Westpoint Autos - Meet the Coaches - Brian Miller

Brian “BM”  Miller is in his 18th season at the Western Magpies and has been a fixture at Chelmer for all that time except for just 12 matches.

BM played as a youngster at Coorparoo where, in his typically dry sense of humour, he says his brothers had all the talent. He still loved the game and club environment so after he finished playing he wanted to stay involved and as he says he was better value behind the scenes. He acted as team manager for the Roos for many years. 

He dropped out of footy for awhile at the end of 1985 when his beloved Coorparoo went into recess. 

He rejoined the club scene in 1994 when Mt Gravatt joined the QAFL and stayed there until 2000, when he followed good friend Geoff Jennings to the Magpies when Jennings was appointed coach of the Piesin their second year back in senior football. 

He has been anassistant coach for many years and was named as the Russell Green Memorial Trophy winner in 2013 for Western Magpies Coach of the Year. He was joint Reserves Coach with Anthony McDonald in 2011.

BM rarely misses a training session and is ever ready to assist with setting up training drills to ensuring drinks and footies are all ready for players use at training. He is on deck from the first pre-season training run until the last game of the season is played. 

He often acts as Reserves Team Manager as well as being assistant coach on match day with the minutiae of a footy team all set up to ensure all is in order for players to play at their best. 

And those twelve matches he missed? BM was asked to accompany Peter McClennan to be his assistant when Peter was appointed coach of Mt Gravatt in 2013.  Unfortunately Peter and Mt Gravatt parted ways after twelve matches but in some respects it was fortunate for the Pies as BM came back "home" and Peter also rejoined the Pies to both be fantastic contributors to the Western Magpies. 

BM has been and continues to contribute to the Pies and has been a wonderful servant of the club and the game of AFL in Queensland. 

Genuine Garage Door Solutions - Meet the Coaches - Tim McEvoy

Unlikely any of our readers haven't already met this bloke, but...

You can’t keep a good man down!!  Tim McEvoy was looking forward toa few weekends free from footy commitments after retiring last year after over 200 Senior matches anda Life Membership for the Magpies. But when a vacancy occurred early in the year for a Senior Assistant Coaching role as backline coach he jumped at the chance to work with new coach Brydan Morgan. He has been involved in junior coaching at Sherwood and was a long time member of the senior club’s leadership group when playing so he knows how to organise and get his message across to his players.

He is a senior coach in waiting and this is the beginning of the learning process as a senior coach and he embraced the opportunity to add this to his CV.

TMac’s playing career is well documented as a hard-as-nails midfielder who also played a lot of his footy across half back. He was often the backline general in his playing days and this will put him in good stead as he marshalls the defensive half for the Pies this year.

Metis Wealth - Meet the Coaches - Adam Holland

Adam joins the club as the midfield coach after over a decade of coaching in Brisbane.

He joined the Magpies for a change of scenery and to continue to learn and develop as a coach. 

He says the Western Magpies are highly regarded in QAFL circles for both their on field performances but also for their strength and conduct off the field. 

Adam's connection with AFL was through his family who had an involvement at Wilston Grange but he started playing as a junior at Aspley. His playing career was cut short by knee and elbow injuries so to keep involved he threw his hand into the coaching ring and he has been at it for over 11 years now. 

He commenced coaching with Wilston Grange Thirds in 2007 then moved to Strathpine for two years as Senior coach, coaching the Swans to the premiership in 2008.

It was back to Wilston Grange as Assistant Coach and Reserves Coach in 2010 then he joined Aspley as that club's QFA Senior Coach for four years. 

To continue his development he moved to Sandgate as Senior Assistant Coach under Graham "Bomber" Adams in 2015-16 before crossing to Chelmer this year. 

He is enjoying his time at the Magpies and he says the Pies playing group is younger than he has coached in recent years and are very receptive to coaching with new ideas and respond well to feedback which he thinks is a great attribute to have. 

He says the players are also willing to voice their opinions and he likes the honesty that brings to the group. 

Adam loves the vibes at the club under Brydan Morgan and believes the young Pies are on the verge of building their own legacy to add to the Sherwood/Western Magpies wonderful history. 

Coopers - Friday Footy Review

Undermanned Woodsmen snatch late draw

On Friday night in wet conditions, an undermanned Woodsmen side cobbled together late on Friday headed north to take on undefeated competition leaders the Sandgate Hawks and toughed it out until the end to salvage a draw when all looked lost, with the final scores locked at 6.14 - 50 to 8.2 - 50, with the usually inaccurate Woodsmen picking the right night to kick straight!

The Woodsmen again has 5+ changes, with 10 regulars unavailable but some very useful inclusions to fill the void.  Young Riley Easton made his Woodies debut as he continues his comeback from a knee reconstruction and was handy up forward and on-ball with his clean skills at ground level.  Older head Corey Hopkins also played his first game for the Woodies and was solid across half-back and regular senior leading goalkicker Alex Dickfos also played his last game in Magpie colours before heading to London, and contributed an important late goal.  The final debutant was Chris 'Fatty' Devlin on permit from Ipswich after playing 2016 in the Magpies Reserves.  Fatty thrived in the tough conditions to consistently win the ball and get it going forward at all costs. Rounding out the list of debutants was Simon 'Squizzy' Taylor who was useful in the back half and short stints through the middle.

The opening quarter was a learning process for the Woodies as the team adjusted to yet another round of mass changes, while Sandgate got out to an early lead before the Woodies pegged them back with 2 straight goals.

The 2nd quarter was more of the same, with Sandgate having the better of field position and gain failing to take their chances to kick an identical 2.3 from the first quarter to go into half time with a 4.6 to 4.1 lead as the Woodies continued to take advantage of limited chances.  McCewen was solid in the ruck, while Fatty and Sam Curtis were winning their fair share of footy only to see it rebounded back.  Hopkins and Long in particular were getitng plenty of the footy to keep the Woodies in the game, but there was a risk the floodgates could open and the Woodies needed to keep pushing and taking their chances.

