WESTERN MAGPIES v. LABRADOR
Labrador 4.2, 7.4, 9.7, 9.8 (62)
Western Magpies 0.2, 0.6, 6.6, 8.11 (59)
Full recap: https://aflq.com.au/live-145pm-western-magpies-vs-labrador2/
If there is ever an example of a game of two halves, this is it.
Labrador kicked one point in the last quarter, two goals in the second half, and still hung on to won.
I’m calling it, game of the year so far.
Not because it was the highest skilled game, not because it was goals galore, but because, for the last 25 minutes, both teams emptied out the tanks, and threw everything including the kitchen sink at it.
Both could hardly walk off the ground they were that spent.
For the first half, Labrador looked like they were in a different league.
They played the rainy conditions beautifully.
They hemmed the Magpies in at the half-back line, they transitioned quickly, and they put their dominance on the scoreboard.
Adam Clarke was clearing balls with three defenders hanging off him, and Mills was the general down back.
The Magpies went into half time goalless, but it all changed quickly.
They may have lost Staker to an ankle tweak in the second quarter, but they brought their forward line into the game.
Carseldine and Crawford were outstanding in the middle, and McEvoy became a target.
They just started to bang the ball forward, instead of overcooking it by foot, and it paid dividends.
They were three goals down at the final break, but goals to Allen and Scott brought them within a kick.
That’s when it turned into a scrum.
The ball rolled up and down the wing for the next 20 minutes. There was bodies flying everywhere, and the Tigers were hanging on for dear life. It was as desperate as it gets.
Woods has the ball 65 out from goal as the siren went, but he didn’t have the legs.
The Tigers got home, by the skin of their teeth.
I think these two will be seeing each other later in the year.
Nathan Clarke – Western Magpies
“We made a couple of silly errors early and it cost us; switching play in the wet and stuff like that.
“They certainly deserved to win, but I was proud of the way we fought back.
“Hard to score on wet days, and it was eight goals to nil at one stage, so it’s a credit to the group to get back in to it.
“It was an opportunity to get a two game buffer on Labrador but now we are in the fight, but as I said they deserved to win yesterday, no doubt about it.”
Perry Meka – Labrador
“What a game of two halves that was.
“I was really pleased with how we played in the first half, I thought we played the conditions really well, and we played good footy.
“But after half time, we just stopped, and they started playing the conditions better.
“It’s a credit to them and a credit to the competition how even it is, you can’t relax against anyone at all.
“We did hang on really well though. We lost a game like that against them earlier in the year, and I think that having a few rugby players in the side helped, because it didn’t leave their 50 for 10 minutes at one stage.”
BROADBEACH v. WILSTON GRANGE
Broadbeach 1.1, 7.1, 8.7, 13.7 (85)
Wilston Grange 2.3, 4.4, 7.7, 9.8 (62)
No, you weren’t watching a Colts game if you were at Broadbeach at 2pm yesterday, it was the future of the competition on show.
Both teams fielded their pups, and both played some good footy.
In the end though, it was the Cats who were a bit cleaner and a bit classier across the deck, putting the foot down late.
There wasn’t much in it early. It wasn’t constant rain, but it was slippery, which is sometimes worse than when it pours.
It took until the seven-minute mark of the second quarter for a team to break the shackles, and it was the Cats.
They kicked five in 10 minutes to open up the first real lead of the day.
The start of the third saw the Gorillas drag themselves back in the contest when they got back on top in the slow stuff, which was where the game was won all day.
A Lancaster goal just before three-quarter time sent the Cats into the sheds five-points up. It was on a knife edge.
Broadbeach responded to the challenge. They had the legs, and they had the poise in front of goal, the barometer from them.
They kicked the first four to ice it. Despite a late Wilston Grange charge, they were home.
The two S’s, Sharp and Searle were the stars over the footy. They are hard to move when they go near it.
For Grange, Farry kicked three, Howe was good, and Richardson was great down back.
It’s going to be tough, but the Cats are still mathematically in the hunt.
Coaches thoughts:
Brett Andrews – Broadbeach
“They started really well and we didn’t go with them.
“They came back. And it was never really over, but I never felt like we were going to lose either.
“I think we are starting to grow defensively. We have some real accountability now.
“It was a battle of the youth, and our more experienced guys around the ball stood up.
“A lot of the reason we are sticking with these kids is that they are playing well, and have the opportunity to play five or six games together which is good for the club.”
Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange
“We were in it at three quarter time, but then there was some 50/50’s we just didn’t win.
“We made some silly errors like trying to take pack marks in the wet.
“Once they kicked those few goals in the last we weren’t in it.
“I was please that we were there at three-quarter time, because they had all the momentum at half time.
“They didn’t run over us, they just capitalised early and held off.”
MORNINGSIDE v. SURFERS PARADISE
Surfers Paradise 4.4, 4.6, 10.8, 12.10 (82)
Morningside 2.2, 4.4, 7.7, 10.8 (68)
Surfers Paradise is back in the five, something that looked unlikely a fortnight ago.
They are in there thanks to a gutsy win over Morningside in tricky conditions.
It wasn’t the fast, free flowing game we have come to expect from these two teams over time, it was a bit of a grind.
It was the Demons who did the damage early.
Green kicked his first of his five to get things underway, as the Demons kicked four of the opening six.
The Panthers got it back on their terms in the second, by getting on top in the contested ball, and controlling the tempo.
At half time, it was a two-point ball game, a trend which continued for the first half of the third, as they traded blows.
Surfers were able to break the game open in time on in the third, through their run and their spread.
They managed four of the last five of the quarter to sneak away to a 19-point advantage at the last break.
