Mt Gravatt 11.13.79 defeated by Labrador 20.13.133
They were made to earn it, and it came at a cost, but Labrador has hit the half way mark of season 2015 undefeated.
The Tigers were forced to play the last seven minutes of the game with just 17 players on field due to injuries.
Lappin hurt his knee, Hollis strained his calf, Walker didn’t make it to halftime after pinging a hammy, and Baxter was sore.
Add to that a young Vultures team who really had a crack from the opening bounce, and the Tigers had their work cut out.
Labrador kicked the first two through Clarke and Daniel, before both teams kicked another three each before the end of the first.
The Tigers led by 13 at the first break.
It was a tight contest in the second, goals were hard to come by, and it’s fair to say Mt Gravatt was on top.
Their outside run and carry was troubling the Tigers. It was the Mt Gravatt of old.
They won the quarter two goals to one, trailing by just four-points at half time.
Despite their injury woes and Kyle Walsh putting the clamps on Ryan Davey all day, the Tiger’s bigger bodies stepped up to the plate in the second half, and Josh Fraser was dominate up forward.
They kicked five quick goals to really break the game open half way through the third, and that was all she wrote.
At three quarter time they were up by 27-points, before extending the margin out to 54 by the final siren.
Mt Gravatt may not have walked away with the win, but they took a big step forward yesterday.
They won’t be an easy beat in the second half of the year.
Coach’s thoughts:
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt
“The boys really did a great job today. Labrador is a class team and our boys stuck it to them.
“We made a few fundamental errors and them being a classy team took advantage of that and put four or five goals on us, and that was the difference.
“As the game progressed, their bigger bodies took over in the contest.”
“Our boys ran well, they created a lot of opportunities, and they are starting to implement a lot of work we have been training for, so it was quite pleasing.”
Steve Daniel – Labrador
“They were pretty impressive. They are young kids just having a go. We were really impressed with them as a club.
“They spread really well and tried to get us on the outside. Our bigger bodies around the footy got them in the end.
“We had to battle it out and we certainly had to earn this win.
Palm Beach Currumbin 7.14.56 defeated by Wilston Grange 14.9.93
When you’re kicking with the breeze, you have got to make the most of it.
Wilston Grange did, Palm Beach didn’t.
There was only two total scoring shots difference between the two clubs, not even including the few Palm Beach put out of the full, but at the end of the day, 37-points separated them.
The Lions jumped out of the blocks the best, with Stephen Thynne, back from NEAFL duties, booting the first two.
The Gorillas settled late, kicking the next three of the quarter, to head into the first change eight-points up.
With McNevin off the ground getting stitched up, Declan Bevan made the forward fifty his own early in the second.
He kicked two of his four in quick succession to get the ball rolling.
The Gorillas were just more composed with football in hand all day. They controlled the tempo, they didn’t panic, and the used it well. That was the difference.
Palm Beach on the other hand was a little bit panicky. They looked rushed all day, and torched the footy across half-forward.
Losing Brock Askey to a hamstring strain in the first half didn’t help either.
At half time, the Gorillas were up by 16.
It was the same story in the third. The Gorillas just had a lot more poise than their counterparts.
Albert Proud played his best game yet in the red white and blue. He was dominant through the middle.
When they went forward it was with purpose, not just a kick and hope.
They were making the most of their opportunities in front of goals as well, with a couple of long range set shots sailing over the goal umpires head.
At the final break, the margin was 29-points.
Palm Beach tried to roll the dice in the last. They left Stubbs one out in the fifty, and looked to take the game on at every opportunity.
They were winning a heap of the footy; they just couldn’t hit the scoreboard.
When Stubbs missed a sitter 10 minutes in, you could see the Lions deflate.
Wilston Grange wrestled back control late in the game to run out 37-point winners, and take another step forward in 2015.
Coach’s thoughts
Chad Owens – Palm Beach Currumbin
“Our inability to use the ball is unrivaled in this competition.
“There was only two scoring shots difference, we kicked three or so out on the full.
“We don’t have those older players that can stem the flow, reset and hit the next target.
“Their disposal was just so much better.”
Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange
“It was a very even contest early. They moved their on-ballers around early, and we had some matchups but none of them really worked.
“Askey was causing some damage early but when he went off we started to get some ascendancy in the middle.
“My focus at half time was just to control the footy more. I thought we rushed a bit.”
“Our half forwards and wingmen got involved. If we miss five or six of those long goals we kicked it’s an even contest.”
Sandgate 7.9.51 defeated by Broadbeach 14.18.102
I wrote on Friday in the Forecast that the beauty of the QAFL this year is that you are one good win away from turning around your season.
Broadbeach did that yesterday.
If they are any chance of playing in September, yesterday was a must win, and win they did.
Round 8 Rising Star nominee Connor Stackelberg continued his good form by kicking two of the first three goals of the game to give the Hawks a 16-point advantage.
Shae Killey’s major near on the quarter time siren brought the Cats back within 10-points at quarter time.
It all clicked for Broadbeach in the second.
