Place Preview - Reserves Round 17 vs Sandgate
Andrew Thomson
PIES LOOK TO CONTINUE LATE SEASON FORM IN RESERVES
The Western Magpies Reserves will be looking to win their sixth match of the season when they play Sandgate on Saturday at Lemke Road.. The Pies will be a much stronger outfit than the one that went down by 2 points in their first round clash, and will be looking to continue their late season momentum.
That narrow loss plus a couple of other games that got away have resulted in the Pies being out of finals contention which is unfortunate as they now have a team that could go deep into the finals had they been able to force their way into the 5.
Injury and unavailability resulted in the Pies struggling in some weeks to fill a team but with most players available in the latter half of the season the Pies have gained more continuity in their lineup and improved their results.
The Magpies will be without tough midfielders Joel Workman, Luke de Nys and Hunter Heath through injury but will welcome back youngsters in Jesse Rigsby-Jones and Nathan Morrow and defender Jamie Page.
The Pies are particularly strong up forward with Matt Hockley coming off 7 goals last game and Matt Garland another tall marking option. Both certainly add depth to the Pies senior side with Hockley unlucky not to get a senior recall.
Matt Green across half forward is also dangerous and young ruckman/forward Liam Dwyer has been in good form in recent weeks.
Bryce Crossley in midfield has been Mr Consistent yet again this year and youngsters in Lachlan Gaedtke, Grant Jennings and Logan Murray have found consistency in the latter half of the year as they enjoy a bit more freedom with stronger teammates around them.
Brodie Easton had a fine game last week and must have been close to a senior recall while young Redlands-based speedster Jak Williams will be keen to play well to keep his name in the mix for senior selection.
Jadan Morton and Sean McEvoy are the key defenders and will lead a defensive unit that should keep the Hawks to a low score.
Place Preview - brought to you by 2015 Major Sponsor - Place Graceville
The fantastic team at Place have recently signed on for the 2015-2017 seasons as one of our valued club partners and sponsors, and as much as the club appreciates their support - Place will appreciate the club support in return. So for all your real estate needs, make sure Place are your one stop shop.
As an added bonus, Place will be providing further financial support to the club for every new listing - so make sure you tell them you're from the Western Magpies Community when you talk to them and support those that support you!