Morningside 8.11.59 defeated by Western Magpies 12.7.79
Dear Western Magpies, welcome to the big time.
There was still a sense of unknown about the boys from Chelmer heading into yesterday.
Are they good enough to match it with the top two? Will their contested style of play stack up against offensively damaging teams? Will their younger players handle the pressure of the big stage?
The answer to all three is yes.
They signaled their intentions from the outset.
They attacked Morningside around the ball, they put extra numbers around the footy, they didn’t allow the Panthers any time through the middle, and they looked to take the game on out wide.
They kicked the first four of the game before McNeice steadied for Morningside.
It was all about accuracy early. The Magpies didn’t miss all quarter, whereas the Panthers struggled to capitalise on their forward 50 entries.
At quarter time, the Magpies were 11-points up.
The first ten minutes of the second was all Morningside. They were finally able to attack with the ball in hand, instead of being pushed sideways and backwards.
When O’Donnell drained one from a set shot seven minutes into the quarter, they were in front for the first time all day.
It was a line in the sand moment for the Magpies. The challenge was thrown at them, and they responded.
They locked down on Morningside’s run and carry, and were then able to get out of the back of Morningside’s back six, and capitalise on the scoreboard.
Goals to Dickfos, Pope and Ielasi in the backend of the quarter gave them a 20-point half time lead.
The third quarter was one big rolling maul. They say stoppages breed stoppages, and that was certainly the case as both teams played a lot of numbers around the footy.
Morningside won the quarter two goals to one, putting them within 16-points at the final break, but it was going to take an almighty effort to change the game from there.
When push comes to shove, and the game is on the line, you want your leaders to stand up.
Stand up co-captain Lachie Woods did. He kicked three big last quarter goals to not only give the Magpies the four points, but do it in emphatic style.
Oh, and there was also this bloke called Luke Scott who got moved behind the ball late in the game to take a couple of crucial intercept marks.
When the siren rang, it was the Magpies who were 20-points up, throwing them into premiership calculations.
Coach’s thoughts
Andrew Mellor – Morningside
“They just outworked us. We have had a few structural issues in the last few weeks but we have been good enough to get out of it, but today they didn’t let us get out of it.
“We didn’t get to the outside of it because they didn’t allow us to, and we become reactive.
“They took a lot of our middle away from us. We haven’t really been great at our clearance work all year with the experience, talk and hardness that we have lost, and they really attacked that part of us.
Glenn Humphrey – Western Magpies
“At the contest, we held our positions really well and didn’t get drawn into the contest and didn’t allow them to get that handball over the top.
“Every time we got it out, we were able to take them apart, and that was one of our aim’s going in, to get it out of the middle of the ground where they liked to play.
“Everyone played their role during the game and that was the most pleasing part.”
Mt Gravatt 22.13.145 defeated UQ 5.10.40
There has been some good signs down at Dittmer Park this last month. It certainly wasn’t as doom and gloom as the ladder suggested.
Yesterday, everything they have worked for of late came to fruition.
It was more than just four points for the Vultures yesterday. It was a huge step back in the right direction.
David Doherty opened up the Red Lions account with the first of the day, but after that, the floodgates opened.
The Vultures went on to kick the next 11 goals of the game.
At quarter time, they had skipped away to a 24-point advantage, and by the main break, it was a 60-point ball game.
The outside run and carry of the Vultures that has promised so much at times this year was finally being strung together.
They were winning their own footy, getting it to the outside, and pumping the ball in long and deep.
The third quarter was a much more even affair. The Red Lions finally got themselves in the contest, in a goal for goal quarter.
At three quarter time the margin was 61-points.
Keen to make a mark on the last quarter, the Vultures kept the foot on the throat until the final siren.
Estall topped off his marvelous day with five last quarter goals, to take his tally for the day to 10.
Mt Gravatt ended up 105-point winners, in a game that is sure to silence a few doubters in the QAFL world.
