The Magpies at last put together close to four quarters of football to win well in a danger game against Wilston-Grange on Saturday.

Gut Feelings says "close to four quarters" as the Pies were again slow to start and were 2 goals down in the first 5 minutes of the match. The Magpies quickly regrouped to boot the next 5 goals to establish a lead they never looked like relinquishing.

It wasn't always the case in the previous 3 rounds against quality opposition as the Pies found it hard to put four quarters of football together. The Pies  improved against Broadbeach but it was down to a 15 minute lapse which resulted in the Cats booting 5 goals late in the first quarter and that was basically the difference in the end. 

One bad quarter  against PBC 3 weeks ago cost them the match despite winning the final three quarters and then playing only one good quarter was never going to cut it against a quality team like Morningside.

Coach Anthony McDonald has focused on consistency and the ability to apply pressure at the contest for four quarters was the theme prior to the Grange match and again this week as the Magpies take on a dangerous Maroochydore  on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

 A look at the QAFL ladder shows the top three teams in PBC, Morningside and Broadbeach all undefeated and 2 to 3 games clear of the rest with Sherwood holding down fourth place with 2 wins with Mt Gravatt also on 2 wins. This week's opponent Maroochydore are next with 1 win. Three teams are on 1 win and one team has yet to win so one way to look at the next 3 weeks is as a mini-finals series between the teams placed 4-9 on the ladder. The Pies have played all three top teams and have been competitive and not far off the pace in all three losses.

So this week's match against Maroochydore  is crucial to the Pies' finals hopes. Maroochydore have been very competitive and are 6th on the ladder and will be desperate to win to consolidate in the top 6. A win for  Sherwood will go close to sealing a finals berth with two rounds to play, so  it will be crucial for the Magpies to start well and get in front so they can dictate proceedings for the rest of the match. 

Ryan Harwood has had five good matches to date but  Gut Feelings would suggest he has no Grogan Medal votes because he seems invisible to the umpires.

He gets scragged off the ball all match and against Morningside and Broadbeach  he  was pushed in the back, sat on and held without the ball numerous times without getting a free kick.  It was not quite as bad last week against Wilston-Grange but he still does not get rewarded for being first to the ball in the in-close contests, and one wonders if players of this calibre will play in the QAFL if they are not treated equally

The umpires have followed the AFL lead and are quick to pounce on holding the ball but maybe holding the man and push in the back get precedence over incorrect disposal especially if an illegal tackle results in the incorrect disposal. 

Two sons of guns made their Senior debuts for Sherwood on Saturday. Sam St John and Zac Collison came into the side and both played well despite Sam copping an early head knock. Sam was presented his guernsey by multiple premiership player in his father Craig St John and Zac was presented his guernsey by his father, Lindsay Collison, who was on the Brisbane Bears list and played for Wilston-Grange in the 1980s as well as representing Queensland at the 1988 Bi-Centennial Carnival in Adelaide.

 Aaron Highlands likes to mix it up with his opponents and plays a tight checking and hard- at-the-ball style of game. The “Baby Faced Assassin” has had a few scraps and in Round One had his guernsey ripped to go with 2 guernseys ripped last year. The club is considering a surcharge to his registration fees to pay for the guernsey repairs.  

Speaking of attire, club veteran Peter Kilroy has turned back to clock to the 1980’s with his Warwick Capper-like   tight shorts. Doesn’t seem to have affected him as he is still playing good footy in the Reserves.

 Claye Beams showed a lot of courage to return to the ground after half time against Broadbeach after suffering what appeared to be a very serious facial injury late in the second quarter on Saturday.  While Beam's injuries were significant they were not as bad as first thought and no-one would have begrudged him not returning to the fray. However he did play on and was a good player in the second half with three goals that at one stage led the Pies fightback.

Tall ruckman Samson Ryan played as dominant a ruckman's game as you would wish to see, completely dominating at centre bounces then marking the ball all over the ground as well as winning ground ball contests. He also booted a goal and has a long boot and at 19 years old he has a huge upside  as he continues to learn the ruckman's art. On Saturday's showing he will draw some interest from AFL talent scouts.

Incredibly, Bruce Reville has been lost to Sherwood this week to play in an u18 academy game for the Brisbane Lions, whilst aged 19… Reville has played 2 seasons of academy football, and the standard of the QAFL is several levels above what goes on in the academies. Once again, proving impossible for players to build continuity as they bounce between teams and one wonders what recruiters will see when he plays against kids for a 3rd year straight, when he could continue to show his wares at a much higher level of QAFL footy.

 Sherwood Reserves are 0-5  and were disappointing in their 1 point loss to Wilston-Grange. The Pies led by 17 points at one stage but only scored 1 behind in the second half  and 2 ill-disciplined acts gifted the Gorillas 2 goals which cost the Pies dearly.

