BodyKey Chiropractic - Reserves Preview

RESERVES KEEN TO BOUNCE BACK

The Western Magpies Reserves will be looking to bounce back when they takeon the winless Sandgate at Sandgate on Saturday. 

The Pies were disappointing last week but with 10 changes to the side their lack of cohesion was understandable. Sandgate have been competitive in both matches this year and ran Mt Gravatt close last week so the Pies can expect a tough encounter

Coach Quentin Johnson will look to his side to improve in their decision making and disposal as turnovers proved very costly last week.  

The side has some good ins with the return of Jae Humphrey and Joel Workman after both missing the first 2 rounds due to unavailability and both should be raring to go.  Youngster Lachie Dennis returns after playing with the Lions Reserves last week and new player Troy Hartman gets his chance.

Out are the injured Jake Farrell, Sean Mewing and Sam Donovan with skipper Matt Hockley out due to work commitments.

The Pies backline were under the pump last week due to turnovers but the back six look very strong with Todd Billing in good form and Luke DeNys playing consistent football. Add reliable Sean McEvoy and new player Ricky Dudley, who has been good so far, and the Pies will be confident of shutting down the Sandgate forwards.

Up forward Jack Goodall moves to CHF and Charlie Pershouse to FF and both will be key targets for the Pies. Young Pershouse has played well in both matches and looks to have a big future for the Pies.

Young Toowoomba recruit Geoff Gibb in ruck was good last week on debut and midfielder Brodie Easton also had plenty of the ball and will again be key player for the Pies.

Mitch Stallard is slowly regaining the form that made him a Rising Star in 2014 and as he gains more confidence in his body, his skills will come to the fore to give the Pies plenty of midfield drive.

The Magpies will be looking to make it 2 from 3 but will need to be at their best to overcome a solid Hawks outfit on their home ground.

Western Magpies Reserves v Sandgate Hawks - 1130am Sat April 16 @ Sandgate

B: Luke DeNys - Sean McEvoy - Gabe McKinnon

HB: Ricky Dudley - Todd Billing - Jae Humphrey

C: Jamie Page - Chris Devlin - Hunter Heath

HF: Lachie Dennis - Jack Goodall (R) - Jesse Pukallus

F: Stuart Hubbert - Charlie Pershouse - Joel Workman

Foll: Geoff Gibb - Mitchell Stallard - Brodie Easton

INT: Matt Mazerolle - Josh Burton - Troy Hartman - Brent Walker

The Full Swoop - Episode 2

Coopers Community Footy Update - Woodsmen Start 2-0

Western Magpies affiliate the Woodsmen have enjoyed a promising start to their season, winning their opening two away games to get off to the perfect start.

Round 1 saw a new look Woodsmen side take on a strong UQ outfit who came out firing, and had the Woodsmen down by 5 goals in the first half.  As new players learnt on the run, and the established senior players lifted their intensity the Woodsmen fought their way back into the match to end up prevailing by 1 point.

Tim Green was outstanding at centre half back taking close to 20 intercept marks on a slippery night when everyone else was making handling and skill errors.  In the 2nd half, Green managed to keep the Woodsmen camped in their front half as he dominated in the air and continually pumped the ball back inside 50.  Sam Curtis was at his industrious best, winning plenty of ball and applying great pressure while Andrew Thomson playing through the ruck with stints resting forward was solid with 3 first half goals.  Gerard Moore chimed in with 2 second half goals, including a 50m bomb to win the game after tirelessly presenting across half forward despite the poor delivery.

In Round 2, the Woodsmen traveled to Coorparoo to take on a highly fancied Kings outfit featuring many experienced players at QAFL level.  The Woodsmen welcomed back several key players of their own, including Captain Sean Toohey up forward and outstanding defender Matty Prior, eventually running out 10 goal winners after a dominant first half.  The Woodsmen were 'on' from the start of the match, with Sam Curtis playing an incredibly dominant match, racking up in excess of 50 disposals in an eye catching display also noteworthy for his superb defensive play, with some exceptional tackling of much bigger opponents.

Chris Mihalopoulous also played well through the middle, while Kiran Verma had a good night on the wing and newcomer Nick Masters showed his potential in just his 2nd game with an early goal and regular touches across half back and through the wing, showing rapid improvement for a player completely new to the game.

