Place Preview - Magpie Colts Up for the Challenge

The Western Magpies Colts will be up for the challenge when they travel to Salk Oval at Currumbin to play Palm Beach-Currumbin in the QAFL Second Semi Final on Saturday morning.

The Pies will go into the match with one change as Lachlan Pearson comes in for Morgan Smith after Tyler Bobin withdrew with illness last week and has not fully recovered and Jack Briskey remains injured. 

Darcy Prest boosted the Pies last week with his last minute inclusion after recovering from illness.

The Magpies were fierce at the contest vs Grange and their pressure and tackling put the bigger bodied Wilston Grange players off their game as a result.

Palm Beach-Curumbin are a team with good ball movement and the Pies will need to bring the same mindset tomorrow if they are to take the direct route to the Grand Final.  

The engine room of Lachlan Davies, Noah Resuggan, Cade Scott, Sean Ryan and Prest were all instrumental in the Magpies victory last week and will need a repeat performance tomorrow. Davies in ruck and then when resting forward has had a huge second half of the season and his improvement during the year is one of the reasons for the Pies’ surge toward a premiership defence.   

Whitlam Bishop has been Mr Consistency at CHB and has a willing ally in Lawson Campbell at FB but the entire back half with those two and Jacob Aurisch, Charlie Thorpe, Jack Spry and Tom Evans have been miserly and work well together.  Up forward Cam Ferguson has taken some big grabs in recent weeks and Jackson Paynter always presents  for the contest at CHF. Sam Mehari was back to his fleet footed best last week and with Jonty MacDougall and Abu Kante will test the PBC defenders with their pace. The strong bodied Cade Scott and Cooper Crowell will create a contest across half forward so the Pies forward line has the bases covered and is more than capable of kicking a winning score.

The Magpies travel to the coast knowing they are much stronger than in the two previous encounters with the Lions, whose form line has been patchy in the latter half of the season and will be quietly confident of winning and progressing to the Grand Final.

 QAFL Second Semi Final: Western Magpies Colts v Palm Beach-Currumbin at Salk Oval, Currumbin on Saturday, August 31st  at 09.15 am  (Note earlier starting time)

B: Jack Spry  Lawson Campbell Tom Evans

HB: Charlie Thorpe Whitlam Bishop  Jacob Aurisch                                           

C:   Rory Edwards Noah Resuggan  Ritti Batilimoyo

HF:   Cade Scott  Jackson  Paynter  Cooper Crowell

F:  Sam Mehari  Cam Ferguson  Jonty MacDougall  

Rucks:  Lachlan Davies

             Darcy Prest

Rover:  Sean Ryan   

Int: Abu Kante, Kelly Siemer, Lachlan Pearson, Brodie Gardner