The Western Magpies had a narrow 4 point loss in an tough and tight encounter with rivals Mt Gravatt at Chelmer on Saturday in front of a supportive reunion crowd.
Both teams were guilty of inaccuracy in front of goal with the Vultures prevailing 10-16-76 to 9-18-72 after Pies ruck-rover Jadan Morton marked on the 50 metre line as the siren sounded and needed to kick a 55 metre goal on a 45 degree angle to boot the Magpies home, but his kick fell short.
It was the tale of the match for the Pies, who trailled for most of the match, but who always threatened to wrest control from Mt Gravatt but never quite got there.
The match never quite reached great heights but featured some tough tackling and one-on-one contests. The loss means the Pies must win 4 of their last 5 matches to have any hope of a finals berth, now trailling fifth placed Mt Gravatt by 2 matches.
Coach Glenn Humphrey, said it was a day of missed opportunities. “We were our own worst enemies,” he said.
“When you’ve got guys missing goals from 35 metres out, who normally kick goals, it’s not good.
“It’s a simple task to kick goals and we simply don’t do it well.”
The Pies were lethargic early and Mt Gravatt were able to get a 3 goal lead early which the home side nipped at all game and actually hit the front by 2 points midway through the last quarter before 2 contentious free kicks gave the Vultures 2 goals and a 13 point lead late in the quarter. The Magpies dominated the last 10 minutes but several behinds, including 2 posters before a goal, left them with a narrow loss. The loss of Val Pope in the first quarter with a recurrence of a hamstring strain did not help the Magpies cause.
Dom Beer was superb in ruck and was tireless around ground, centreman Ben Jaenke-Cain racked up over 40 possessions and has been listed in the best in all but one match this season to underline his consistency.
Chris Hunt and Sean Mewing were strong rebounding defenders, Brady Allen had his best game of the year on a wing and youngsters Aaron Yusia-Maricic and Mitchell Stallard were also busy players in midfield. Matt Thompson was the only multiple goal scorer with 3 goals and also worked hard defensively in the forward line.
It was a disappointing loss for the Magpies in front of the reunion of the great Sherwood teams of the 1970s and 1980s--however the reunion was a resounding success and a convivial day was enjoyed by all the reunionees.
The Magpies face another crucial match will will decide if they remain in finals contention when they host Surfers Paradise at Chelmer in front of a reunion of the Western Magpies teams from the late 1990s to the present, including the premiership teams from 2006, 2008 and 2012.
Last Modified on 14/07/2014 20:11