Castlemaine has bounced back to claim a win over Eaglehawk at the Camp Reserve and keep their hopes of a finals berth alive.
After a disappointing result against Gisborne the previous week, the Magpies brought their A-game on Saturday thriving in the wet.
In a low-scoring muddy slog before their home crowd, the Magpies held on to defeat the fifth-placed Hawks by two points.
Eaglehawk grabbed an early lead in the first term kicking a goal and holding Castlemaine to three points to lead by seven points at quarter-time.
The Hawks pegged another in the second term and managed to keep to Castlemaine to a solitary point to extend the margin to 14 points at the break.
Rain saw a pond form on the wing outside the clubrooms with players slipping and sliding around as they grappled for control.
Castlemaine managed to find their footing in the third kicking two much needed goals to bridge the gap but the Hawks also found another and held onto a four-point lead at the final change.
Keen to get another win under their belt, the Magpies threw everything they had into the last quarter kicking another two goals to one to wrest the win from the Hawks’ clutches much to the delight of the Magpie faithful.
Bailey Henderson was cool under pressure kicking two for the Magpies, including the match-winning goal in the dying minutes, and Zav Murley, Michael Harley and Ryan Eyre were also among the top contributors.
In the Reserves the tables were turned. The Magpies made a positive start kicking four goals to one in the opening term to hold a handy 25-point lead going into quarter-time, but by game end the Hawks had fought their way back to nab a 10-point win in another sloppy low-scoring scrap.
Ethan Maltby, Campbell McLennan and Wilson Staples were among the Magpies’ best.
The Magpie Under 18s also thrived in the wet and annihilated the competition defeating the Hawks by 44 points.
Eaglehawk started on the right foot kicking two goals and holding the Magpies to one in the opening term to lead by four points at the first change. But the Magpies stamped their authority on the game in the third kicking another three goals while holding the Hawks to just four more points for the remaining three quarters.
Castlemaine kicked five more goals in the second half to run out comfortable winners.
Mitchell McKnight was on fire kicking four and Saxon Sieber-Hogg chipped in two. Chaz Holman, Curtis McLennan and Jackson Balcombe were also among the top contributors. The Under 18 side now sit in fourth spot on the ladder.
Netball
On the netball court, the results kept coming with the Magpie A-reserve, B-grade and 17 & Under teams getting one over the Hawks.
A-grade went down 40-58 despite a top effort. Best on was Serryn Eenjes. A-reserve netted a six-goal win over the Hawks 46-40. Best was Madie Clifford. B-grade 45 posted a strong win over Eaglehawk 34. Best on were Shae Denahy and Jess Lord. B-reserve 21 lost to a strong Hawks outfit 45 despite a valiant effort. Best on was Ava Mitchener. The 17 & Under side posted a magnificent win 45-22. Best was Paige McMahon.
The Magpies 15&U development squad also came away with success after their tussle against South Bendigo Dillon on Friday night. Ella Rixon was named best and the win places the team second on the ladder.
Women’s Football
The Magpie women’s footballers opened the weekend hosting Eaglehawk at the Camp Reserve on Friday night.
Rainy conditions resulted in several missed opportunities for the Magpies across both games, but each team came away with hard-fought wins in relatively low-scoring tussles. Piper Marshall was unstoppable in the U18s, while Tiahna Cochrane’s work rate made the difference in seniors.
This weekend in round 14 action the Magpies will face another challenge when they hit the road to tackle third-placed Strathfieldsaye at Tannery Lane. The Magpie Women tackle North Bendigo at North Bendigo Oval this Friday night at 7pm and Under 18 Girls face Woorinen at the Camp Reserve this Sunday July 28 at 11.30am.