The 3rd quarter was another slug fest, with a majority of the play between the arcs - however, late in the quarter the Hawks had the chance to open up a commanding lead but again failed to take their chances kicking 1.4 for the quarter, to the Woodsmen 1 straight goal to be down by 9 points at the final break.

All looked lost midway through the last when the Hawks had dominant field position and got out to a 19 point lead, however the Woodies had never dropped a game to Sandgate and weren't about to give away this commanding record.  Long was dominating across half back and pushing up through the middle to lock the ball forward and the midfield was beginning to get on top and Garland and Dickfos continued to present quality targets despite the wet conditions.

Long was able to push forward to kick his first goal in his Woodies career, but with less than 2 minutes on the clock and the margin at 12 points, it looked like too little too late.  However, the Woodies again pushed the ball forward for a strong mark in the goalsquare before calmly slotting the goal to close the margin.  Sandgate looked panicked and after being repeatedly run down by the Woodies in recent years, the boys could sense their fear!

The ball went back to the centre and the Woodies won a crucial clearance, before Verma kicked it forward from the wing and big G Moore took a telling grab about 55m out from goal.  With the square empty and the clock ticking down its final seconds he swung around the man on the mark and drilled it home from the 50m line to level the scores!

Woodsmen 8.2 - 50 drew with Sandgate 6.14 - 50

Goals: Garland 3, Dickfos, Mihalopoulos, Verma, Moore, Long 1

Best: Long, Curtis, Dickfos, Devlin, Bell, McCewen

QAFL Round 6 vs Surfers Paradise - "Battle of the Bush"

In Round 6 of the QAFL the Western Magpies will stay true to their name and head west to host Surfers Paradise in Toowoomba on Saturday May 27.

The Western Magpies are proud of their position as the QAFL Representative club for the western suburbs of Brisbane, but also acknowledge the many recruits from much further west who have represented the club with distinction in the past, present and future. 

Courtesy of Peters Coaches support, the club will be putting on a bus for supporters at a cost of $40 return per person, please ensure you contact sponsorship@westernmagpies.com.au to reserve your position or call Chris Dennis on 0402 955 461.

This will get you to Toowoomba and back on the day for the cost of fuel alone, and you can enjoy the day without the concerns of a long drive home.

Westpoint Autos - Ressies Review

RESERVES DOWN NARROWLY IN FIGHTING DISPLAY

The Western Magpies Reserves went down to second placed Labrador by 11 points in a fighting display at Labrador on Saturday.

The Pies were slow to get started but a scintillating five goal third quarter put them right back in the contest at three quarter time. In a see-sawing last quarter the Pies made a couple of costly errors which allowed the Tigers to hold onfor a 12-7 -79 to 10-8-68 victory.

The Pies were forced to make a couple of late changes with Bryce Crossley not shaking off a sore shoulder and Rory Johnson a late recall to the Seniors.

The experience of Matt Dillon at CHB and Sean Mewing in the centre showed the way for the young Pies. Dillon controlled the back line and his composure was excellent while Mewing was all class in the midfield.

Youngsters Will Lloyd and Dom Morrison were good players in the middle of the groundand up forward Riley Easton showed why senior recall may not be far off after a long injury layoff. Another youngster in Tom Roderick had his best game for the Reserves with two neat goals. Damon Allen and Kurt Vine across half back were again good for the fourth match in a row and the positive development of all the young players is a pleasing aspect for the coach and the club.

Another pleasing aspect was the return of key senior players in ruckman Dom Beer and key forward Tom Michael, both from long term injury. Both had restricted game time to nurse back into match conditions and both showed good touch when on the ground. 

Coach Craig Allen says the display was a positive one with the endeavour shown by the team, the commitment to the contestand the increasing confidence in each other being the most pleasing aspects of the game.

The Pies have winnable matches in the next two rounds and wins in those matches would put them firmly back in the finals race.

Labrador 3.2-20 7.3-45 10.6-6612.7-79

defeated

Western Magpies 1.3-9  2.7-19 7.7-49  10.8-68

Best: M. Dillon, S. Mewing, D. Morrison, W. Lloyd, R. Easton, D. Allen

MACK TRUCK MATCH REVIEW - 2ND HALF FADEOUT COSTS PIES

PIES FADE IN SECOND HALF IN LOSS TO LABRADOR

The Western Magpies were unable to go the distance against ladder leaders Labrador on Saturday as they were held to one goal after half time.

The Pies fought hard and had plenty of ball in their forward half but could not break through and put the score on the board against a tough Labrador defence - making it 4 losses from 4 for Western Magpie outfits over Friday and Saturday

The Pies went down by 38 points, 11.9-75 to 5.7-37.  A drizzle fell for most of the match making conditions slippery.

The Magpies hadlate change with Sam Copland recalled to the Brisbane Lions and Rory Johnson coming back into the side.

The standard of footy did not reach great heights as both sides found it difficult to adjust to the wet conditions. The Tigers did it a little better as the Pies ball handling below the knees was not clean enough for this level of footy which cost them at times. A Magpies fumble often gifted the ball to the home team which made the Pies pay on the scoreboard. As well, in wet conditions the Magpies were guilty ofbombing the ball longwhich suited the Tiger defenders.

The Pies were in striking distance at half time and an early third quarter goal put them 6 points down but that was to be the last goal the Pies kicked for the match.

The Magpies struggled in the second half when their most productive onballer Tom Ielasi, who was clean with his ball handling and set up plenty of attacks, suffered a head knock and was forced out of the game.

