Castlemaine Magpies played host to Kyneton in a bumper weekend of football and netball action in round 15 of the Bendigo Football League last weekend.
It was an emotional day for the clubs with the Magpies and Tigers joining forces to put some special traditions in place to commemorate Castlemaine Under 18 player Dallas Keogh-Frankling with the Under 18 sides playing a special night fixture under lights.
Players wore black arm bands in honour of Dallas and club great Jack Jefferies and the netballers wore red ribbons – Dallas’s favourite colour.
The weekend kicked off with the Castlemaine Women’s Football side hosting Golden Square under lights Friday night at the Camp Reserve in the Pride Round 13 of the Central Vic Women’s League and their final home match of the season.
The club put on a special night, inviting their junior girls behind-the-scenes to get a taste of what being a senior footballer is all about.
The Castlemaine side started strongly with a four-goal opening term and managed to keep the Bulldogs to one major.
The second quarter was a real battle as both sides tried to gain the ascendency. The Magpies kicked another 2.2 while keeping the visitors scoreless.
The Magpies went on with the job in the second half kicking another seven goals to win by 87 points. The undefeated Magpies remain on top of the Central Vic Women’s ladder.
Abbey Betram led the way for the Magpies kicking 4, Eloise Gretgrix 3, Lily de Houting 2, Tiahna Cochrane, Eve Sheehan and Tiffany Bradley 1. Special mention goes to Bek Forrest for kicking her first goal.
Best were Tiahna Cochrane, Ella Cochrane, Abbey Bertram, Lily den Houting, Rachel Thomas and Emma Pedretti.
The Reserves were first to hit the ground on Saturday and found the going tough against a polished Tigers unit.
Kyneton slammed on five goals in the opening term and went on to record a convincing 159-point win at the final siren.
Kyneton’s Jacob Plowman bagged 5, Ryan Pretty 4, Jonah Harris 3, Mak Ganim 2, Mitchell Johns, Andrew Cottingham and Calan Bowman 1.
Best for the Tigers were Mitchell Johns, Jacob Plowman, Jonah Harris, Daniel Yarwood, Mak Ganim and Brandan Sliwczynski.
Best for the Magpies were Jay Hardman, Thomas Langley, Mitchell Langley, Kaine Fleeton, Samuel Banko and Laine Gibson.
The Castlemaine Seniors started on the right foot kicking three goals to the visitors two to lead by seven points at quarter-time.
The Tigers leapt into action in the second term kicking two crucial goals and holding Castlemaine to a point to lead by eight points at half-time.
The third term was an even contest with both sides kicking three goals apiece but at three quarter time the Tigers still held an eight point buffer.
The Magpies continued to battle hard in the final term and kicked another three goals, but Kyneton had all the answers kicking four to win by 17 points.
Tiger Ethan Foreman kicked 3, Thomas Quinn, Harrison Sheahan and Jordan Ludica 2, Jake Summers and Bailey McGee 1.
Best for Kyneton were Ben Cameron, Jake Summers, Jye Chambers, Ethan Foreman, Mitch Comben and Francis Randall.
Goal kickers for the Magpies were Bailey Henderson and John Watson 2, Callum McConachy, Tyson Hickey, Riley Pedretti, Bradley Keogh, and Daniel Lawson 1.
Best were Bailey Henderson, Matthew Filo, Bradley Keogh, David Wilson, Callum McConachy and Brodie Byrne.
The feature game of the day, Under 18 football began with a guard of honour and a minutes silence for Dal.
From the moment the game started to when the final siren blew both teams gave it their all in what proved to be an exciting tussle for the home crowd.
The Tigers were within two goals of the Magpies at half-time, but couldn’t pull ahead despite numerous scoring opportunities in the final term.
The Magpies eventually ran out winners by 21 points.
The Castlemaine goal scorers included Kyan Martin, Callam De Bono, Ethan Byrne and Chaz Holman 2, and Ben McConachy 1.
Best for the Magpies were Alton Bracken, Archie Rixon, Theo Mellick-Cooper, Curtis Mclennan, Ben McConachy and Chaz Holman.
Goal kickers for the Tigers were Mitchell Wearne 2, Oliver Plunkett, and Alex Thomson 1.
Best were Cody Young, Alex Thomson, Gabriel Yow Yeh, Charlie May, Sam Pyers and Jesse Smith.
In a post-match presentation, Dallas’s dad Mark Frankling proudly presented the inaugural Dallas Keogh-Frankling Medallion – Spirit of the Game Award.
Mark said it was a tough decision with numerous players on both sides worthy of recognition.
“Everybody stood up on both sides. However, one player quietly went about the job with no fuss, just like Dallas would have and therefore Alton Bracken is the worthy winner of the inaugural award,” he said.
Castlemaine FNC thanked everyone who volunteered and organised behind the scenes to make the day such a success.
They also thanked the Kyneton Football Netball Club and the U18 team for their sportsmanship and support. Despite the on-field competition, the off-field camaraderie was evident between the two sides.
