Gut feelings took an unfortunate hiatus for a few weeks due to extensive commitments, but we’re back with a bang this week!

• Congratulations to Aaron Highlands who played for the  Queensland team in their narrow loss against Adelaide Football League at Aspley on Saturday.  Highlands has been rewarded for his consistent play this season. He has versatility which was put to good use by the Queensland coaches as he can play at CHB, CHF and is also a fine ruckman to boot. He should be very proud to represent Queensland at a high level of football . He played well and enjoyed the experience and he booted a goal in the match. He will be an even better player for having played at the next level. Highlands is hard at the football and doesn't mind mixing it up with his opponents but with his baby faced smile has been dubbed the "Smiling Assassin" by a few Magpie supporters who are impressed with his robust style of football. 

• The Adelaide Football League, which was formerly known as the South Australian Amateur Football Association,  is the level below the SANFL and is a very strong competition with 69 clubs playing across 8 divisions. 

• Youngster Dan Edwards has been a shining light for the Magpies this season after stepping up from Colts last year where he was joint Maurie McNamee Medal winner in a premiership season. The Sherwood/Yeronga junior has been named in the Pies best in every match this season and deservedly was named as the QAFL's Rising Star for last round’s effort against Labrador despite playing  in a losing team. Edwards has a clean pair of hands and plenty of pace and has slotted into Senior football like he has been playing it for years. 

• The Magpies have a “Pies for Pies”  night on Friday 14th June. Pie nights are a great part of footy club culture and we’re re-launching at Sherwood at 5pm on Friday evening. This date coincides with the  AFLQ’s Ronald McDonald House Charity Round - so all profits from the night will be donated to Ronald McDonald House. We're also looking  to make this a regular event as a fundraiser for the club, so we'd love to see you there on the night!

• The Magpies were confident going into last round’s match with Labrador the weekend before last but again struggled on the big ground. The inability to kick goals came back to haunt the Magpies and this needs to rectified if they are to get back into the finals mix with a few victories. 

• Gut Feelings viewed the match review video from the Labrador game which is put together by Shane Melrose and coach Brydan Morgan which highlights parts of the match which the Pies could improve but also shows good features of play to reinforce learning.

• As Gut Feelings wrote a few weeks ago, a lot of work goes into coaching and game preparation by the coaching staff which most supporters would not realise. An incredibly professional approach in what is essentially a hobby for most coaches.

• The Western Magpies Indigenous Round pre-match ceremony a three weeks ago was sensational with Shannon Ruska, who dedicates himself to educating the community about indigenous history, lifestyle and customs, performing a "Welcome to Country" with explanations of the meaning of this in the traditional aboriginal custom. This was followed by a smoking ceremony by Donald and all was coordinated by popular Magpie former player and trainer and current junior coach Wil Ivinson.

• The guernseys for the indigenous Round worn by the players were designed by artist Jarred Lawton in conjunction with Magpies indigenous players Chris Hunt, Aaron Maricic and Ivinson  and was  brilliant and an explanation of the meaning of the symbols on the guernsey was on the Pies website and Facebook page last week and is also stitched inside the guernsey. These guernseys are available for purchase at a cost of $75 each, contact president@westernmagpies.com.au if you’d like to secure one

• While we celebrate the contribution of the indigenous players and community to our society and to our indigenous game of football, a recent reminder of the racial vilification that players have to endure was brought home several years ago with the racial vilification of Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes and which is now the subject of a movie length documentary which throws not a pleasant light on how poorly many indigenous players and people in general are treated.

•  The Magpies have been outplayed in all three grades in the past three rounds. In contrast to a month ago when the Pies, beaten by 43 points but in a brave effort at Currumbin, the Magpies Seniors were smashed up a three weeks ago by Morningside and were lucky inaccuracy from the Panthers let them off the hook. The Pies were then  overrun in the second half last week at Labrador in a reversal of the second half in round 2 when the Magpies dominated after half time and the Magpies had won in all 3 grades.

• The one good thing is that with a twist in the QAFL draw the Pies only have 6 weeks to wait for a chance to gain revenge over Morningside.

• Despite the results a three weeks ago, the  Sunday matches against Morningside  provided  a great day of high standard QAFL football with a good crowd at McCarthy Homes Oval and it was great to see a large contingent of Old Boys in attendance. While they were hoping for a better result they still enjoyed the football as well as catching up with mates from their playing days. As anyone will tell you the shared suffering and euphoria that football brings makes for life-long friends.