Harry Marshall at fullback was the Pies best player, keeping his much heralded opponent quiet for most of the match. Liam Dwyer worked hard all match up forward or in ruck and Drew Mitchell won plenty of hard ball in midfield.

David Lewis across half back was again a good player and was swung forward in the last quarter to give the Pies another forward option and youngster Dom Misso on a wing continues to impress with good attack on the ball.

Aaron Highlands in ruck competed all day and is quick to follow up at ground level and is certainly a find for the Magpies this season--he loves the contest!

The Magpies have the bye this week and with a few players with niggling injuries probably comes at a good time. The Magpies host Surfers Paradise at Toowoomba in a promotional match in a fortnight in another big match after the Demons stunned Morningside on the weekend.

Labrador Tigers 2.2-14  6.5-41      8.8-56  11.9-75

Defeated

Western Magpies 1.2-8 4.5-29      5.6-36     5.7-37

Best: H. Marshall, D. Mitchell, L. Dwyer, A. Highlands, D. Lewis, D. Misso

Goals: J. De Winter 2, R. Johnson, G. Crawford, L. Dwyer

CFMG Capital - Colts Review

COLTS RUE MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

The Western Magpies Colts suffered their first loss of the season this weekend against a much more determined and fast finishing Labrador outfit.

The Colts jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter but failed to effectively take advantage of a strong breeze and their domination around the midfield. A poor second quarter on transition by the Pies handed the Tigers a much deserved half time lead and really laid down the challenge for the second half. The Colts were much improved around stoppages in the third quarter and used the middle of the ground to launch several forays forward that resulted in scores being all tied up at three quarter time. Unfortunately though, the young Pies were unable to capitalise in the last quarter and went down by a goal.

There were some pleasing performances this week from several players with both Tristan Dowdy and Tristan Jackson playing their best games of the year in defence, winning one-on-ones and becoming dangerous on transition. Young midfielder Caleb Franks hasn't missed a beat and was one of the best on ground in his first game back. Tough and hard at the contest, it's great to see Caleb's ball use improve over the summer and he used this to great effect. Forwards, Jordan Bonney and Jacob Sheath continued to create goal scoring opportunities for themselves and it was great to see Finn Collison and Zac Stegmeyer get amongst the goals this week. Lewis Campbell worked really hard down forward this week getting his hands on the footy and applying great defensive pressure.

Due to the bye and the Toowoomba game (the Colts round 5 match against Surfers Paradise has been re-scheduled to Saturday, June 10th at Chelmer –a general bye weekend for all other clubs), there is now a three week break between games for the Colts.  Whilst not ideal, this will allow the boys to really knuckle down on their structures and ball movement, something that has been an issue for the Colts in their first four games. The boys are close to playing their best football, but maintaining concentration and work rate for a full four quarters needs to become a priority if they wish to play to their full potential.

Labrador 2.1-13 | 6.5-41 | 7.5-47 | 10.8-68

defeated

Western Magpies 4.2-26 | 5.2-32 | 7.5-47 | 9.8-62

Best: T. Jackson, C. Franks, C. Grant, T. Dowdy, J. Bonney, S. de Nys

Goals: J. Bonney 2, F. Collison 2, A. Haddad, C. Franks, Z. Stegmeyer, J. Sheath, C. Grant

ONE2ONE Plumbing - Woodsmen Friday Footy Review

WOODSMEN START TOUGH WEEKEND FOR MAGPIES OFF WITH FIRST LOSS

The Woodsmen began Friday full of confidence with a strong 22 named, 3 fit and ready emergencies and a game there for the taking at home against the defending premiers.

They finished with a tough 3 goal loss after butchering the footy in front of goal, struggling to put 22 on the park in time for the opening bounce and set in motion a horror weekend for the Magpies, not just of the Western variety, but the Collingwood variety as well!

Early in the arvo the signs were there, when dominant on-baller Lachlan Woods was a late withdrawal due to work commitments, then one by one the emergencies became unavailable as the dreaded 'work' bug spread through the squad.  Anyone would think these guys are not highly paid footballers...with real jobs!

A late mercy dash from Luke De Nys for his debut with the Woodies was appreciated by the boys and the Woodies looked 'on' early.  Winning the first centre clearance untouched, resulted in beautiful delivery to pinch hitting full-forward Lochie McDonald who marked 40m out for what looked like a dream start.  The shot sailed right, and ruckman Andrew Thomson was felled by some friendly fire from Blake Barkley from the resulting kickout. On his birthday no less!

The Woodies were unfazed and continually won the ball at stoppages and got it forward, only to have 0.6 on the board midway through the opening term for a 1 'goal' lead after repeatedly wayward kicking.  Then, in the blink of an eye - the Eagles capitalised on their forward entries far more efficiently and banged home 2 quick goals against the run of play.  The Woodies finally got their radar going late to finish the opening stanza on equal terms 2.6 - 18 to 3.0 - 18.

The 2nd quarter evened out a little, but the Woodsmen still had more control of the ball and were attacking relentlessly early but continually failed to get reward for effort.  Jake Fuentes and Gerard Moore were working together beautifully, with Moore again providing a quality tall target despite drizzly conditions and Fuentes crumbing anything at ground level superbly to provide forward entries.  Green, Long & Thomson were repelling attacks with several marks across half back, while De Nys, Davis, Curtis and Garland were all working into the game well through the midfield while Irish Sammy Banim kicked an absolute pearler of a goal of the year contender after dancing through traffic at the top of the 50, selling some candy on his right, then wrong footing 2 more opponents before swinging onto his non preferred left to bang it home from 35m.  Not a bad way to kick your first goal for the club!

Despite their efforts, there was no change to the quarter time margin, with the Eagles and Woodsmen locked up again at half time- now 3.9 - 27 to 4.3 - 27.

