Magpies teetering after narrow Lavi loss, Hawks ravage Roos

Wangaratta Magpies risk falling out of the top five after a narrow loss to the in-form Lavington at Norm Minns Oval on Saturday. It was a heated but largely evenly matched encounter, which saw the Panthers pull away in the second half to defeat the Magpies by eight points, 10.15 (75) to 12.11 (83). Taking on legitimate flag contenders Lavington, who had won nine of their last 10 matches going into the encounter, the ‘Pies matched them early on. Scores were tied after the first quarter, with less than two kicks in it at the half. Lavington’s defensive pressure made it tough for the Magpies to find players in viable scoring positions and move the ball out of their own defensive 50. The home side had plenty of scoring shots through the third quarter for only two goals, with the Magpies trailing by 25 points at the start of the final term. Roaring into the contest, the Magpies put the foot down and booted five goals unanswered to bring it within seven points at the 20 minute mark. A late goal from a crumbing Xavier Laverty brought it to within two points, but Lavington put a goal on the board to alleviate the pressure. If there had been five more minutes in the game, the ‘Pies could’ve come from the clouds, but the siren won out. Jackson Clarke and Michael Bordignon were among the best for the Magpies, while Alex Federico’s class in the middle and Xavier Laverty’s three goals were instrumental in keeping the match as close as it was. The loss, Wangaratta’s third in a row, sees them sit a game inside the top five, fighting to hold off Wodonga and Albury for the last ticket to finals. In other matches, the reserves went down by 79 points, 2.2 (14) to 13.15 (93), while the thirds won their game by less than a goal, 6.11 (47) to 6.6 (42). Elsewhere, Wangaratta Rovers continued their dominant season with a 13.15 (93) to 8.7 (55) win over Corowa Rutherglen at John Foord Oval. The match was neck-and-neck at half-time – despite Rovers’ clear control of play, they couldn’t find the reward in front of the sticks, kicking 3.10 in the opening half. Their forward execution tightened up after the main break, where they kicked 8.2 in a third quarter blitz which took the game away from Corowa. While the Roos fought back hard late, the margin was too great to overcome, with the Rovers locking in their 13th win for the season by 38 points. Ruck/forward Will Christie shone with seven goals in a best on ground performance, while Sam Cattapan, Xavier Allison and Ed Dayman were similarly impressive. Sam Murray and Brodie Filo found plenty of the footy, finishing with 37 and 32 disposals respectively, while Charlie Thompson recorded 31 touches with nine clearances. Rovers remain a game clear on top of the senior ladder, with two matches left to button up the all-important double chance in finals. Earlier, the reserve Hawks took the win 14.9 (93) to Corowa’s 7.3 (45), while the thirds got the job done by 61 points, 11.12 (78) to 2.5 (17).

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