In the first 4 rounds the Pies developed a bad habit of 4 goals losses. Like the Seniors, the standard of the Reserves competition has gone up and it is a good standard of football, although Saturday's match did not reach great heights. A young Reserves team (with a few exceptions) has  had one bad quarter in each of its matches which has proved the difference in each loss. 

Unbelievably the Reserves are only 4 points outside the top six so mathematically can still make the finals with three wins in the last three rounds. Maroochydore Reserves have struggled with the step up to QAFL level ans the Pies will be looking to open their account on Saturday. 

 The Colts were well beaten by 2019 Premiers Wilston-Grange on Saturday after a solid come-from-behind win the previous week against a strong Broadbeach team. The Pies made too many fundamental errors and Assistant-Coach Bryce Crossley said Grange kicked 8 of their 10 goals from Magpies turnovers.

It wont get any easier  for the Colts this week as Maroochydore have been very competitive this season and will be tough to beat on their home ground.  

The Sherwood Women are 3 from 4 after suffering their first defeat on Saturday evening. The Pies gave their supporters  heart palpitations with 2 one-pont wins in the previous 2 matches. Despite the 7 point loss to ladder leaders Beenleigh, in a five team competition with a final four, the women’s team is almost guaranteed a finals berth. The numbers of players in the squad is impressive given this is the first season of the new look Magpies Women's team and with many youngsters in the squad will only get better each game and each season.

The Pies will be keen to return to the winners list when they travel to Mt Gravatt for a 6.30 pm start on Saturday evening.

Great to see large numbers of players and supporters stay behind for several hours after matches and it brings a buzz to the club. New club manager John Simpson and the Board have lifted the vibes of the Social Club with good quality food and friendly happy staff.  It has helped bring back many of the club's Old Boys to home matches

Sherwood Honour Boards have been updated and are  back in the Sportsmans Bar of the club. With the Senior section of the club reverting to the “Sherwood” name quite a few changes had to be made hence the delay in updating the boards. There are still a few gaps in the history,  especially Reserves  but each year the gaps are  closing.

It will be well worth a look in the Sportsmans Bar area of the club the next time you visit

The Honour Boards were also uploaded to the Old Boys Facebook page if you want to check them out and will also be uploaded to the club website for viewing at anytime you wish to look at them.

A reminder the club still has a number of commemorative guernseys available for sale. The guernseys have every Senior, Reserves  and Thirds players and coaches to play for Sherwood, the Western Magpies and the Woodsmen from 1968 to 2018.  Please see Dr Greg Thompson if you want to purchase a guernsey, price is $70 negotiable!! Guernseys will be available for sale at the club's next home game against Surfers Paradise in a fortnight.

Brydan Morgan, who coached the Magpies for three years in 2017-19, was planning to be a forward observer in Queensland for the Canberra Demons in the NEAFL this year but then an opportunity arose to join Williamstown in the VFL as their defensive line coach under senior coach, ex Hawthorn Star Andrew Collins.  As fate would have  it, Covid-19 put paid to those plans  as like most other football competitions, the VFL season was cancelled.  Brydan was the Pies defensive coach in 2015 and was an assistant coach at Aspley in the NEAFL in 2016 before assuming the Senior Coach role at the Pies.  Brydan at the end of 2019 when he new his contract would not be renewed was still gracious and showed a lot of class when he thanked the Western Magpies for giving him an opportunity to coach at Senior QAFL level. All at Sherwood wish Brydan the best of luck next year whether he remains at Williamstown or continues to coach elsewhere.

Brydan still takes a keen interest in the Pies games, riding every bump and staying in touch with players, coaches and administrators

The Woodsmen started the season like a house on fire, but have slowed now with 2 consecutive losses and while they have shown a great ability to attract ex Magpie greats, keeping them on the park has proven difficult. Club Legend Jimmy Rozynski has already been lost to an ACL, while the likes of Dickfos, Crawford and Pope have succumbed to hamstring strains and Lachlan Woods has a damaged shoulder. Other Woodies stalwarts in Curtis, Thomson and several others have also gone down with injury, resulting in the old ‘recruiting black book’ forced into overdrive. If you’re reading this, turn your phone off!

Great to see youngster Jake Fennelly who has moved over from the Jindalee Jags this year to play Colts establishing himself at the club. Whilst he has been unlucky at the selection table, big Jakey is coaching the u14s with his Colts teammate Abu Kante, and last week took the whistle for the Senior womens game. Great stuff Jake!

In the close win Jimboomba another club youngster in Sam Edwards took on the umpiring duties, but the footy ops team have since discovered you need to be 16 to umpire senior footy, so despite his excellent efforts, Sam will have to wait 12 months for another crack

Also involved in coaching youth footy are Reserves players Cam Ferguson and Harry Radcliffe, looking after the u12s and u16s respectively and doing a great job.

The junior games in recent weeks have had a real local derby flavour, with multiple Sherwood vs Sherwood battles every week, and if its not Sherwood vs Sherwood, then they don;t have to go far taking on Kenmore, Jindalee or Wests most weeks