With Zillmere a similar side to the Woodies, with older experienced heads - it felt like this one would go down to the wire, with no clear fitness or youth advantage to the Zillmere side.  However, Zillmere started to get on top in the middle and some quality delivery to their big targets left the Woodsmen defenders with too much to do as the Eagles went bang with 4 straight goals early in the quarter to kick out to a significant lead.  The Woodies responded through goals to Moore and Banim to get the margin back to 11 points before Zillmere kicked a crucial goal after the 3 quarter time siren to increase their lead to 17 points.

In the last quarter, the Woodies came out hard and Garland goaled early from long range to give the Woodies a sniff and trim the margin to under 2 goals, but 2 more costly misses from simple set shots was the story of the night for the Woodies.  Zillmere then swung it forward and kept it there for an extended period and eventually the pressure cracked the Woodsmen defence and Zillmere kicked 2 quick goals, and missed some simple ones of their own to get out to a 24 point lead.  Luke De Nys kicked his first Woodsmen goal as the final siren sounded, but the final analsysis showed that Zillmere had the better of the 2nd half through their control of the footy and exceptional delivery going forward, while the Woodsmen dominated the first half via territory and possession, but couldn't capitalise.

End result: Zillmere 11.8 - 74 defeated Woodsmen 7.15 - 57

Best: Moore, Banim, Long, Verma, Garland, Davis

Goals: Banim 2, Moore, Garland, De Nys, Fuentes, Mihalopoulous 1

PLACE PREVIEW - PIES SET TO CHALLENGE PREMIERS

The Western Magpies travel down the M1 to meet the back to back Premiers of 15/16 at Labrador on Saturday.

The Magpies are up for the challenge, as the match pits the top two teams together in the QAFL match of the round with Labrador the only undefeated team after 3 rounds and the Pies 2-1 after a narrow loss last week.

The Pies welcome back exciting young forward Sam Copland from the Brisbane Lions NEAFL,  youngster Billy Johnson from Lions Academy duties and Aaron Maricic returns after missing last week with illness.  Luke Mitchell rolled an ankle at training on Thursday and Sean Mewing and Rory Johnson are the unlucky two to drop back to Reserves.

The Pies retain their young guns in Charlie Pershouse, Lachie Dennis and Dom Misso and it is worth mentioning that 17 of the Pies 22 are home grown talent.

Standout performers for the Pies so far this year have been David Lewis, Tom Ielasi, Jake De Winter and Charlie Pershouse and all four have been rewarded with selection in the QAFL squad to play WA Amateurs at Broadbeach in June. 

Copland comes into the forward line to give the Pies another scoring option with De Winter keen to return to the goalkickers list. Liam Dwyer was good at CHF last week and Brenton Saunders added forward pressure but has been named on a wing --he will no doubt drift forward to sniff a goalkicking opportunity.

Young Aaron Highland in ruck has relished the challenge and skipper Drew Mitchell and the consistent Ben Jaenke-Cain & Gareth Crawford will need to be at their best to counter the strong Labrador midfield.

Jack Goodall was solid on his return last week , David Lewis has been in fine form and Harry Marshall has slotted into the backline nicely and they will need to continue their vein of good form to keep the Tigers at bay. 

Coach Brydan Morgan will stress to his players to be on song from the first bounce--they cannot expect to win playing catch up football as was the case last week.  The Pies won at Labradorlast year so will not be overawed and will be prepared for a tough contest after the two home and away games between these sides last year were decided by a total of just 4 points. The big Labrador ground will suit the Magpies style of play and this shapes as a cracking match worthy of 1 v 2.

Western Magpies v Labradorat Labrador on Saturday, May 13th at 2 pm

B: Matt Davis (VC), Charlie Pershouse, Lachie Dennis 

HB: Tom Ielasi, Jack Goodall, Harry Marshall

C: David Lewis, Val Pope, Brenton Saunders 

HF: Chris Hunt, Liam Dwyer, Aaron Maricic

F: Drew Mitchell (C), Sam Copland, Jake De Winter, 

Rucks: Aaron Highlands, Gareth Crawford

Rover: Ben Jaenke-Cain

I/C: Brodie Easton, Dom Misso, Logan Murray, Billy Johnson 

Anytime Fitness Rocklea - Reserves Preview

BIG INCLUSIONS STRENGTHEN RESERVES

The Western Magpies Reserves have been strengthened with several big inclusions into their team to meet the undefeated Labrador at Labrador on Saturday.

Returning from Seniors are Sean Mewing and youngster Rory Johnson, with Redlands listed forward Tom Michael playing his first game for over a year. Michael, who was impressive for the Pies in previous stints, returns after an extended period on the sidelines with injury. 

Also in are veteran defender Gabe McKinnon, rookie ruckman Josh Uebergang, both unavailable last week, and regular senior ruckman Dom Beer returns after a delayed start to the season due to several niggling injuries. Strong bodied defender Rohan Smith returns after also missing last week with injury.

The "ins" mean the Pies field their strongest side for the year and they will also be a bigger and taller team than last week.

As a result the Pies depth looks better than a few weeks ago, but unfortunately several players have to miss out on a game.

Better for a run last week with be 2012 Pies Senior Premiership player Matt Dillon, while Tom Hall and Smith add some muscle to the back half. Youngsters in Kurt Vine, Damon Allen, James Gainford, and Dom Morrison have been consistent in the first three rounds and all have shown rapid development and Riley Easton will be relishing some continuity after a long injury layoff.

The mix of experienced players coming back into the side combined with an enthusiastic group of youngsters means the Magpies should give a good account of themselves against a strong Tigers Reserves team.