Coach’s thoughts
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt
“I think this has been coming, it’s a good result and the boys played very well. I think UQ had a bit of an off day to be honest, you’ve got to put that into perspective I guess but it was a good day.
“We just concentrated on manning up the opposition and really trying to force the mistakes, and when we won the ball we just spread and ran it really well. Our forwards were really on-song.
“The boys have been working really hard on the track, they are starting to gel together as a unit. Footy is a mental game, if they are feeling good about themselves and working as a team you start to get good results.”
Darren Pfeiffer – UQ
“We have had ten changes in the last two weeks and with that inconsistency it makes it hard to play consistent footy.
“The main thing was the boys weren’t mentally prepared for that game the way we would have hoped.
“We had two blokes going to the one player with the football and they would get that handball over the top and it would become a chain reaction and they would end up getting it out. We were a bit bees to a honey pot.
“It’s the first game we have got through unscathed so I guess that’s a positive.”
Sandgate 8.5.53 defeated by Labrador 16.14.110
Big wheels keep on turning.
Labrador hit a double digit-winning streak yesterday with a gutsy win over a Sandgate team who lost no fans with their efforts.
Down on personnel, the Tigers depth was always going to be tested yesterday against a Hawks outfit that was missing a few as well.
On a big ground, the key was going to be who could get their skates on and go for a run.
It was a fairly even first quarter. Both teams were attacking the ball hard at the stoppages, and creating shots on goal with some classy ball movement.
At quarter time, the Tigers were ahead by just seven-points, but skipper Ryan Davey’s day was done through injury.
The Tigers started to flex their muscles in the second.
It was a five goal to two quarter, and Josh Baxter, after being moved from center half forward to full forward, was becoming a real handful.
At half time, the margin was out to 27-points.
Labrador was always on top in the second half, but Sandgate just never ever went away.
The Hawks backed themselves in to play their own brand of footy, and have a crack all day.
The third quarter was a tight contest. The difference was Baxter up forward.
At the final change, the Tigers were up by 42-points.
Labrador did what they needed to do in the last, extending their lead out to 57-points by the end of the day.
They can now look ahead to their huge clash with the Magpies this weekend, that will be a beauty.
Coach’s thoughts
Graham Adams – Sandgate
“They are a quality side that’s for sure. We tried really hard, we hung in and hung in, and I reckon that’s about the difference between the two sides as far as ability at the moment.
“We tested them at times but they were just too good.
“It teaches our young fellas how to play against quality opposition.
“Baxter really hurt us, we couldn’t stop him, he marked everything,”
Steve Daniel – Labrador
“We were really happy to get away with a win, really stoked. We changed our personnel around a fair bit, we were missing about nine of our senior players, so we were concerned heading into the game.
“We had to have a number of the boys step up and they did, we were really happy with the way we played, but Sandgate were also terrific.
“We had to work really hard to get that result.
“When we moved Baxter deep to full forward, that certainly worked.”
Surfers Paradise 12.5.77 defeated by Wilston Grange 11.17.83
Winning ugly is still winning. That’s what Wilston Grange will take from yesterday’s game.
Unfortunately for the Demons, once again it was a case of so close yet so far, as they went down in another heartbreaker.
Surfers jumped out of the blocks the better, and Daniel Green looked like he was going to have a day out at full forward, kicking the first two of the game.
The Gorillas were very wayward in front of the sticks, failing to capitalise on any ball they were winning in the guts.
At quarter time, the Demons held a 13-point advantage.
New quarter. Same story.
After kicking 1.6 in the first, the Gorillas couldn’t convert in the second, finishing with 2.7.
Meanwhile, the Demons were doing everything they could to hurt Wilston Grange on the rebound.
If you weren’t looking at the scoreboard, Wilston Grange was well on top of the contest, but the Demons were capitalising much better on any half chance.
At the long break, it was the Demons who held a one-point advantage.
The game opened right up in the third. The numbers that were surrounding the footy for most of the first half momentarily dispersed.
