The Castlemaine Magpies run of victories came to an end last week when they were overrun by a very confident Maryborough outfit.
The Maryborough boys are making a habit of barnstorming the Pies as they have done in our past three encounters. The Castlemaine boys were in the game until 3/4 time but after that it was all one way traffic. Maryborough threw out the challenge but our boys unfortunately did not possess the ammunition to retaliate and were comprehensively beaten by a better side.
The Maryborough small men ran rampant through the centre and placed enormous pressure on our defence. Maryborough broke a four game losing streak and fully deserved their win which in effect drove a nail into our finals aspirations. Jimmy O'Brien again produced the goods in a losing side. Jimmy plays according to the old saying "When the going gets tough the tough get going ". He totally thrives on the tough encounters. Nathan Pope is enjoying a great year and is getting better as the season progresses. Other good players were Adam Culvenor, Orry Cross and Adrian Conn.
The Frank Byrne coached Reserves are on a roll and have won their past three games. They have placed themselves into a position to challenge for a spot in the five if they are good enough. Today the boys have the opportunity to beat a team in the five and make a real statement as to where they are at. Good players last week were Clint Hughes, Trev Butcher, Matt Strong, Nathan Mitchell, Jaryd Millard, Lach Brennan and Jared Hall, a promotion to the seniors is not far off.
Next the Pies travel to Kangaroo Flat to take on the giant killers. Last week the Roos beat the Gisborne Bulldogs to end a 35 game winning streak at Gardiner Reserve. The Roo boys will be a cock-a -hoop and for obvious reasons and be very confident of knocking off a disappointing Magpie team. However if the real Magpies turn up today we may be in for a terrific game. The Pies have the incentive with Adam Culvenor playing his 100th game for the club. Adam is probably the most consistent player in the club and regularly appears in the best players, he is a fierce competitor and a role model for the young players. Best of luck Adam in your milestone game.
More good news for the club this week was the announcement that ex-Pie Dustin Martin was selected in the centre for the All Australian Under 18 team in 2009. The young gun was selected on his performances during the under 18 carnival which was conducted in all states of Australia. A great achievement for Dustin and obviously will place him in good stead when the A.F.L. National draft takes place later on in the year. Best of luck Dustin!!
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