WILSTON GRANGE v. WESTERN MAGPIES
Western Magpies 4.4, 8.8, 15.14, 19.16 (130)
Wilston Grange 0.3, 2.4, 2.5, 5.5 (35)
This is a bigger turnaround than the Queen Mary hanging a U-bolt.
The Magpies keep going from strength-to-strength in the last month.
If you haven’t got them in your premiership calculations, chuck them in…. right now.
They completely out-played Wilston Grange yesterday.
By quarter time, alarm bells were ringing, by half time it looked a sure thing, and then a seven goal to nil third quarter put a rubber stamp on it.
Led by Crawford in the middle, the Magpies continued their dominance around the footy, didn’t allow the Gorillas to get their running game going, and were clean going forward. That’s the extra string to their bow they have added this year.
Val Pope has made a case for all players to take a mid year overseas break with his return. He finished with five, while Saunders and Staker chipped in with three each.
It was the first time this year that Pope, Dickfos and Staker all player together, and everyone down the nest will be hoping it won’t be the last.
Losing Brittain and Christie didn’t help the Gorillas’ day; their forward line just didn’t get a look.
It meant their kids had to play bigger roles than what was already put on their shoulders.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but the Magpies’ loss to Morningside, followed by the bye, was the moment everything changed… for the better.
Coaches thoughts:
Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange
“We were outclassed by a very good side. Our good players didn’t play well because they were very physical, and won the ball out of the middle.
“It’s not so much about them being well drilled, because they were that last year, there are other dimensions to their game now.
“A lot of their players are playing different roles, it’s really clicked for them.
“We were very young, which can’t keep being an excuse, but it is a reason we are not competing with the bigger, more experienced sides at the moment.”
Nathan Clarke – Western Magpies
“Grange were very undermanned, but it was good to play well, you can only do what you’ve got to do.
“We carried on from last week, where we were able to restrict their ball movement and put them under pressure. Our forwards did a great job in kick starting our defence, so it was a good team effort.
“It was a really good even performance.
“These guys are mature in that they pretty quickly move on and think about the next game. They don’t subscribe to the theories of just because we have been playing well the last three weeks, that we can’t continue that… why can’t we?”
LABRADOR v. UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Labrador 6.5, 10.6, 14.13, 18.18 (126)
University of Queensland 0.2, 1.7, 3.8, 6.9 (45)
They call day three of a golf tournament moving day. I think we should call rounds 10-12 moving rounds, because Labrador has really put their hand up.
Like a fine wine, they are getting better by the day.
Last weeks slow start was a distant memory, as they put on six unanswered goals in the first quarter.
When that happens in any game, you’d be pretty stiff to lose.
The Red Lions just didn’t have the strength or size to go with the biggest team in the league, and it showed early.
Even without Retzlaff, Baxter had three goals in the first quarter, and Goldsmith finished with five for the game.
They Tigers bullied them around the footy, and while the Red Lions had their fair share of the footy, they just couldn’t find the flow they needed.
This was another game that by half time looked a certainty.
The Tigers were 15 goals up, and they weren’t prepared to put the cue in the rack.
Mills was once again the general down back, and Davidson and Hicks were on-song.
For UQ, losing Hannaford again wasn’t ever going to help, but they had a lot of kids who haven’t played much footy together, so they will only get better.
While they were comprehensively, but they had a crack… the Tigers were just too good.
Coaches thoughts:
Perry Meka – Labrador
“We had a few we chose not to play, we didn’t want to risk them, and the guys who come in stepped up.
“Our midfield was good, Tom Davidson was really great in there, he keeps taking steps forward every time he plays.
“Our attack was coming off the half back line as well, and that’s where our run started. If we can get it into our forwards quick enough, we can put some scoreboard pressure on.
“It’s a good feeling around the club at the moment. We are starting to get some good footy out on the track in all three levels.”
John Tootell – UQ
“I think the difference today was that we really missed Connor Ballenden and Rhys Taggel, we really lacked those key position players, just needed those couple of big targets.
“They moved the ball well; we turned the ball over a lot again. We had our fair share of it, but made silly decisions at times.
“I was happy with the effort, we had a lot of new blokes in that haven’t played together. Even though the score line was blown out early, but we had a good crack, just lacked a bit of polish.
“They are a very good side.”
MT GRAVATT v. SANDGATE
Mt Gravatt 2.2, 11.5, 15.11, 22.13 (145)
Sandgate 5.3, 7.4, 8.6, 11.6 (72)
They were on the ropes early, but Mt Gravatt dodged the knockout blow before landing five or six quick ones that changed the outcome.
Rhys Estall kicked the first, but the Hawks went on to kick five of the next six before quarter time; they were up and about.
Enter Jesse Green. He took it upon himself to get the game back on the Vultures’ terms.
As the clock ticked into red time in the second, the Vultures had hit the front.
Once that box was ticked, it was all about running the Hawks off their feet.
They made sure the ball pinged around the ground, that they played on and used the runners, and that they got it forward as quickly as possible.
The longer the game went on, the more space they had, until, when the final siren rang, they were 73-points up.
The Vultures were missing a few, but everyone can tackle, and tackle they did.