Perkins kicked the first of the quarter for Wilston Grange, but the Demons responded with a run of four goals, including another two to Green, to put them up by 18-points.
A couple of late ones to Watson and Mcivor-Clark brought them within nine-points at the final change.
Wilston Grange’s last quarters haven’t been fantastic this year, so they were going to have to dig deep to get over the top of Surfers.
They went to work in the middle, and finally found the accuracy they so desperately required early when it mattered most.
A goal to Hugh Campbell at the 15-minute mark tied the scores, but the Demons weren’t done with yet.
After a bit of back and forth, Daniel Green booted his seventh, and most important goal at the 28-minute mark to bring scores level again, and a draw was on the cards.
Mcivor had other ideas though. His goal on the run, with almost the last kick of the day proved to be the match winner, and made sure Wilston Grange stay in touch with the Magpies and Morningside in that fight for second spot.
Elation for the Gorillas, heartbreak for the Demons. Finishes like that are why we love footy.
Coach’s thoughts
Peter Young – Surfers Paradise
“They were all over us early on in the game, but just weren’t putting any scoreboard pressure on us which kept us in it.
“Our third quarter we were really happy with. We probably had opportunities to kick away and we didn’t.
“We can’t keep giving the opposition the ball by foot, we keep kicking it to them which is really frustrating.
“As frustrating as it is right now, we were never worried about winning the grand final this year. It’s about the next two years and I think we are on the right track.”
Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange
“They played well, they had a heap of numbers behind the pill, and when they went forward they kicked goals fairly easily.
“It felt like we were going to win, but they just didn’t go away. We got on top of them late, but we just missed too many shots on goal.”
“It was a bit more man on man today with how Youngey coached, it was a difficult game to coach, and it was a nail-biter.”
Broadbeach 14.9.93 defeated by Palm Beach Currumbin 15.11.101
I have a feeling we will look back at this game come seasons end, and say that this win was massive for Palm Beach in relation to their finishing position.
The way the QAFL landscape is looking at the moment, that race for fifth spot is between three teams; these two, and Surfers Paradise.
For the Lions to hold on today was huge.
They were up and about early. Stephen Thynne kicked two early, and the outside running game looked unstoppable at times.
It was a seven goal to three quarter, and alarm bells were certainly ringing for the Cats.
It was like the teams swapped jumpers in the second. All of a sudden the Lions were falling back into some bad habits, and the Cats were controlling the pill all over the ground.
Ryan Deinjes is in ripper form at the moment, and today was no different. Broadbeach’s resurgence was heavily influenced by his disposal.
At half time, the Lions were clinging onto a seven-point lead.
The contest we had all been waiting for came in the third. It was on.
Josh Woolley stepped up to the plate for the Lions, and there wer some pretty fierce one on one’s happening all over the ground.
At the last break, the Lions advantage was just the five points. It honestly could have gone either way.
As if their season was on the line, Palm Beach started the last like men possessed.
Schneider, Hewat and Bannister all hit the scoreboard in the first 10 minutes of the quarter to give them some much-needed breathing space.
To Broadbeach’s credit, they fought back late, not rolling over and letting the margin blow out, but they ran out of minutes.
When the final siren rang, it was Palm Beach who was eight-point winners.
Games like this can make or break a season. The Lions are hoping this is the start of their run to the finals.
Coach’s thoughts
Brett Andrews – Broadbeach
“Palm Beach did everything to lose the game and we didn’t do anything to take it, but to be perfectly honest Palm Beach deserved to win.
“We still had our chances to win it, but the first quarter didn’t help.
“Their good players stood up when it counted, to their credit they came to play and we probably thought our last month was going to win it.”
Chad Owens – Palm Beach
“Today could have gone either way. We set it up in the first quarter, but then we stopped doing what we were doing. We had a side down but we didn’t strangle them.
“They completely outplayed us in the second quarter, they basically did what we did in the first quarter.
“We broke it down and said it’s a new season now at the half way point, so we are now 1-0, and have set ourselves up for a big month.”
By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