• Reserves coach Kiran Verma—“Special K”-- just keeps on giving to the Pies. He has played near to 200 matches in the Black and White and in past seasons whenever the Reserves were short he always put his hand up to help out and on many occasions was one of the best players. And this was often after he had played on the Friday night for the Woodsmen. He once again had to fill in a couple of weeks ago after injuries and unavailability affected the team selections. Oh, and by the way he lives on the Sunshine Coast and travels to training twice a week and then to games as well—he really is a “Special K”!!

• The Magpies haven't set the world on fire in the Syd Guildford voting in the past 3 matches with Luca Winton polling 4 votes, Aaron Highlands 2 votes and Lachie Dennis 1 vote against Labrador. Against Morningside Jayden Gallagher poling 3 votes and Luca Winton 1 vote and  in the previous match against PBC, Gareth Crawford polled 3 votes and remains equal seventh with 20 votes. Other Magpie vote getters at Currumbin were Jack Austin 2 and Luca Winton 1 vote.

• Luca Winton has been Mr Consistency at full-back this season and has often taken the big full forwards each week. He is undersized for the task but he has good closing speed and a good fist as well as strong hands in the marking contest. He was runner up in the Bill Peirce Medal  for club Best and Fairest last year but would be amongst the leading vote getters at this stage of the season. 

• The Pies had three debutants in the round against Palm Beach-Currumbin in Jesse Hampel, Samson Ryan and Cade Scott and they were presented with their guernseys in the rooms prior to the match by club legends Kevin Kluver, Craig St John and Des Lashman .This takes the number of debutants for the club to 15. This includes 8 players from the club ranks in Dan Edwards, Zane Lovell, Monty Vine, Jack Briskey, Hampel, Scott and Ryan.  New players to the club are Brody Lumber, Claye Beams, Tom Baulch, Harrison Kerr, Riley Greene,  Macauley Lonergan and Jayden Gallagher. the exciting Bruce Reville will also debut this weekend for the Pies after playing in a Colts Premiership in 2018

• The Colts were overrun by Morningside a fortnight ago  by a bigger  team. The Pies fielded only 5 players from last year Premiership team and have 5 top age players with the rest of the team at the younger end of the age spectrum.  Against Labrador they again started slowly and found the fluky wind conditions difficult to handle . After three tough matches they welcomed the break last weekend .They are still well in the mix for finals and this will be invaluable in their football development. One player to watch is Jackson Paynter,  a tall and strong looking player who impressed in the past two matches with his leap and ruckwork as well as being  a key forward.

• Don’t let recent results fool you though, with more 13+ Colts aged players playing across the Seniors and Reserves - there is extraordinary depth in the under 18 age group at the club.

• Any Western Magpies supporters who ventured up to Aspley last Saturday to watch the Queensland v Adelaide FL match  were also able to have a look at six of the Magpie players  who play in the NEAFL.  Aspley defeated  Redland at Graham Rd with  Aspley skipper Jackson Allen on a back flank with Doug Lawrence at CHB named one of the Hornets best players. Tom Baulch was named 23rd player for the Hornets.

• Redland featured Mitch Stallard in the back pocket, William Johnson on a HFF and Caleb Franks as ruckrover/onballer. Ex-Magpie skipper Callum Carseldine was unavailable for Aspley after playing some good footy in recent weeks.  

• The Australian Under 18 championships started on the weekend with the Allies well beaten by Vic Country in Hobart. In the Allies team (combined Qld/NSW/ACT/Tas/NT team) were Western magpies Colts players Bruce Reville (originally from Maryborough)  and Samson Ryan (originally from Pambula via Toowoomba). Neither was named in the Allies best as the combined side struggled to match a Vic country team keen to atone from a winless campaign last season. The Allies have a bye this week then play Western Australia in Adelaide on June 22,  Vic Metro at Geelong on June 28 and then South Australia  at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on July 3.

• In other representative news the Magpies have 2 boys in Jack Briskey and Darcy Prest in the QLD U17 side and at the recent State U12 Championship, 3 more young Magpies made the state U12 side in Jack Harrison, Jack Slater and Jacob Edwards.

• The Pies Old Boys group, the Grey Magpies, have announced a great event for the Magpies with a Sportsmans Day on Sat 20 July with AFL great, Hawthorn Premiership captain and coach and Carlton premiership coach (that’s a distant memory, Blues fans!!). The resurrection of the Old Boys has been driven by Shane Bridley and Terry O’Shea, 1970s premiership players for the Pies. Shane lives on the Sunshine Coast but has been a driving force in resurrecting the “Grey Magpies” and reaching out and contacting many past players and officials. The result of this was seen on Sunday with a many past players attending the match against Morningside.

• This event will be well publicised in coming weeks