Gut Feelings VII - a weekly collection of thoughts from influential minds deep inside the nest
Andrew Thomson
Saturday’s match against Morningside was a tough affair and while low scoring was still an entertaining game of football. The Morningside coach commented it was their best win of the season in a high standard match with finals like intensity.
The Pies big man stocks are taking a bit of a pounding recently with Aaron Highlands injured on Saturday when doing a great job in the ruck while giving away about 20cm in height to his opponents. Dylan Adkins, who has missed 5 weeks, will have a fitness test on Thursday and the Pies brains trust will be sweating on him coming through the test to bolster the Pies ruck division
The Pies Reserves put up a better showing with a strong effort but were well beaten by a bigger and ultimately better team. CoachDdes Lashman was happy with the his teams’ effort but said it was small things that cost the team dearly with short kicks to a player under pressure, missed handball targets and fumbles the main culprits. While the ladder says the Pies are 8 points out of the five they have a game in hand over a couple of teams above them so are still in contention. However, they need to start winning some of the big matches if finals action is to remain a real possibility.
The Pies Colts when down narrowly to a resurgent Morningside but missed the two Ryans, Samson and Sean. Ruckman Samson and rover Sean are in the Queensland Under 17 team which will play Tasmania this weekend at Arden St in Melbourne in the Futures Series then host NSW/ACT at Southport the following weekend and finish up against Victoria Metro at Ikon Park (Princes Park) at Carlton on August 12.
Sherwood premiership player, father of Drew and Luke and an acute observer of the game in Steve Mitchell made an interesting observation on Saturday. He suggested that if a player gathers the ball in congestion then pulls it to his chest to take the tackle and thereby cause a stoppage, he should be penalised. Put simply, if a player pulls the ball in and makes no attempt e to get rid of the ball legitimately by hand or foot then pay a free kick for holding the ball
"Great Clubmen" - Tom Roderick was mentioned in dispatches by Coaching Director Paul Grentell for putting his hand up and doing the water for both Seniors and Reserves then lining up for the Woodsmen in their win over Morningside on Saturday evening, capping a big day with the opening goal for the Pies in the match. Great effort from a young bloke who just loves being a part of the Pies family, and we love having him!
Craig Barden, who played for the club in the early days of the Western Magpies in and around 2002-2008 and also coached the Colts in 2006 also did the water on Saturday. "Sounder" lives in Gippsland, Victoria and drives interstate transports and somehow makes sure his schedule takes him to Brisbane on weekends so he can come down and watch and help out his beloved Magpies
The Magpies joint 1978 and 2008 Premiership Reunions will be held when the Magpies host Palm Beach-Currumbin at McCarthy Homes Oval at Chelmer on Saturday, July 21st. Both premierships were won in sensational fashion with the 1978 side having an upset 4 point victory over red hot favourites Mt Gravatt at Dittmer Park and the 2008 team coming from 45 points down to defeat red hot favourites Palm Beach-Currumbin at Broadbeach in a cracking Grand Final (do you see a pattern here?). No doubt the 2008 boys (and 1978 team) would like nothing better than see the current Magpies inflict a defeat on the Lions, the 2017 QAFL Premiers and currently undefeated ladder leaders this year. It is shaping up as big day in more ways than one.!!
Reserves ruckman Nathan Congram has played consistent football each week and has very clean handling skills. He also knows how to use his body but on Saturday he made contact with the opposing ruckman in a ball up which resulted in his opponent falling over as he did not expect contact. Congram thumped the ball 30 metres into space but was penalised for blocking. My goodness, free kicks for blokes who don't expect contact in a ruck contest in what is a contact sport...world officially going mad!!
The Magpies will unveil their Indigenous Guernsey in next Sunday's big clash against Mt Gravatt. The Pies decided to wear the Guernsey which has been designed by indigenous players Anthony Corrie, Chris Hunt, Aaron Maricic and Logan Murray (with input from club stalwarts Dean Parkin and Wil Ivinson) to celebrate NAIDOC Week, which runs from July 8-15, rather than on the QAFL's Indigenous round played several weeks ago where the Magpies were away from home.
Good to see Magpies ex-Assistant Coach and Woodsmen player Sam Long call in to the Nest on Saturday evening to catch up with a few mates and watch the Woodsmen in the night game. Sam is now the coach of Yeronga-South Brisbane in QFA Division One and the Devils are struggling a bit at the moment . Sam has started to play again such is the long injury list at the club but says he is still enjoying the challenge of being a senior coach.
Not great news for Dual JB Medallist (Reserves B&F) Bryce Crossley when it was confirmed he had torn the ACL in his left knee. He injured his knee over a month ago and returned to training 2 weeks ago where he re-injured the knee in an innocuous manner and scans revealed the extent of damage. Bryce is the second Magpie to tear his ACL this year after Lucas Jackson in Round 2.
Good to see a solid contingent of Morningside players and officials stick around at McCarthy Homes oval for a chat about the day and some post match beers to watch their fellow clubmen battle it out under lights. Great atmosphere for the Woodsmen victory, and games like this should be fixtured more regularly!
Well done to Dylan Mudge who played his 50th game for the Woodies. 'Mudgee' played Senior football for the Magpies as a teenager back in the early 2000's and its great to see guys like him still at the club having a kick