Western Magpies Reserves v Labrador at Labrador on Saturday, May 13th at 11.30 am

B: Tom Hall, Sean McEvoy, Jamie Page

HB: Rohan Smith, Gabe McKinnon, Kurt Vine

C: James Gainford, Bryce Crossley, Damon Allen

HF:   Matt Dillon, Tom Michael , Rory Johnson

F:  Matt Mazarolle, Jeremy DeRooy, Ethan Sivijs, 

Rucks: Dom Beer, Sean Mewing 

Rover: Riley Easton

I/C: Tom Roderick, Joshua Uebergang, Will Lloyd, Dom Morrison

Emerg: Jake Farrell, Matt Cowton, Thomas Luke

Genuine Garage Door Solutions - Colts Preview

COLTS AIM FOR FOUR IN A ROW

This week the Western Magpies Colts travel to Labrador in their quest to remain undefeated and on top of the QAFL Colts ladder. Each round poses a great challenge in this competition and facing Labrador on their home deck should be no exception.

With a full squad to choose from this week the Colts will take a very different side down the coast this weekend. The team welcomes back Caleb Franks into the midfield after a really strong Academy series and are really look forward to some of the class and grunt that he provides through the middle. Small forward Lewis Campbell and wing man Tom Cooper both return, and Hanley Milford will play his first game of the season for the Pies.

The young Magpies team should really enjoy the wide open spaces of Cooke-Murphy Oval and have focused on their ball movement and forward entry throughout the week. The team has slowly been developing the ability to maintain their intensity and concentration for longer periods of time during games and are looking forward to a full four effort this weekend after a patchy performance last week against Wilston-Grange..

The game has been re-scheduled for the early 9:30 am timeslot so the Colts players will need to be up and ready to play right from the first bounce in what should be another great match up.

Western Magpies Colts v Labrador at Labrador on Saturday, May 13th at 9.30 pm

B: Saxon Pobjoy, Hamish Campbell, Tristan Dowdy

HB: Sam Hartog, Whitlam Bishop, Tristan Jackson

C: Cal Grant, Sam DeNys, Dan Edwards,           

HF:   Jordan Bonney,  Zac Stegemeyer,  Jacob Sheath

F: Lewis Campbell, Jack Austin,  Abdullah Haddad,

Rucks:  Finn Collison,  Noah Resuggan

Rover:  Max Webber

Int: Caleb Franks, Hanley Milford,  Tom Cooper, Cameron Smith

Coopers Friday Footy Preview - Woodsmen

Woodsmen face big challenge vs defending Premiers

The Western Magpies 3rds (Woodsmen) face their biggest test of the year when they face competition heavyweights Zillmere Eagles at the Nest tonight in what promises to be a bruising and highly skilled encounter.  Since Zillmere won an undefeated Premiership in 2013 and the Woodsmen returned serve with an undefeated flag of their own in 2014 – these 2 sides have been there or thereabouts in recent seasons, and fought multiple close battles all decided by less than a few goals, and plenty decided by less than a kick.

The Woodies knocked the Eagles out in the Prelim final in 2015, while the Eagles and Woodies didn’t see each other in the 2016 finals – the Eagles got the last laugh with a 2nd Premiership in 4 seasons.  Both teams are a strong blend of experienced old heads with a bit of youthful talent mixed in.  It promises to be a great game of footy, and importantly played in great spirits as there is a healthy level of respect between the 2 sides.

Once again the Woodies have swung another 3 changes this week, which is as close to ‘continuity’ as you can get in Friday night footy.  Out of the side goes Scott ‘Burnsy’ Matthews with a tight hamstring after his successful return to the big time last week with 2 goals, Hunter Heath who is no longer able to play this season and ‘Tricky’ Ricky Masterson who has had a fantastic opening 3 rounds, despite being completely new to footy in 2017 and well past his 40th birthday!  Old Rick would have to be favourite for the prestigious ‘Rising Woody’ for 2017 in early betting markets.

Returning to the side are versatile defender Chris ‘Stink’ La Burniy (who may have a point to prove after failing to gain a nomination for ‘Mr Magpie 2017’), Matt ‘Horse’ Garland for his first game since the 2016 finals and ‘Irish’ Sammy Banim who instead of resuscitating the good people of Brisbane as a Paramedic, he will be breathing life into the forward line of the Woodies with his speed and skill!

Gerard Moore was at his best last week vs UQ, straightening up the Woodies attack and ensuring the ball gets in quick and fast for the likes of Jakey Fuentes, Greg ‘Moe’ Matthews and the coach Chris Mihalopoulous who was in vintage touch last week with a bag of 6 goals.  Big G was also able to add a new dimension to the Woodies last week, banging home two big goals from outside 50 from strong marks.

After the successful experiment of Kiran Verma on half back, and Pauly Eaton on the wing last week – the Woodies are returning to the ‘status quo’ this week due to unavailability and matchups – with K lining up on the wing and Pauly returning to the defensive goalsquare.  Patrolling the other wing will be the versatile Lochie McDonald who could also find himself deep forward at times.

Zillmere feature a versatile team with a deep midfield all capable of kicking goals, so the Woodies defensive unit will have to be on their game and switched on to the threats, particularly focusing on ensuring they don’t lose their opponents as they rotate in and out of the middle.  The Woodies on the other hand will again be looking for big games from Mika and Big G, and a big return to the team from Horse up front.  Jakey Fuentes will again be influential with his ability to get to the contest and lock the ball in, allowing the Woodies multiple opportunities to score.

Get on down to the nest tonight and enjoy the only game of Senior footy to be played in Chelmer this weekend.  Enjoy a Coopers and something from the Woods Bar & Grill in what should be great game of footy for the spectators.

Westpoint Autos News Update - De Winter Round 2 award Nominee

Round 2 – Syd Guildford Nominee – Jake De Winter

Senior player Jakob De Winter was named the Round 2 Syd Guildford nominee late last week after a superb performance vs Sandgate.

De Winter kicked a bag of 7, including 5 in the opening quarter as the Magpies put the Hawks to the sword early. 