Tim Green was again solid at CHB, and the Woodsmen defence were again back to their stingy ways allowing just 3 goals for the night with Matty Prior's return offering composure and skill execution down back that was missing the week before.

Up front enjoyed a touch of class with the inclusion of Sean Toohey back into the fold in an undersized forward line.  A slightly ill Gerard Moore offered a target, allowing the small forwards plenty of loose ball which they pounced on, an area that was sorely lacking the week before.  Toohey snagged 4 goals in a great return to the side, while Gerard Moore managed 2. The rest were evenly distributed amongst the ground level forwards and midfielders in an improved forward effort.

The Woodsmen take on Morningside at the Nest this Friday night at 7:30pm - get down to cheer the boys on and enjoy a meal and a drink at the club.

Sci Fleet Toyota - Ressies Review

PATCHED UP RESERVES GO DOWN

A patched up Western Magpies Reserves team were easily defeated by Wilston-Grange on Saturday.

The Pies went down 16.17-113 to 10.2 -62.

ThePies had 10 changes to the team that defeated Mt Gravatt last week and found the going tough against a strong and speedy Gorilla outfit.  The side was further affected with the late withdrawal of key forward and ruckman Jadan Morton with illness.

The positives are that witha long list of players missing this week the Pies still had the numbers and depth to field a solid Reserves team and it gave several youngsters an opportunity.  Young new players in ruckman Geoff Gibb, wingers Sam Donovan and Josh Burton and half forward Stewart Hubbert all had good debuts for the Pies, the latter 2 late inclusions to the side.  

In hot conditions at Yeronga, the Pies had the better of the early exchanges but could not convert.  Then when the tables turned a little, several defensive errors resulted in Grange kicking a string of easy goals and they were able to get on top and maintain momentum.

The Pies fought hard but coach Quentin Johnson again lamented skills errors , turnovers under pressure and poor decision making. He sad his side were slow to man up at times and Grange are a good side with good disposal which made the Pies pay for their errors.

Best players were Brodie Easton who won plenty of midfield ball, Gibb in ruck, Hubbert in the forward half (2 goals,including a long bomb from 50 near the boundary line after the three quarter time siren),  another youngster in Charlie Pershouse, who slotted 3 goals, Jesse Pukallus, who was busy all match on ball and Luke De Nys, who played well at both ends of the ground and had clean ball handling skills.

Grange 4.4 - 28 | 7.9 - 51 | 12.11 - 83 | 16.17 - 113

defeated

Magpies 2.0 - 12 | 2.0 - 12 | 6.2 - 38 | 10.2 - 62

Best: B.Easton, J.Pukallus, G.Gibb, S.Hubbert, C.Pershouse, L.DeNys

Goals: C.Pershouse 3, S.Hubbert 2, B.Easton, C.Devlin, L.De Nys, H.Heath, J.Burton 1

Metis Wealth Match Review - Seniors Bounce Back

What a difference a week makes...

The Western Magpies hit back hard after a poor match last week to have a comprehensive victory over the highly regarded Wilston Grange at Yeronga on Saturday.

The Pies were comfortable 41 point victors in the end, winning 13.14-92 to 7.9-51. It was obvious from the first bounce that the Pies were on-song, with renewed vigour at the contest and a much improved work-rate.

The first quarter was an arm wrestle, though the Pies looked stronger without getting the reward their efforts deserved. The second quarter saw the Pies midfield gain control with Callum Carseldine back to his Grogan Medal winning best and Gareth Crawford in and under all game to show why he is a league B & F winner in Victoria.

With the uncompromising defence of 2015 returning, led by Luke Scott, Doug Lawrence, Chris Hunt and Tyler Jones the Pies repelled many Gorilla attacks and led by 21 points at half time. Lawrence was strong in the air and at ground level, Scott was back to his best with brilliant reading of the play and intercept marks and had 10 first quarter possessions when the game was up for grabs and Hunt just does what he does best by shutting down his opponent and then providing run out of the back line. The Pies were hard at the contest all over the ground and won the physical battles in a positive sign for the season ahead. 

The first half saw more direct football from the Pies with half back Tyler Jones playing a great game with long incisive runs and direct and penetrating kicks into the forward line.

Inclusions Brenton Saunders and Jake Heard added pace the the Pies forward line and Saunders was a live wire up forward until he injured his ankle in the third quarter. 

