The Castlemaine Magpies made the journey across the Moolort Plains to take on Maryborough in the battle of the Magpies last Saturday and came away with a resounding win.
Castlemaine made a positive start kicking four goals to the Borough’s one for the term to lead by 21 points at the break.
They then asserted their authority on the match in the second term with a blistering 13-goal haul, which left the home side stunned. Maryborough only managed two points in reply and by half-time Castlemaine led by 99 points and the game was well and truly in the bag.
Borough lifted in the third term and managed to kick a couple of goals and add some respectability, but Castlemaine had all the answers kicking another three goals to extend the margin to 111 points at the final change.
Maryborough managed to snag another goal in the last term but Castlemaine came home full of running slamming though another six goals to win by a convincing 147 points.
Playing coach Michael Hartley led by example kicking nine and Jackson Hood had a flyer chipping in four.
Ryan Eyre and Zachary Greeves were also among Castlemaine’s best working hard from start to finish to give the visitors an edge.
The Castlemaine Reserves enjoyed a week’s rest after Maryborough forfeited and will look forward to returning fresh to tackle South Bendigo this Saturday chasing their fourth win of the season.
The Under 18s clash also saw Castlemaine produce a dominant performance to claim the four points. The visitors made a slow start kicking two goals and keeping Borough scoreless in the opening term. But a fantastic third term saw Castlemaine double their score to take a 69-point advantage into the final quarter.
The side eventually won by 84 points. Archie Rixon was in everything kicking two and creating plenty of other opportunities for the side and Chaz Holman was on target kicking four.
On the netball court, Castlemaine FNC was celebrating the milestones of netballers Rachelle McLean and Emily Cooper who played their 100th and 50th senior games for the club on Saturday.
Rachelle McLean is an excellent mid court player who is able to read the play perfectly and feed the ball to her goalers to put a score on the board. She is a committed and positive player not only on the court but is always on the sidelines supporting the other grades. This year Rachelle is A-reserve captain and excels with her leadership on the court.
The Castlemaine FNC netball program wouldn’t be complete without Emily Cooper, otherwise known as Coops, a bubbly, cheerful and natural leader. Versatile on court, she’s vocal on the sidelines as she encourages all around her to be their best. Coops, who is B-reserve captain this year, is a well-loved teammate with such a happy soul and hopeful spirit.
The 17 & Under netballers were first to hit the court and went down to Maryborough by just two points 44-42. B-reserve netted a terrific win for Coops 53-29.
B-grade also had a great win 50-20.
A-reserve 41 narrowly lost to Maryborough 48 in a fast paced contest.
A-grade enjoyed a week’s rest as Borough does not have an A-grade team.
The Castlemaine Women’s Football and Under 18 Girls sides hit the road to tackle Woorinen on Sunday.
The Senior Women found the clash against last year’s fellow grand final contenders a challenge but worked hard all day to run out deserving winners by 11 points. Rachael Stubbings was on fire kicking three for the Magpies.
The Under 18 Girls found the polished Woorinen outfit too strong and went down by 53 points despite a valiant effort. Maddyson Hewson was best for the Magpies kicking three.
This Saturday, Castlemaine football and netball sides host South Bendigo at the Camp Reserve and the Magpie Seniors Women’s Football side hosts Bendigo Thunder on Sunday June 30 at 1pm.
The Under 18 Girls Football side will enjoy a week’s rest courtesy of the bye.