When the last quarter started, Surfers had a job to do.
They had to ice the game, something that’s be a challenge over the past 12 months.
There were no issues yesterday though. They kicked the first two of the last to put it to bed. They were home.
Matt Green made it two superb games on the trot yesterday. Moffa was the cool head down back, and Corbett relished in the conditions up forward.
Logan cracked in all day for the Siders, and Mitchell presented well all day up forward.
They didn’t get the four-points, but it was a better showing for Morningside. The bye this week has come at a good time.
Coaches thoughts:
Peter Young – Surfers Paradise
“We won the game we previously might have lost, so the boys are really learning to win these games of footy.
“We just had to play hard tough footy. Once it rained we knew it was going to be hard, they have the bigger bodies, it was a tight struggle.
“Our back six were really good today, and the forwards made the most of their opportunities.
“The boys are really sticking to their structures now. When you do that, look at Hawthorn, you win games of footy if it’s tight.”
Matt Walder – Morningside
“They started better than us, had that break.
“We played well in the second quarter, but just didn’t take the most of our opportunities, especially in the third quarter.
“Their forward entries were a lot more smoother and cleaner than ours were, and that was the difference at the end of the day.
“Their ball use in those conditions were better than ours. We overhandled the footy on occasion.”
SANDGATE v. PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN
Palm Beach Currumbin 2.5, 6.5, 14.7, 19.9 (123)
Sandgate 1.1, 3.2, 6.3, 7.3 (45)
We said pre-game one of these teams had the opportunity to make a statement, and Palm Beach did.
Lemke Road hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for the Lions over recent years, so Chad Owens will be rapt with the score line.
They shot it to pieces in the second half.
Conditions made it a scrap early, with only two goals kicked in the first quarter.
The Lions were on top in the second, but Sandgate were having a dip in the middle.
The third is when they really put their foot down. For a wet day, their skills by foot, and their polish going forward was sublime.
There were passages of play that made it look like a 25-degree day with the sun shining, not a slippery pill and heavy legs.
They booted eight goals for the term, to open up a 52-point three quarter time lead, which they extended to 78-points at the final siren.
Getting their runners like Woolley and Callinan back this week really gave them an extra gear.
They won’t use it an as excuse, but they really missed them last week.
Askey was also huge for Palm Beach yesterday. He was a magnet for the ball.
Sandgate didn’t have a designated ruckman this week, which meant Corvo, who is about six foot one on the old scale had to crack in all day, and he held his own.
Beven was good, and Jackson performed strongly in a backline under siege.
The Lions stay a game clear of the log jam behind them.
Coaches thoughts:
Graham Adams – Sandgate
“We were in it until half time, but then we just fell away.
“They are a very classy side. Even in the rain they moved the ball really, really well, they hit their forwards lace out, and they didn’t seem to miss.
“They don’t have a weakness it seems, they are just really polished.
“We will let them freshen up, so we still think we are capable in a couple in the last four games.”
Chad Owens – Palm Beach Currumbin
“We were surprised by how much we won by to be honest, we haven’t had the best track record up there the last two years.
“We were disappointed with how much we lost the inside footy by last week, so we made that a big focus this week, particularly because it’s their greatest strength.
“I thought we did really well in that area, we won that part of the game this week.
“The third was when we really put it to bed, and went on with it which was been a problem with us.”
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND v. MT GRAVATT
Mt Gravatt 5.7, 9.9, 12.16, 15.19 (109)
University of Queensland 0.1, 5.2, 6.4, 8.7 (55)
Mt Gravatt have moved into second place on the ladder thanks to a good old wet weather scrap.
It wasn’t the prettiest game at times; the conditions played a big part, but both teams had a crack.
It was the Vultures who were just a bit more polished though. They had the extra class needed to skip away.
They started like a house on fire.
The Vultures kicked 5.7 in the opening 30 minutes, compared to UQ’s 0.1.
They were handling the slippery ball better, they were playing the percentages, and they just got it in long.
A quarter time reset allowed UQ to even up the game.
They went back to basics, and started to get the ball rolling into their forward 50.
Five on the trot, thanks to Milford, Macanawai, Ballenden and Hogson (who are all Rising Star eligible it should be noted) got them back within two goals, but the Vultures settled to kick the last three of the quarter.
The third, as the rain continued to fall, was an arm wrestle, but it was the fourth where the Vultures spread their wings and put the result beyond doubt.
Vearing, in game number two for the year was outstanding. You can’t buy the experience he has, so watch for him to be a real factor late in the season.
Estall and Powyer went head-to-head all day in a good battle. Estall kicked five, but Powyer provided the Red Lions with some serious spring out of the back line.
Who knows what’s going to happen with the top five, but Mt Gravatt are certainly in a position to control their own destiny now.
Coaches thoughts:
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt
“We were terrific early on, we played it really well.
“In the second quarter, they really had a dip. They played better wet weather footy than us.
“A few of our senior boys really stood up, and controlled the conditions.
“It was about one handball, break and line, and get the yardage. It wasn’t easy conditions.
“I just think out boys had a little bit more class on the day.”
John Tootell – UQ
“We let them get away early, we come back and fought back, but they were always a little bit more polished than we were. The bigger bodies in the midfield helped them as well.
“We gave it a crack, we just couldn’t score as easy as them. They ran the ball fairly well in those conditions.
“It was disappointing, but they were just a much more polished team on the day
“We overused the ball a little early on, tried to play a little bit of dry weather footy. I was happy with the boys effort though, they definitely didn’t give up.”
By Andrew Wiles
Follow @andrewjwiles