Other inclusions in David Lewis and Reece Bridge (in his first senior game for the club) were both good, with Lewis winning plenty of the ball across half forward and Bridge playing well in a strong defensive unit. 

The third quarter saw the Pies play indirect football and it became a "fumble-a-thon" with dropped marks and poor disposal by both sides, with the saving grace being that Grange were as bad, if not worse, than the Pies.

The Pies led by 20 points at the final change and dominated the last quarter with a 60 metre Nick Barling goal sealing the victory as the Pies went onto an emphatic win which puts their season well and truly back on track.  

Dom Beer was again good in ruck and Drew Mitchell won plenty of the ball, Matt Sondergeld was busy and Alex Dickfos worked hard in the forward line.

Coach Glenn Humphrey was pleased with his team's endeavour, winning the contested ball and clearances, laying ten more tackles and having 20 more inside 50s than Wilston Grange.

The Pies were without Brent Staker and Richard Wenham (both injured) and Lachlan Woods and Ben Jaenke-Cain (both unavailable) and Sean Mewing made his return in the Reserves after recent injury.

Best: Pope, Carseldine, Crawford, Jones, Scott, Davis

Goalkickers and quarter by quarter scores are currently unavailable

24 Fit - Colts Review

MAGPIES COLTS BACK ON TRACK.

After getting a valuable lesson last week, the young Magpies responded in fine fashion against Wilston Grange on Saturday.

The lift in effort, training standards & commitment resulted in an improved performance and resounding win. 

The win was the first for season and the team now knows what is required to earn victory. The Colts are now now 1-1 and have more quality players to become available in coming weeks.

Whilst the win was important, it's the way that the young Pies went about it that the coaches were most impressed with. However Wilston Grange were depleted and it became a 16v16 game, which suited the Pies style of contested and hard running football.

After gaining the advantage through the midfield, it seemed a case of " not again" as key forwards were off target early. The new combination of Jonno Mason and Dom Morrison ( first game for the club) as deep forwards, with big Jeremy deRooy across half forward, and Chae Lawson buzzing around as the small forward, finally started to click, and once the drought was broken, the team went from strength to strength.

Some players were asked to play different roles and Billy Johnson, Conner Green, Ash Gore& Cam Smith all proved that they can play multiple roles, which is great for their development, and all were amongst our best for the day. 

Captain Dom Misso, Jimmy Gainford, Liam Reynolds & Rory Johnson were too strong, quick and classy for the Grange runners and all 4 boys had dominant games. Josh Sensescall slotted a couple of nice goals and despite getting a yellow card, was hard and tough at the contest. The bigger bodied players in Aaron Highlands, Jessie Rigsby-Jones, Zeleke Fisher & Tom Luke all had solid outings, and in what became a bit of a heated gamekept their heads and made the football their focus

 Ryan Vagne,  Kurt Vine & Jaiden Johnston- Bates all put in big efforts to play despite being unwell.

A big plus for the club was the performance of Under 17 Tristan Dowdy, who in his second game of Colts football was composed with  clean hands and got plenty of the ball. He has a bright future indeed.

It will be a sterner test next week, and the young Magpies will have to continue to improve and bring the same level of effort, work rate, and skill to match  Sandgate next Saturday.

Magpies 15.16 - 108 def Wilston Grange 2.5 - 117

Best: Misson, Reynolds, deRooy, Johnson, Dowdy

Goals Mason 5, deRooy 3, Lawson, Senescall 2, Johnson, Reynolds, Grant 1

CFMG Capital - Reserves Preview

The Western Magpies have selected another strong Reserves side this week and will look to win again to consolidate a good start to the year.

Wilston Grange were narrowly defeated by 2015 Premiers Labrador last week while the Pies defeated a spirited Mt Gravatt in a high standard Reserves match. 

The Pies have made several changes from last week's team with Sean Mewing, Blake McClennan, Gabe McKinnon, Jamie Page, Geoff Gibb and Sam Donovan coming into the side after being unavailable or missing out in Round 1.  Jack Goodall also comes down from the Seniors.

Promoted to the Senior side are Rhys Bridge, Chris Hunt and Brenton Saunders while Lachie Dennis is unavailable and young small forward Riley Easton suffered a ruptured ACL in Round 1, joining another youngster Brayden Thomas in having a reconstruction and missing the rest of 2016.  the club wishes both boys well in their recovery.