A tough matchup, De Winter possesses superb aerial ability, while maintaining the cat like agility of a small forward.  A remarkable ability to fly high for a mark, but always land on his feet makes De Winter a dangerous proposition at the spill of the ball and opposition coaches will have to think twice about whether to place a key defender or traditional small defender on the high flyer.

De Winter gets some hang time for South QLD vs NQ in 2016

The 25-year-old moved to Queensland two years ago and after training at Redland, was recruited by a combination of his workmate Brady Allen and of course some phone calls from coach Brydan Morgan.

“I got a call from him early in the season to see what I was doing, whether I was going to play for Redland or not, and yeah, he managed to coax me in to coming down,” said De Winter.

ONE2ONE Plumbing – Representative Player Update

Last week on Thu 4 May, the 2017 QLD U/16 Squad was named and a huge congratulations must go to Charlie Thorpe and James Ward from Sherwood Magpies for their selection in the side.

Queensland will compete in the three-round Division Two competition against Tasmania, a combined NSW/ACT team and the Northern Territory.  Players were selected based on performances at the recent Queensland State Academy Championships.

Charlie Thorpe:

A versatile 188cm Rolls Royce, with a build not dissimilar to Nat Fyfe and vision like the Bont!  As 'Chaz' continues to grow he is certain to develop into an imposing figure.  Revered by his teammates for his innate ability to keep a cool head, Chaz has wreaked havoc with his clean hands, ability to intercept mark and rebound out of the backline. Charlie always has more time than he should when the footy is in his hands and this will be an important attribute at the National Championships

Charlie before a growth spurt, showing a nice kicking action.

Running out with the Seniors again may not be far away...?

James Ward:

A 195cm athlete, Jimmy has a diligent attitude towards his endeavours and this is also reflected in his footy.  James is looked up to, not only due to his height, but because of his pure leadership abilities.  Although dominant in all key positions, Jimmy moves like a midfielder and this is reflected in his ball winning ability and superb endurance for a big man.  With his ability to give his team first use, to take pack marks and consistently kick goals, James should be a weapon for the QLD U/16 side this year.

James collecting his 2016 League B&F Medal

More information can be found here http://www.aflq.com.au/23172-2/

Charles Kemp Group - Friday Footy Review

Woodsmen hit straps vs UQ

It was a case of giving the students a lesson on Friday night, when an experienced looking Woodsmen side took on 2016 Grand Finalists UQ at St Lucia in Round 3.

Right from the opening bounce, the Woodsmen were able to create and maintain midfield dominance and were finally able to convert this on the scoreboard, especially in a blistering opening to the 3rd quarter.

After some positional changes, including Paul Eaton to a wing, and Kiran Verma onto a half back flank – you could see from early on the Woodies had finally found some continuity in their play.  Gerard Moore returning across half forward also certainly straightened up the attack, and the inclusion of livewire Jake Fuentes across half forward was a missing ingredient from the opening rounds – with his ability to get to the fall of the ball and apply pressure to the defenders crucial in locking the ball forward and ensuring a score.

UQmoved the ball forward early to kick the opening behind, before the Woodies immediately responded with a ‘coast to coast’ goal after quality ball movement through the middle resulted in an uncontested mark on the lead from Chris Mihalopoulous.  It was more of the same, as Mika finished the opening quarter with 3 goals on the board and Fuentes chimed in with a fantastic crumbers goal after Scott Matthews was able to bring the ball to ground in a marking contest in the ‘hot spot’. 

The flood gates were threatening to open in the 2nd term as UQ failed to get the ball forward, but the Woodies were guilty of going too wide in attack and occasionally bombing the ball in after slow ball movement.  Nevertheless, the half time score was a solid 6.6 – 42 to 0.1 – 1 with UQ failing to score at all, or even threaten to score since the opening minute of the game.

The message at half-time was clear, UQ are a proud side and while the first half was one-way traffic – they would come out full of running and just 2 or 3 goals would have them right back in it.  This was certainly true of the opening rounds, when the Woodies allowed oppositions back into the game after strong starts, so the boys were keen not to repeat the dose.

This time the Woodsmen certainly heeded the coaches message, with the Woodsmen banging home 4 quick goals in the first 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter to demoralise the opposition and get out to a 10 goal lead, with all 4 goals coming from clean centre clearances with a combination of Lachlan Woods inside feeding it to the evasive and highly skilled Sam Curtis on the outside to pump the ball forward under little to no pressure coming out of the centre of the ground.  Scott Matthews was able to mark and goal, before his brother also produced a beauty to snap home a beautiful curling goal from the boundary line to the delight of the crowd.

UQ reacted by putting 2 back and then trying to slingshot forward and did enjoy some brief ascendancy late in the 3rd quarter as they kicked 3 straight behinds after managing to lock the ball in their forward 50 for the first time in the game, but were unable to convert their territorial advantage into a goal.

As the final quarter began, the Woodies again came out firing with Paul Eaton, Lochie McDonald and Kiran Verma working particularly well up one side of the ground.  Many Woodsmen attacks were setup beautifully with drive from the half-back line, with Verma’s willingness to ‘give and get’ to break the lines likely resulting in a permanent positional change to the half back line while Paul Eaton’s size and athleticism, combined with his long kicking proving a great asset on the wing.

Disappointingly, as the heat came out of the contest – the Woodies weren’t able to achieve their half-time goal of keeping the opposition goalless, as UQ continued to push hard to the siren and managed to bang home a couple of quality goals midway through the last quarter before ‘Burnsy’ was able to put the cherry on top of a pleasing performance from the Woodsmen when he ran into an open goal to bang home his 2nd goal on debut to close out the game.

