Sport
11 August, 2022
Perry’s 100th set to inspire Magpies in final home game
Maryborough hosts their last home game of the 2022 season this weekend when they welcome finals aspirants South Bendigo to Princes Park. The Magpies will be looking to give it their all on Saturday as they attempt to treat their supporters to a good...
Maryborough hosts their last home game of the 2022 season this weekend when they welcome finals aspirants South Bendigo to Princes Park.
The Magpies will be looking to give it their all on Saturday as they attempt to treat their supporters to a good afternoon as they look for a four-quarter effort this week.
The game will also see Magpies captain Coby Perry represent the club for the 100th time, as he looks to help the team end what’s been a tough season for the club on a positive note.
In last week’s encounter against Sandhurst, the Magpies certainly had their opportunities to make an impact on the scoreboard in the first quarter, but despite leading at the break, they were only rewarded with one goal from six shots at goal — allowing the Dragons to regroup, before adding 20 goals in the final three quarters to eventually run out 104-point winners.
The usual suspects for the Magpies once again performed on Saturday, giving their all against the tide. Perry was outstanding, collecting 40 disposals at 85 percent efficiency, taking 12 marks, along with five clearances, four inside 50s and an excellent goal to get the Magpies on the board. Liam Latch was another to rack up big numbers, with his 42 disposals, 15 marks, 12 inside 50s and 10 clearances showing his ability to create chances for the team.
A point of continued improvement for the team is converting the ability to win clearances to solid inside 50 entries. While the Magpies were able to win centre breaks by three, they were rewarded with 32 inside 50s for the day, including just four landing deep inside the scoring zone. However, when the ball was in Maryborough’s scoring zone, the effort of leading goalkicker Chris Freeman could not be faulted — while kicking two goals, it was his defensive effort, laying six tackles inside 50, that was lauded over the weekend.
Looking ahead to the encounter against the Bloods — the Magpies’ earlier meeting with the team in round eight at Queen Elizabeth Oval proved to be perhaps their most competitive performance of the season, considering South Bendigo’s status as a finals contender. Boosted by the inclusion of Sandringham VFL player Jacob Lohmann, the Magpies were able to keep in touch with the Bloods in every quarter, before eventually losing by 51 points.
On that occasion, Kya Lanfranchi, Thomas Gardam, Jayden Hooper, Lucas Hurse and Lohmann impressed, while Freeman led the way with four goals.
Another competitive performance would be a positive way for Maryborough to end their home stand for 2022, as the club travels to Kyneton for their final game of the season next week, before preparing for the 2023 season.
Around the club, the Magpies’ under 18 team will be playing for a guaranteed spot in the finals this week against the bottom-placed Bloods. Their previous assignment earlier in the season saw the Magpies claim an 81-point victory.