Round 2 promises to be another high standard game with the Magpies naming a side featuring plenty of players with extensive senior experience and Grange also having a strong list.

Magpies Reserves vs Grange at Yeronga Sat April 9 @ Midday

B: Luke De Nys - Sean McEvoy - Gabe Mckinnon

HB: Ricky Dudley - Todd Billing - Jake Farrell

C: Jamie Page - Chris Devlin - Sean Mewing

HF: Hunter Heath - Jadan Morton - Jack Goodall (R)

F: Charlie Pershouse - Matt Hockley - Jesse Pukallus

Foll: Geoff Gibb - Mitch Stallard - Brodie Easton

I/C: Blake McLennan - Matt Mazerolle - Brent Walker - Sam Donovan

CFMG creates value for investors through active and passive property investment in the residential, retail and commercial markets.

Visit http://www.cfmgcapital.com.au/ for more info

PLACE PREVIEW - PIES NEED TO BOUNCE BACK VS GORILLAS

The Western Magpies will be looking to bounce back after a lacklustre Round 1 showing when they meet close rivals Wilston Grange at Yeronga on Saturday.

The tale of the two teams in Round 1 could not be more different with the Pies defeated favourites in their match against Mt Gravatt while Wilston Grange caused an upset when they overcame 2015 premiers Labrador.

From all reports Grange were hungrier than Labrador last week and won the contested ball and their pace troubled the Tigers.

The Pies last week looked sluggish with slow and poor ball use making them appear even slower, and coach Glenn Humphrey will have worked at training on decision making and on quicker transition of the football to the forward line.  

The Pies have made a number of changes to the lineup with Chris Hunt coming into a key defensive post, Redlands listed Liam Dwyer into CHF with David Lewis on the flank and speedster Jake Heard and Redlands listed Brenton Saunders to the forward pockets. Reece Bridge comes into the interchange bench after a best on ground showing in the Reserves last week.

Out of the side are be tagging defender Richard Wenham (concussion), young forward Sam Copland (Queensland Under 18s), Co-Captain Lachlan Woods (wedding), centreman Ben Jaenke-Cain (unavailable) and Redlands listed Jack Goodall to the Reserves.

The Pies midfield will be keen to bounce back after a slow start last week and Co-captain Callum Carseldine will be better for the run after an interrupted pre-season while Gareth Crawford will have found his feet in QLD football. The Pies will look to both of these and Drew Mitchell and Tim McEvoy, who was good last week, to provide drive in the absence of Jaenke-Cain and Woods. 

Dom Beer was good in ruck last week but the Pies lost the clearances and will have worked on this during the week. They will need to be on song against the strong Gorilla midfield. Beer will get support from Nick Barling who spent most of his time at CHF last week.   

A crowded forward line and slow ball movement hampered key forwards Alex Dickfos and Nick Barling in Round 1 and with Dickfos and the recalled Dwyer both strong overhead the Pies will look to get them one out in the contest, via quicker forward entries.  The inclusions of Heard and Saunders will inject pace to the forward line and with Val Pope at half forward the Pies will be hoping for increased firepower up forward both in the air and at ground level.

The recall of Hunt to a key defensive post strengthens the Pies defence and allows Luke Scott to be a rebounding defender along with Luke Mitchell, who was a good player last week.

The half back line of were solid last week and will be important for the Pies to lock down the Grange forwards.

It may only be Round 2, but with the Pies depth tested - this is an important match with a win getting the Pies back on the rails and reigniting belief in the group.

Western Magpies vs Wilston Grange Gorillas at Yeronga, Sat April 9 @ 2:30pm

B: Luke Mitchell - Doug Lawrence (A) - Tyler Jones (R)

HB: Luke Scott - Chris Hunt - Matt Davis

C: Aaron Maricic - Cal Carseldine (C) - Brady Allen

HF: Val Pope - Liam Dwyer (R) - David Lewis

F: Jake Heard - Alex Dickfos - Brenton Saunders (R)

Foll: Dom Beer - Gareth Crawford - Drew Mitchell

I/C: Tim McEvoy - Nick Barling - Reece Bridge - Matt Sondergeld (R)

Venue Update - Magpies vs Grange Saturday April 9

The planned home game against Wilston Grange this Saturday has required a venue change do to ongoing maintenance of the Western Magpies home ground after installation of new Telstra tower.