Woodsmen 13.12 – 90 defeated UQ 2.5 – 17

Best: Eaton, Thomson, Bell, Mihaloupoulos, Verma, Woods

Goals: Mihalopoulous 6, Moore, S.Matthews, Fuentes 2, G.Matthews 1

Mack Trucks Match Review - Pies fall short in Saturday afternoon thriller

The Western Magpies have gone down by 5 points to a very good Wilston Grange outfit in a high class QAFL Round 3 thriller at Chelmer on Saturday. Grange fell over the line 15.7-97 to the Magpies 14.8-92.

The Gorillas had recruited well for this year under new coach Nathan Clarke, and with the Pies 2-0, a top class contest was expected and it lived up to pre match expectations as it was played at a high tempo with no let up in intensity all match. It must be said that it deserved to be played in front of a bigger crowd as the home crowd was a little disappointing for the first home match of the year in a game that promised so much and delivered all but the 4 points for the Pies. 

The Magpies trailed all game and at times were over 4 goals in arrears and on struggle street but when all looked lost the Pies dug deep and found a way to fight back and always remain in striking distance. However, catch up footy, which the Pies were doing after conceding 2 goals in a blink of the eye at the start of the match, never usually ends well and despite looking like running over the top of the the Gorillas in the last quarter and a half, the Pies just could not get their noses in front. 

Despite the loss, the match was affirmation that the Magpies are a serious contender again this year in the QAFL under new coach Brydan Morgan, who has his team playing the typical tough, never-say-die  football the Pies have always prided themselves on with the addition of outside run and flare. 

The Gorillas won the ball out of the centre early to hit the scoreboard twice in the blink of an eye. The Pies regathered themselves and  fought back but several gettable goals were missed and the Pies had to be content to be two goals down at the first change. The gettable goals saga was to be repeated several times in the match and in reality cost the Pies dearly in the final analysis. The Pies trailled by 4 goals at half time and fought back to be a goal down but 2 late third quarter golas to the visitors gave them a 3 goal buffer at the last change.

The Pies dominated the last quarter but could not get their noses in front as Grange flooded the back half and then were able to get 2 goals on the rebound to hold on for the win.

The Pies were beaten out of the centre early in the match but tightened up as the game went on to even the honours by match’s end. Young ruckman Aaron Highlands came up against a much taller and heavier opponent but jumped and contested all day to make a good contest and at least give his ground level players a crack at the football.

In midfield Ben Jaenke-Cain knocked up getting possessions and Val Pope, while not as productive around goals, was able to break the shackles of a hard tag to win plenty of contested football. With Jake De Winter well held, it was up to tall half forward Liam Dwyer to step up and he booted 4 goals and took some strong marks and competed hard all day. Tom Ielasi was busy on a wing and laid dome important tackles and Drew Mitchell was at the contest all day.

Defenders Harry Marshall and David Lewis repelled many a Gorilla attack and Lewis’ marking, a feature of the first two matches, was again prominent. He took a “hanger” in the last quarter to get the crowd to their feet and at that time looked to be a catalyst for the Pies resurgence.

The Magpies remain second on the ladder and travel to Labrador next Saturday to meet the undefeated Tigers in another big match for the Pies. The Magpies do not fear the trip to Labrador as they had a magnificent win their last year and just 4 points in total seperated the 2 sides in home & away encounters in 2016.

Western Magpies     4.2   7.4     10.5   14.8 - 92

Wilston Grange        6.1   11.4    13.6   15.7 - 97

WESTERN MAGPIES

Goal Kickers: L. Dwyer 4, B. Jaenke-Cain 2, J. De Winter 2, B. Saunders 2, J. Goodall, D. Mitchell, D. Lewis, C. Pershouse
Best Players: B. Jaenke-Cain, V. Pope, H. Marshall, D. Mitchell, T. Ielasi, D. Lewis

Metis Wealth Match Review - Reserves

SLOW START COSTS RESERVES DEARLY

The Western Magpies Reserves went missing in the first quarter and allowed Wilston Grange to kick 7 unanswered goals which proved the difference in the match.

The Pies won two and a half quarters of the football game but were still beaten by 40 points, going down 7.9-51 to 13.13-91.

However, if an impartial observer had arrived half way through the second quarter and watched the match they would think the Pies were the better side.

A number of late changes to the side before that match caused some disruption and it showed in the first quarter with Grange dominating and the Pies minds and bodies seemingly elsewhere. The coaching mantra of the 5 Ps -- " perfect preparation prevents poor performance "-- comes to mind! 

Coach Craig Allen concedes that the-before-match preparation was less than ideal and will remind his charges in future matches of the 5 Ps. 

Sean Mewing was a late call up to Seniors after Aaron Maricic was ill and in came Jake Farrell who performed well.

Grange dominated the first quarter and ex-Magpie coach Nathan Clarke (and ex Lion!) showed his class to boot 3 early goals after suiting up for the Gorillas.

Half way through the second quarter it was a case of how far Grange but to the mostly young Pies credit thefought hard at all contests to muscle their way back into the match. It was improbabale that they would get close enough to win but they outscored a bigger and older Gorillas team for the second half.

Craig Allen asked his players at halftime  not to let their opponents lead them to the ball, to be close and tight and make every contest a battle.

The Pies started to win the football and were able to close the gap somewhat and kick 5 goals to 2 in the final quarter.  

Youngsters Dom Morrison on a wing won plenty of the football and Matt Mazarolle across half back worked hard all match, especially early to stem the tide. Riley Easton up forward returned to his busy self, while Joshua White on the ball also had another good game.

Sean McEvoy worked hard in the unaccustomed ruck role and Jamie Page was a hard working defender. Key forward Jeremy DeRooy kicked 3 goals and took some good grabs up forward and he will only get better as the season progresses. New recruit in Matt Dillon, returning to the club after a stint elsewhere,  also slotted into the side nicely and will be a valuable player over the next few weeks as he regains his fitness.

