Sport
7 August, 2023
Magpies outclassed in physical affair against Sandhurst
A battered and bruised Maryborough were unable to stop the momentum of ladder-leading Sandhurst in a physical encounter which saw the Dragons win by 161 points. The Dragons did not let up from the get-go, as they were able to pile on four goals in...
A battered and bruised Maryborough were unable to stop the momentum of ladder-leading Sandhurst in a physical encounter which saw the Dragons win by 161 points.
The Dragons did not let up from the get-go, as they were able to pile on four goals in the opening eight minutes of the game én route to a 12-goal opening term stand, but the positive for the Magpies was that talented debutant Bailey Jacobs was able to hit the scoreboard, kicking truly from 40 metres.
Facing a 65-point quarter time deficit, Maryborough, to their credit, lifted in the second quarter and gave themselves a good account, despite the obvious gulf in class.
Jacobs’ pressure forced a Sandhurst turnover deep in defence, and Kaian Constable was the beneficiary as he waltzed into an open goal for the first goal of the quarter.
There was a lot of frustration for Sandhurst as they kicked eight consecutive behinds after 12 goals without a miss in the opening term, and their frustration increased when John Leathan kicked his first senior goal to give the Magpies their second of the term.
All told, the margin was 74 points at half time, and the Magpies were hoping to continue to provide a competitive effort.
But Sandhurst returned to their accurate best in the third quarter, kicking 10 goals from 11 scoring shots to extend their lead to 135 points by the last change. Interestingly, the Dragons were able to kick 22 goals from 23 scoring shots to the scoreboard end throughout the afternoon.
While the Dragons were hoping to get more goals in the final quarter, they were unable to, as they could only muster four goals from 13 scoring shots. At the other end, Maryborough were able to get their only goal of the quarter when a cheeky intercept from Brad Wootton allowed him to also kick his first senior goal with the club.
In the end, the Dragons proved much too strong. Despite that, Brady Neill played well around the ground to provide a strong presence, while Constable also played well. Jake Postle, Joel Swatton, Kya Lanfranchi and Jacobs completed the best players.
There was no luck for either of Maryborough’s other football teams either.
The Magpies reserves fought hard against the Dragons, but ultimately went down by 151 points, while the under 18s, after leading at quarter time, were unable to stop Sandhurst from recording a 45-point victory.
