Sport
23 June, 2026
Magpies hold top spot in under 14s with key win
The Maryborough Football Netball Club’s under 12 and under 14 junior football teams dazzled at Princes Park last weekend, both coming away with key victories.
An early 9 am start at Princes Park in chilly conditions greeted Maryborough’s under 10s on Saturday, as they took on Castlemaine.
Despite coming up against a strong opposition, the young Magpies continued to show encouraging improvement, with Nixon Dellavedova, Dusty Steen and Jordy Thompson all producing impressive performances.
Rory Shepherd provided one of the highlights of the morning, kicking a superb goal on the run before celebrating with plenty of enthusiasm.
Although Castlemaine proved too strong, both teams displayed excellent sportsmanship and should be proud of their efforts.
Immediately following the under 10s was the Maryborough under 12s, who played at Princes Park for the first time in a month against Golden Square.
After a tightly contested opening quarter with neither side able to gain the upper hand, the Magpies burst into action in the second term.
Co-captain Manny Shepherd kicked two quick goals on his way to a three-goal haul, while the lively forward trio of Knox Parkinson, Jack Lennon and Oliver Congram applied plenty of pressure.
Parkinson also finished with three majors, while Reef Jarvis and Oscar Bramley were outstanding contri-butors as Maryborough powered away to a convincing 7.7.(49) to 2.5.(17) victory, lifting themselves back into the competition’s top five.
On Sunday, the ladder-leading under 14s continued their out-standing season with another impressive victory, defeating Strathfieldsaye 10.10.(70) to 2.4.(16) at Princes Park.
While the match developed into a hard-fought and at times scrappy contest, the Magpies once again demonstrated why they sit on top of the competition.
Patrick Noonan gathered plenty of possessions while playing a disciplined role across half-back, with Dean Liddicott providing plenty of drive and run from defence.
Noah Thomson was rock solid at full back, refusing to allow the opposition any easy opportunities.
Up forward, Jack Ward dominated with an outstanding five-goal performance, while one of the highlights of the day came from Kyzer Lawton, who delighted teammates and spectators alike with a clever soccer-style goal from the top of the goal square.