The Magpies will gain a lot of confidence from their second half but it won’t get any easier next Saturday against ladder leaders Labrador at Labrador . They will need to apply the 5Ps if they are to match the Tigers.

Western Magpies    0.2    0.4   2.6      7.9.51
Wilston Grange       7.4    8.6   11.11  13-13.91

WESTERN MAGPIES

Goal Kickers: J. DeRooy 3, R. Easton 2, J. Farrell 2
Best Players: D. Morrison, M. Mazerolle, R. Easton, J. White, J. Page, S. McEvoy

CFMG Capital - Colts Review

COLTS REMAIN UNDEFEATED AFTER TOUGH CONTEST

The Western Magpies Colts have consolidated a good start to the season to be 3 – 0 after a hard fought victory over Wilston Grange at Chelmer on Saturday evening.

The Colts celebrated their first home game under lights this year after having to come from behind to win by 19 points, 8.7-55 to 5.6-36. 

The game was set to be an arm wrestle from the start with both teams tied up at quarter time in a low scoring affair. After the break the larger bodied Wilston Grange boys came out of the blocks faster and harder than the Magpies allowing to jump away to a 3 goal lead by the main break. The challenge for the Pies would be to stop their opponents outside run and ability to break out of contests with limited pressure.

A much more determined and physical Magpies side came out after half time and slowly started to work away at the deficit. Controlling much of the football in the third quarter, some sloppy entries into the forward 50 cost the Colts several quality scoring opportunities. However, they managed to grab a 6 point lead by the last break and kept their noses in front for the rest of the game.

Once again the backline held firm lead by Hamish Campbell and Whitlam Bishop playing their best games of the year at fullback and centre half back respectively.  Tristan Jackson was dynamic on the half back flank and the running brigade of Sam Hartog, Saxon Pobjoy and Tristan Dowdy were devastating on the turnover. Max Webber lead from the front all day, working tirelessly through the midfield. The inclusion of Sam de Nys in the middle provided plenty of grunt for the Magpies side which included a cracking goal to open up the final quarter of play. Once again the forward line looked dangerous, particularly with Jordan Bonney deep and Abdullah Haddad using his pace and smarts inside the forward 50. The wings of Daniel Edwards and Cal Grant imposed themselves on the game in the second half providing a much needed spark on the outside of the contest.

The young Magpies team showed plenty of character to tough out the hard fought win which now sees them undefeated and on top of the ladder after three rounds. In saying that, there is still plenty to work on and fine tuning to be done over the next few rounds as the side prepares for some big challenges ahead.

Western Magpies   1-2   1-3 5-4 8-7-55

Wilston Grange      0.2   3-34-4    5-6-36

Western Magpies

Goal Kickers: J. Bonney 3, A. Haddad 2, S. de Nys, D. Edwards, J. Sheath
Best Players: M. Webber, H. Campbell, C. Grant, W. Bishop, T. Dowdy, A. Haddad

Coopers Friday Night Footy - Woodsmen Preview

Woodsmen looking for 3-0 start vs UQ

The Western Magpies 3rds (Woodsmen) are looking for the perfect 3-0 start to the season when they take on 2016 Grand Finalists UQ at UQ tonight at 7pm

Whilst not playing their best football, the Woodies have managed to get away with 2 wins the opening rounds as the side slowly ‘gels’ due to mass player turnover from last season, as well as in-between rounds.  This week is no different, with a further 5 forced changes from Round 2! (after 6 between Rounds 1 and 2!)  - welcome to Friday Night Footy!

Into the side for their Woodsmen debuts come Hunter Heath (after burning up the track in pre-season) and Magpie stalwart Scott ‘Burnsy’ Matthews to join younger brother Greg in the forwardline.  Also returning to the side is big Gerard Moore and CHF, Andrew Bell into fullback and U/16’s coach the livewire Jakey Fuentes.

UQ have traditionally played a fast paced brand of footy with their youthful nature  and fitness troubling the older Woodsmen side, however despite many close encounters a late season 4 point loss in 2016 has been the only game the Woodies have ever dropped vs the Red Lions and the Woodsmen will be looking to avenge this loss to complete a 3-0 start to 2017.

After 5 changes, the team has a new look forward line – with ‘Burnsy’ slotting into the goal square to ease himself back into football, and Jake Fuentes in the pocket – shaving close to 15 years from the average age of the full forward line in Round 2!

Hunter Heath will make his debut in the familiar wing position, Lachlan Woods remains in the centre – while the biggest positional change has seen gun fullback Paul Eaton shifted to a wing to use his size, pace and long kicking as more of an attacking weapon.

As a result, games record holder Kiran Verma pushes back to the half back line to form an experienced partnership with Tim Green in the key post and the vastly experienced Sam Long on the other flank.  Dylan Mudge has played solid footy in the opening 2 rounds in the unfamiliar back pocket, where his footy smarts, strength and composure have been a feature – while Andrew Bell returns to the side at fullback, perhaps a victim of his own versatility with several stints all over the ground in his opening 2 seasons at the Woodies.

The on-ball division appears formidable, with Sam Curtis leading the way at ground level, Chris Davis looking to hit the ground running and Andrew Thomson returning to the Ruck.

With so many changes week to week, to go with the year on year list turnover – the Woodies have found it hard to gel in the opening rounds.  However, there is a certain level of familiarity in this lineup tonight and coach Chris Mihalopoulos will be hoping the boys can improve their brand of footy, use the ball a little better and make good decisions through the middle of the ground when moving the ball forward.

Get on down to UQ to watch the Woodsmen take on UQ at 7pm tonight to whet your appetite for the first home game of the year for Seniors/Reserves/Colts at the Nest tomorrow.  Hopefully the club can repeat the Round 2 dose, with 4 wins from 4 starts for the senior footy program.