Belconnen belt Queanbeyan in ANZAC day clash
By Joe Sullivan
Belconnen Magpies 20. 19. 139 defeated Queanbeyan Tigers 7. 8. 50
Belconnen Best: Griffin Underwood, Matt Porter, Cam Ilet, Julien Moussi, Matt Campbell, James Bennett, John Love
Belconnen Goals: Andrew Ainger 4, Cam Ilet 4, James Bennett 2, Josh Jennings 2, Julien Moussi 2, Luke Jeffrey, Luke Rhodes, Daniel Pahl, Griffin Underwood, Ryan Underwood, Chris York
Belconnen have entrenched themselves into the top four of the AFL Canberra ladder with an impressive 89 point victory against the Queanbeyan Tigers in the inaugural ANZAC day clash at Manuka Oval on Friday afternoon.
Griffin Underwood led the way for the Magpies and was awarded the inaugural ANZAC day medal, an achievement he told BelconnenMagpies.com.au he was proud of.
“It was pretty good,” he said.
“It was probably the best game I’ve played in (for Belconnen).
For Belconnen’s playing coach Steve Mahar, playing on ANZAC day was a unique experience.
“It’s fantastic and there was a real buzz around the team (coming into the match),” Mahar said.
“We wanted to pay our respects by putting in a good performance, not only for the servicemen but also for ourselves as well.
“We haven’t been travelling that well, so we wanted to make amends.”
For Belconnen Vice-Captain James Bennett, the victory on ANZAC day made the occasion more memorable.
“It’s really special,” he told BelconnenMagpies.com.au
“I’ve been down to Melbourne the last couple of years to watch the (AFL ANZAC day clash between Collingwood and Essendon) game down there, but it’s just as good a feeling playing down here.”
The sense of occasion sounded throughout Manuka with the two teams lining up to hear the last post before the first bounce.
Surprisingly the fierce rivalry Belconnen and Queanbeyan share was not on display early, as Belconnen made all the early running towards goal. Within the first minute of the game Belconnen had gathered the centre clearance, moved inside the attacking fifty, only to see the set shot miss.
Belconnen’s poor goal accuracy was a sticking point for most of the game, and after the first term had wasted the dominance on the ball with poor conversion. At 40% for the term, the quarter time lead should have been much larger given the 4. 6. 30 to 2. 1. 13 score line.
After the break, Queanbeyan seemed to have galvanized themselves into a more desperate outfit and challenged Belconnen with a renewed physical presence and more attacking opportunities.
Queanbeyan managed to outscore Belconnen for the quarter, with Andrew Lieschke bagging two in the term for the Tigers, and cutting the margin to ten points.
Luke Rhodes was a victim of the physical presence, copping a shoulder to the face and laying motionless for several minutes. The Belconnen player showed remarkable courage and strength to return to the field in the second half.
After the main break however, the contest seemed to evaporate. Several key Queanbeyan players left the field with injuries and it allowed Belconnen to run riot.
The third quarter saw Belconnen score five goals to one in a sign of superiority. The Magpie defence stifled Queanbeyan’s attacking options whilst the Magpie midfield managed to continually win the clearances.
One statistic highlights how good Belconnen’s defence was – Queanbeyan’s two leading goal-kickers in Mark Armstrong and James Kavanagh were kept goalless for the match.
The Magpie rampage went up a gear in the final quarter with nine goals sailing through for Belconnen, Andrew Ainger kicking three for the term.
The final quarter annihilation of Queanbeyan and resultant 89 point victory will see Belconnen’s percentage boosted by 26.
The Magpies will now enjoy a full seven days rest until they take on Ainslie in their round five fixture at Manuka Oval.
By Joe Sullivan
Last Modified on 01/08/2008 16:07