MACK TRUCK MATCH REVIEW - PIES MAULED BY HUNGRY LIONS
Andrew Thomson
A young inexperienced Magpie side was given a lesson in hard running and contested footy by an impressive and experienced Lions outfit at the peak of their powers on Saturday.
The disciplined Lions were consistently harder over the footy than the Magpies and had scoring options everywhere when they got the ball forward, particularly when they moved it quickly and directly due to their intensity through the midfield.
Youth and a significant injury toll played its part in a disappointing performance from the Magpies, however a lack of consistent intensity from the entire 22 also played a role in the outcome.
Dom Beer battled manfully in the ruck in his 100th appearance and can hold his head high, while Drew Mitchell battled hard despite suffering significant shoulder problems. Ben Jeanke-Cain and Gareth Crawford consistently gave a contest at the stoppages, but as a group the midfield lowered their colours against a PBC side that batted a little deeper through the middle and combined their grunt with quality outside run and pin point disposal.
Despite the result, finals remain a realistic prospect for this young group and they have picked themselves up with a good week on the track and will no doubt put in a much improved showing against the undefeated Labrador side this week.
Coach's Thoughts - Brydan Morgan
" Just too good at this point in time, The reality is we are needing to rebuild after the loss of quality and quantity of players this year, In saying that we have performed well and I am sure we will learn and develop and be better as a club moving forward. We will need to continue to play hard and challenge our competitive edge to ensure we compete.
Today as I said Palm Beach too goodfor us today as a team "
2.1-13 2.6-18 3.10-28 5.13-43
6.2-38 11.7-73 17.10-112 22.14-146
Western Magpies
Goal Kickers: V. Pope, R. Easton, J. De Winter, C. Franks, T. Ielasi
Best Players: B. Easton, D. Beer, W. Johnson, C. Franks, B. Jaenke-Cain