third for the season, and puts them in ninth.
What the coaches said:
Daniel Hawkins (Coolangatta):
“We linked up very well. We had a lot of run and carry and our handball was terrific and used players in the best positions.”
“We went into the last quarter five goals up and knew legs would be an issue but thankfully we just got over the line.”
Wayne Fletcher (Noosa):
“It was a huge effort from the last quarter to come from five goals down and then be in a position where we could’ve won the game but unfortunately, they won by a point.”
Surfers Paradise 2.2, 4.3, 9.4, 13.4 (82)
Sandgate 2.3, 5.4, 6.6, 7.8 (50)
Sandgate’s signature fight returned in spades against Surfers Paradise on Saturday.
The Hawks pushed the Demons all the way in a competitive first half, but were out skilled by Surfers in the end.
A five goal to one third term proved the difference in the match, but the Hawks will have gained plenty of respect from another hard-fought match.
Midfielder Tom Overington was back to his best for Sandgate, while Surfers’ Simon Fenton was his side’s stand out.
What the coaches said:
Beau Zorko (Surfers Paradise):
“I thought we were out-enthused early, I thought on the whole that we just won ugly.”
“The flipside is that we were able to put them away in 15 minutes in the third quarter, but 15 minutes of football isn’t going to win you big games.”
“It was a good sign to win ugly but I’d like to see a higher level of football as we progress through the year.”
Rob Dickfos (Sandgate):
“For the four quarters of the game, I thought our effort and intent was better than Surfers.”
“The onus was put on the boys after last week and rather than make a heap of changes, I gave them an opportunity to redeem themselves and they more than did that.”
“It was our best game of the year.”