On the wide expanses of Lemke Road, they were able to put their skates on, tuck the ball under the arm, and run the Hawks off their feet.
It was a four goal to one quarter that reminded everyone they aren’t writing 2015 off just yet.
At half time, the Cats were up by 12-points.
Broadbeach are missing a few a-graders, so Ryan Dienjes put the midfield group on his back and went to work. He was excellent all day.
The Cats kicked eight goals to the Hawks two in the second half, putting in their best performance of 2015 to date to run out 51-point winners.
The highlight of the day was the debut of Seb Fahey for the Cats.
The Queensland Under 18 State Academy member, and rugby league convert, made the wing his own after quarter time.
Half way through the season, it looks like the Cats are starting to purr.
Coach’s thoughts
Graham Adams – Sandgate
“The better team won today, they deserved to win.”
“We just didn’t use the footy well. We turned the ball over too much.
“Full credit to them, they just used it better today, and we were a bit down.”
Brett Andrews – Broadbeach
“It was probably our first three to four quarter effort which was good. We started to play some really nice football in the end.
“We were a little bit too fast for them but it was just the discipline things. We weren’t giving away silly free kicks, and we mounted a bit of scoreboard pressure early.
“The second and third quarter is probably the two best quarters we have played this year.”
Surfers Paradise 10.10.70 defeated by Morningside 15.13.103
There wasn’t a knockout punch, no game changing moment, the Panthers just stayed in the contest for longer yesterday.
There is a winning culture down at Morningside, even when it’s not all going to plan they just find a way to win.
Simon Carlton kicked the opening goal of the game for the Demons, but Morningside booted the next four.
Alarm bells were ringing for Surfers, but McIntyre’s late goal steadied the ship.
At the first break, Morningside were 15-points up.
The second quarter was full of ebbs and flows. A young Surfers midfield, led by the likes of Noah Corbett weren’t going to die wondering. They cracked in all afternoon.
At half time the margin crept out to 16-points.
Mazoletti opened the second half scoring, as he continued his impressive year, but Surfers hit back immediately through Daniel Green and Simon Carlton.
Morningside were able to punish any lapse in concentration by the Demons, and in the end that was the difference in the game.
At three quarter time it was a 27-point ball game.
Morningside did what they needed to do in the last, led from the front beautifully by Alastair Nash, running out 33–point winners, sitting at 8-1 at the half way mark of the year.
Coach’s thoughts:
Peter Young – Surfers Paradise
“We were really happy with the performance. It was a good team effort.
“Teams like Morningside just know how to get over the line and keep winning. They are a club we aspire to be like.
“It was their experience in the end. We thought we covered most of their game but it was some of their transition and spread that got them goals.
“We just need to take our chances and learn how to win games of footy.
“Our run was good, our kick ins were good, we have just got to finish off those little things against good sides.
“We are not getting the points yet, but we think we are on the right track.”
David Lake – Morningside
“They were good, they had a crack and they whacked in all day.
“Their skill level was above ours at times, and they transitioned the ball really well. I’m surprised they are sitting where they are.
“We got them with our ability to sustain it for a long period. The minute they take their foot off the accelerator at all we take advantage.
UQ 5.10.40 defeated by Western Magpies 14.17.101
Six on the trot. The second longest win streak in the QAFL this year.
The Magpies are doing everything right at the moment, and yesterday was no exception.
UQ came out of the blocks hard at the Magpies. They surrounded the contest with numbers, and despite the scoreboard, looked on top early.
The Magpies were making the most of it up forward. Goals to Mitchell and Michael put them up by 10-points at quarter time.
The Red Lions came out from the break the better, kicking the first two of the quarter but from then it was all black and white.
They started getting winning the inside ball, spreading better, and putting their dominance on the board.
They kicked the last four of the quarter to head into the sheds 27-points ahead.
Early into the third, UQ were two rotations down with Harris and Mason both done for the day, meaning legs were going to become a real issue.
The Magpies put them to the sword in the third. It was a four goal to zip quarter, where Dickfos kicked two of his five.
At three quarter time the Magpies were 53-points up, and the game was iced.
They kicked the opening three of the last, before UQ kicked the last two to make the scoreboard look a bit better.
The Magpies ran out 61-point winners, and have given themselves the best possible lead in to the next three weeks, where they play the other top three sides.
Coach’s thoughts
Darren Pfeiffer – UQ
“As a whole, today was disappointing.
“The first quarter we went in down but we controlled the quarter really well. We looked the better team, and we got them playing slow boring footy.
“We let ourselves down a bit after that. The pressure around the footy was good, but it was our turnovers that cost us in the first half.”
“Unfortunately we didn’t stick to our structures.”
Glenn Humphrey – Western Magpies
“Things went really well for us today.
“It was very tight, they got a lot of numbers around the football but our blokes just stuck with their task and started to open it up.”
“Our bigger bodies got them in the end. Our midfield went really well today.
“The litmus test is over the next couple of weeks now. We have Morningside, Labrador and then Wilston Grange. We will know exactly where we are at.”
By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
