Sport
21 August, 2023
Injury-hit Maryborough no match for Storm
Beset by player unavailability and injury, Maryborough were simply no match for Strathfieldsaye, losing by 218 points. There were wholesale changes for the Magpies coming into this game, with Kynan Carter playing his first game for the club, while...
Beset by player unavailability and injury, Maryborough were simply no match for Strathfieldsaye, losing by 218 points.
There were wholesale changes for the Magpies coming into this game, with Kynan Carter playing his first game for the club, while Ash Humphrey was in for his first game of the season. Spencer Fithall, Luke Guelen, Dylan Reece, Matt Morse and Jackson Swan were also inclusions to the team for the game.
Strathfieldsaye made a start by kicking seven goals from 16 scoring shots to open up a 51-point lead at the first change.
While Maryborough were unable to impact the scoreboard, they were at least able to keep the Storm honest for large parts, as an inaccurate Strathfieldsaye weren’t able to score as many goals as they would have liked. Six goals from 15 scoring shots meant that the Storm were 96 points in front at the main break.
The Magpies were powerless to stop the Storm throughout the day, but their best passage of the day saw Reece set up Bailey Jacobs on the wing, who took four bounces before hitting up Jai Howell inside 50, who would convert to put the Magpies on the board for the afternoon.
Nevertheless, the Storm continued to hit the scoreboard, and eight goals saw them lead by 143 points at the final change.
The shackles were loosened in the final term for the Storm, as they had complete control of the game and played at their best. However, they still proved to be inaccurate, and kicked 11 goals from 22 scoring shots, eventually taking their 218-point win as they looked to warm up for finals.
Brady Neill was named the Magpies’ best, while Kya Lanfranchi had an outstanding battle with league-leading goalkicker Lachlan Sharp. Josh Britten, Reece, Nic Swan and Darcy Bond were also named in the best.
Elsewhere, it was a tough day on the field for Maryborough. The reserves lost by 209 points, while the under 18s went down by just 10 points.
The Magpies will now look ahead to their final game of the season against Gisborne at home on Saturday.