Magpies advance to grand final over rival Rovers

Wangaratta Magpies have once hand on the cup after a startling display of sheer domination over back-to-back premiers and arch-nemesis Wangaratta Rovers in the O&M’s second semi-final on Saturday. Played on the rain-slicked deck at Corowa’s John Foord Oval in challenging conditions, the Magpies controlled the pace and flow of the game from the outset to storm into the decider by 43 points, 15.18 (108) to 9.11 (65). It took 13 minutes for the first goal to be kicked, with earlier rainfall causing the ball to slippery – combined with the immense pressure of the match, it was tough to move the ball cleanly. The Magpies would be the first to convert through Tyson Young, with Jackson Clarke, Fraser Ellis and James McClounan all hitting the scoreboard for the black and white, while their defensive structure limited the Rovers to just the one goal to quarter time. Rovers’ little master Brodie Filo kicked a goal within the first minute of the second term, before goals to Jack Mapleson and Aidan Tilley wrested control back. From there, the Magpies exerted their will on the contest, and could’ve put the game to bed before half-time, were it not for poor kicking in front of goal in part due to the inclement weather and drizzling rain. The ‘Pies put on eight minor scores in a row, but their defensive pressure in their forward 50 meant the Rovers couldn’t move the ball past their half-back line, generating plenty of repeat entries for the Magpies. The black and white held the lead by 33 points at the major break, and as conditions started to improve with the sun peeking through, the Magpies continued to press their advantage, slamming on four goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Rovers would throw the occasional punch on the scoreboard through the second half, as well as Brodie Filo lifting late to give the Rovers some spark, it was too little too late, with the Magpies through to the last match of the season. Magpies coach Jason Heatley said their pressure allowed them to set up the game early. “I thought our contest work around the footy set the tone for us, it’s obviously one of their big strengths,” he said. “We had repeat entries and were able to hit the scoreboard at times. “We just looked like we were organised, we’ve been talking about our forward craft and our ability to defend for a while, and in games like that it’s not hard to get yourself up, I was really pleased with them. “The ground was pretty good, to be fair, for all the rain we had - both teams had to navigate challenges with the wind and a little bit of rain which came at different stages of the day, but I thought we were fairly clean. “We’ve still got a little bit of work to do but I think the work from our on-ball brigade and our defence, we were able to work the footy pretty well.” For the Rovers, Alex McCarthy, Brodie Filo, and big Ed Dayman fought hard all day, with solid contributions from Jace McQuade, Jai Dal Zotto and Dylan Wilson. Daniel Sharrock was exemplary all game for the Magpies, linking up well with Jackson Clarke (two goals) and James McClounan (four goals), while Fraser Ellis was impactful along the wing. “He’s [McClounan] very connected to how we want him to play and he brings a high level of footy smarts to the table from a positioning point of view, he reads the game well,” Heatley said. “They’re those scene-setters around the footy, I thought Knowlsey [Chris Knowles] and Matt Hedin gave us some good energy too.” The Rovers will play either Myrtleford or Wodonga Bulldogs in the preliminary final, while the Magpies will take the week off ahead of their date with destiny.

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