They made sure the Hawks felt the heat every single time they got the footy.
For Sandgate, Gray took the points in the ruck like we expected, the skipper Tom Fuller played well, as did Crawley, but they just didn’t have the legs.
Moncur didn’t show any signs of easing back into foot after a month off, kicking six for Mt Gravatt, Mick Hamill looks a lock for their best and fairest with another stand out performance, and Bacic provided plenty of run.
They needed that win. Finals are back on track.
Coaches thoughts:
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt
“They started amazingly, I was really worried, they played some really good footy in the first quarter, but to our credit, we played some great footy.
“They clawed their way back, put the stuff we have been training for into action, and played some really good run on footy.
“In the context of things, that was a really good win. I really liked the way we went about it.”
Graham Adams – Sandgate
“It was a good start, but as per usual with us at the moment we went to sleep after that. They outscored us completely in the last three-quarters.
“They tackled really well, that was as good as I have seen all year, they didn’t miss one.
“Their decision making under pressure was really good and they run us off our legs.
“I keep saying this I know, but its that learning aspect of being a good side for a long amount of time, that’s what we are having difficulty with at the moment.
“When we get it right for the full game we are bloody good, but we just can’t get it right for long enough periods.”
PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN v. MORNINGSIDE
Palm Beach Currumbin 5.6, 9.10, 13.12, 16.15 (111)
Morningside 0.5, 1.6, 2.9, 4.14 (38)
Full recap: www.aflq-new.fspdev.com/live-145pm-palm-beach-vs-morningside
Morningside coach Matt Walder summed it up perfectly when he said, “as far as a title bout playing for top spot, unfortunately we forgot our gloves.”
Palm Beach made a statement today.
Yes, Morningside were missing some big names, but the Lions put them to the sword in the middle.
They came out and signaled their intentions in the first five minutes, and by half time they game was in the books.
Croad reminded everyone he was back with two first quarter goals, Woolley was hitting targets he had no right to, and Callinan kept finding space on the arc.
It was one-way traffic in the clearance count; the Panthers just couldn’t get their hands on the footy in their forward half.
All eyes were on the Panthers in the third after some half-time soul searching, but goals to Croad and Chisholm within the first five minutes put the comeback to bed.
Without names like Delbridge, Pendelbury, Dalton, and Evans out, they just couldn’t get the wheels turning.
Emblem wore Abey like a glove, Stubbs and Douglas were working in tandem in the forward 50, and their runners like Ashby were opening it up.
Morningisde showed a bit in the last quarter, but it was a dirty day.
Palm Beach go four points clear on top of the ladder, the place they deserve to be.
Coaches thoughts:
Chad Owens – Palm Beach Currumbin
Matt Walder – Morningside
“The players missing isn’t an excuse. They started the game red-hot, we were too reactive. We didn’t come to play; it wasn’t until after half time that we closed things up a bit and got our blokes to go to the game.
“As far as a title bout playing for top spot, unfortunately we forgot our gloves.
“They came in and punched pretty hard, and we didn’t fight back very hard.”
BROADBEACH v. SURFERS PARADISE
Surfers Paradise 5.3, 9.5, 13.11, 21.12 (138)
Broadbeach 1.3, 4.9, 4.10, 7.14 (56)
There’s always a moment in the season where you think, yep, that changed a team.
That came last week for the Demons, and it’s why they were so good today.
In the second half last week, they rediscovered themselves, and this week, they made sure it was for four quarters.
Their run, their spread, their link up work was too much for the Cats to handle today.
Despite missing big names like Pope, and losing players like Fraser during the game, their depth was on show.
They played like a kid who doesn’t want to share his toy. They just kept running away with it.
The tone of the day was set in the first quarter.
Despite Searl kicking the first for the Cats, it was the Demons who kicked the next five of the quarter, a period where Noa Corbett kicked three in a row.
When Danny Green kicked four of the next five goals of the game, the Demons skipped away to a 34-point lead, and showed no signs of letting up.
Broadbeach clawed it back to 27-points at the long break, which kept them in touch, but a four-goal to nil third quarter from the Demons put this one in the books.
The game opened up in the last, with both teams finding avenues to goal, but it was iced, Surfers had run away with this one, they never let up.
Woolford and Cass Haberfield were unstoppable in the middle, and Matt Green was outstanding across half back for the Demons.
Brayde Palmer won the ruck battle for the Cats, Ryan Dienjes played well against his old club, but most of their players couldn’t get a look in today.
If Surfers keep playing that brand of footy, they play finals.
Coaches thoughts:
Brett Andrews – Broadbeach
“We know where we are at with a young list and a few missing, but we can’t accept a lack of effort.
“They did get us with our run, but we just weren’t prepared to put in defensively to stop them, which was the frustrating part.”
Peter Young – Surfers Paradise
“We are happy with that, we finished with no bench, but we played four quarters of footy.
“They started really well in the first five minutes, but we took control back, and finished off well.
“We are finishing off games like we were before I went away.
“We talked about us not starting well the last couple of weeks, so that was a real focus for us.
“We went back to our structures which have been missing late, we needed to get back to believing in our game style.”
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles
