Western Magpies 5.9.39 defeated by Labrador 25.15.165

You could sum up yesterday’s Labrador performance in one word, comprehensive.

It was the Magpies who started the better, with the first six inside 50’s of the game. Their tackling intensity was high, and they were controlling the footy, but they couldn’t hit the scoreboard.

Labrador kicked their first through Adam Clarke, and the floodgates were opened.

Before you could blink, they kicked another three, and started to really control the ball through the middle.

They went on to boot 10 before quarter time.

The Magpies regrouped at quarter time, coming out to kick the first three of the second quarter.

Before they could get a real run on and drag themselves back into the contest, Labrador’s big names stood up.
Davey, Featherstone, Baxter and Perry-Bolt slowed the game down momentarily, regaining control before putting the foot to the floor.  They led at half time by 74-points.

The Magpies were unable to stop the bleeding in the second half, Labrador opened up their forward 50, leaving Baxter and Daniel to lead up at the footy.

The Tigers link up and run was too much, as they ran out 126-point winners, sending a real message to the rest of the competition.

Coach’s thoughts

Glenn Humphrey – Western Magpies 

“We didn’t put it on the scoreboard, we had that turnover at half forward where they went down and kicked the goal you could see them deflate then and there. They got on a bit of a roll and we did nothing to stop them.

“All the things we did to get the first three goals in the second quarter, we stopped again.

“It’s a attitude thing, it’s something these guys will have to learn.”

Steve Daniel – Labrador

“Today it was just a great performance from everyone.

“We have some guys playing out of position in the first five minutes, and they started really well, but once we got out setups right and settled, it was really pleasing to have a 10-goal first quarter.

“There was a big focus going into this week about our kicking for goal, and we really tidied it up.

“Josh Baxter and Matt Daniel were very good today, they were a bit off last week but they definitely fixed that.

“We had four big inclusions today, and they all played really well.”

Morningside 13.11.89 defeated Wilston Grange 9.9.63

They might have been a little patchy, but Morningside proves yesterday that when they are on, they are still extremely difficult to stop.

The game was evenly poised early, in what was a bit of an arm wrestle.

The Panthers were up by seven points at the first change, but it was still anybody’s game.

In a 15 minute burst during the second quarter, Morningside flexed their muscles, to kick 5 goals and break the game wide open.

Knowing where the game was being won, the Gorillas turned to their big bodies through the middle in the third, and it worked.

Their contested ball numbers spiked, and they were able to drag themselves back into the contest though the likes of Steve Brittain and James McMahon.

They outscored Morningside in the third, but still had a lot of work to do if they were going to out run them.

Like the champion team it is, The Panthers slowed the play down early, got the ball into their forward 50, and let Kent Abey go to work.

He kicked two of his four in the last, making sure the Panthers unbeaten streak remains.

Coach’s thoughts

David Lake – Morningside

“I think we played about 15 minutes of good footy in the second quarter and put the gap in the game, and maybe we over ran them a little bit in the last but outside of that it was a funny old game.

“It was a really good game, but a very different one from last week.

“When we were up and about our linkage was very good, we had the patience when there is nothing in front of you to hold the ball up, and stop.

“Our structures we are there, but we aren’t scoring to the level we should, which will come.”

Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange

“We got back into the game when we went man on man around the contest, but as soon as we dropped off they killed us every time.

“It was a weird game, I think we had a few guys down, but we have taken steps forward from when we played them last year.

“It was a terrific contest and we got to see what it is like to play against a really good side.

“Credit to them and credit to Kent Abbey who was good down forward.”

Broadbeach 10.7.67 defeated Mt Gravatt 9.12.66

Stress levels were though the roof and hearts were in mouths in the last five minutes, but it was Broadbeach who held out a fast finishing Mt Gravatt team in a Saturday afternoon blockbuster.

Broadbeach came out firing in the first quarter; they held the Vultures goalless while kicking four themselves.

There has been a real focus on the Cats ball use by coach Wayne Petterd in the opening weeks this year, and it came together in the first half.

The teams went goal for goal in the second, meaning the Cats still held onto a four goal advantage at the long break.

Off the back of a strong performance last week, Rhys Estall again proved a handful for defenders, kicking all three of the Vultures goals in the third.

Majors to Hancock and Diejes late in the quarter meant the Cats still held onto that 22-point lead at the final change.

When Kieran Brennan kicked the opening goal of the final quarter to put Broadbeach 28 points up, they looked home, but the Vultures had other ideas.

Two goals to Nash and one to Eddy in the first 10 minutes of the quarter had them right back into the contest, and when Samuel James put one through the big sticks 11 minutes in, they were within a kick.

Mt Gravatt looked like they were going to out run them in a big way, but to the Cats credit, they locked the game down and held on for a one-point win in a classic.

Coach’s thoughts

Wayne Petterd – Broadbeach

“Maintaining possession and handling of the ball was really good in the first half, not so much in the second, which keeps opposition sides in the game

“It’s always good to win these tight games.

“I’ve got a stinking headache after those last few minutes but that’s all part of footy.

Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt

“Broadbeach were very good in the first half, we certainly weren’t at our best, but in the second half the boys started to run a bit and use their leg speed which really got us back into the game.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t finish it off, to their credit they were tenacious holding on in the last quarter.

“For all money we looked like we were going to run over them but we just couldn’t do it.

“We had some new boys into the team, a lot of our young boys were good on the day, so that was a really good sign for us going forward.

“The fact that we were down and out a little bit in the first half but we dug deep and got back into it is a real positive as well.”

Surfers Paradise 7.14.56 defeated by UQ 8.9.57

It was an absolute thriller at Sir Brue Park yesterday.

UQ are on the board in 2015, and Jake Evans was the hero.

Kicking with the breeze in the first, the Red Lions capatalised, booting four goals to go into quarter time 26-points up.

The Demons weren’t able to make the most of their opportunities in the second, struggling to find their radar in front of goal, only kicking the one from their nine scoring shots.

The blustery conditions were certainly testing skills around the ground, with both teams finding it difficult to hit targets.

The contest evened up in the third, the Demons kicked the first though Van De Werken, before Rick Dolphin and Michael Stewart steadied the ship for the Red Lions.

Against the breeze, for the Demons to be within 20-points at the final change meant they were still right in it.

Goals to Isaac Hay and Steve Atkinson early in the last meant the Demons were coming, and coming quickly.

When Van De Werken kicked his second 27 minutes in, the Demons were in front.

Enter Jake Evans.
A huge grab and clutch goal, the Red Lions first into the breeze all day, gave them the lead back, and secured the win.

It’s games like this that make us love footy even more.

Coach’s thoughts

Peter Young – Surfers Paradise

“Conditions were very windy, which both sides had to cope with.

“I thought we controlled the footy pretty well, we just really struggled to put the score on the board like last week. It really affects the mindset of the opposition when you cant do that.

“They were good, they ran the ball very well and made the most of their opportunities.”

Darren Pfeiffer – UQ

“I thought in the third quarter we had the wind and didn’t really use it properly, we let them kick two goals when we had the win, and we dropped a lot of easy marks.

“I was still pretty confident going into the last quarter, our midfielders were working really hard and so were our backs, I just told the boys to take the game on.

“I was just really impressed of the willpower of the boys to get back in front once we were down.

Sandgate 11.10.76 defeated Palm Beach Currumbin 10.1.61

They’re back. After taking some serious steps forward since the end of last season, Sandgate are back.

Their win today over Palm Beach may have been a long time coming, but it was earned.

In a very physical contest, no team could really get on top in the first half.

The Hawks went into half time just five points up, but had five extra scoring shots.

They came out breathing fire in the third, kicking the first three goals of the quarter, looking like they could run away with it.

To the Lions credit, they responded, moving the ball better than they had all day, to kick five goals within 10 minutes, and go into the final change one goal up.

Coach Graham Adams has spoken all season about being in games for longer this year, today his players backed him up.

They regained control in the middle and on the scoreboard, kicking four goals in the final quarter to run out 15-point winners.

Welcome back Hawks.

Coach’s thoughts

Graham Adams  – Sandgate

“We are on the right track over our way, and yet again we took another step to earning everyone’s respect in the footy world.

“It was a very physical contest, they came at us in the third quarter and to our boys credit we responded in the last.

“I was confident because we have done a lot of hard work this year to try and get things right.

“I gave them a bit of a spray at three quarter time, but they responded and got it right again.

Chad Owens – Palm Beach

“We were terrible today.

“We couldn’t hit a target, we probably hit about 20 per cent of targets, and we fumbled all day.

“We hit the front at three quarter time and for some reason the players thought it was just going to happen.

“We played with two on the bench in the second half so we had no runners in the end.

“We kicked five goals in ten minutes so when we were clean and one grabbed it and had one handball per kick it worked. We had all the momentum at three quarter time and threw it all away.

By Andrew Wiles