Matches will now be played at Yeronga as follows:

Seniors - Yeronga Oval 1 @ 230pm

Reserves - Yeronga Oval 2 @ Midday

Colts - Yeronga Oval 2 @ 10am

Body Key Chiropractic - Colts Review

MAGPIES COLTS WING CLIPPED IN OPENER

The Western Magpies Colts had their wings clipped and were given a strong lesson in preparation and the importance of a solid and committed pre season when they were defeated by Mt Gravatt on Saturday.  Against a side that the Pies have had many intense and close battles with over the last 3-4 years, and had the better of for the last few outings, the 2016 Colts came up well short.

After a strong opening, gaining the advantage in the midfield, the young Pies just couldn't convert the good work from up the field into goals. The Pies missed 4 good chances at goal early and as often happens the Vultures swept the ball forward and converted at their first opportunity. That was the tale of the day, as in each quarter the side started well, missedopportunities, then ran out of legs and the fitter Vultures score heavily for the last 10 minutes of the term.

The positives are that the Colts were more than competitive when their legs were fresh, but a hot day, having only 2 players on the bench and a disrupted pre-season and therefore being a little underdone cost this group the chance to set a standard from round one.

Coach Justin Gore and assistants Craig Allen and Warren Vine recognise the issue and have a plan to rectify it. The Colts have already had some solid sessions to kick start the way back to being the respected , hard running and skilful squad this group has been known for.

Skipper Dom Misso, the tireless Liam Reynolds and Rory Johnson, big ruckman Aaron Highlands and the solid Ryan Vagne ( both in their first games for the club) all battled hard throughout the day.

The great thing about football is the team gets the chance to make amends this coming week against Wilston Grange. Coach Justin Gore will expect his charges to put their heads down and work hard, and iscertain his team will bounce back strongly and put in a much better performance this week

Score :Mt Gravatt17.9 - 111      Western Magpies      1.10 - 16

Best : Highlands, Misso, R Johnson, Vagne, Reynolds, Luke.

24 Fit Ressies Review - Pies start with solid win

The Western Magpies Reserves started their 2016  season with a hard fought but deserved history over Mt Gravatt.
 

The Pies fielded one of their strongest Reserves team for some time but it was only in the third quarter that the Pies were able to stamp themselves on the game.  The Pies ran out relatively comfortable 22 point victors in the end. 

Coach Quentin Johnson was pleased to come away with the four points but lamented poor decision making in the first half which cost the side a bigger lead at the long break.

The Pies were challenged in the second quarter but broke away with a dominant third quarter and led by 5 goals at one stage before allowing Mt Gravatt to kick 2 late goals. 

Johnson says the tackle pressure and inside 50s were down on the team's goals  and says there is still plenty of improvement in the team.

New player Reece Bridge was the Pies best with a strong showing across half back with good reading of the play.  Youngster Jake Farrell also showed he will be a  player for the Pies in the future with plenty of the ball.  Brodie Easton was also prolific ball winner and Jadan Morton provided a target at CHF.

Redlands listed and ex-Magpie Brenton Saunders also showed his class against one of his old sides and will push for senior selection next week.

The experienced Matt Hockley booted 4 goals for the Pies from full forward and was a steadying influence when the Pies were challenged. 

Another new recruit in Chris Devlin gwon plenty of possessions in the midfield and fed the ball to the runners, half forward David Lewis also did some good things and youngsters Lachie Dennis and Charlie Pershouse showed that the future at the Pies is in good hands.

Western Magpies 11.7 - 73

defeated

Mt.Gravatt 7.9 - 51

Best: R.Bridge, J.Farrell, B.Saunders, B.Easton, J.Morton, C.Devlin

Goals: M.Hockley 4, J.Morton 2, L.Dennis, J.Heard, R.Dudley, D.Lewis, C.Pershouse

24 Fit - Proud Partners of the Western Magpies

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CFMG Capital - Seniors Match Review

PIES DOWN IN SLUGGISH START TO THE SEASON

The Western Magpies were defeated by a rejuvenated Mt Gravatt at Mt Gravatt in their QAFL season opener on Saturday. The Magpies went down by 46 points, 15.14 - 104 to 8.10 - 58 in a disappointing start to the season.

The Pies started the match as if normal service was resumed from 2015 with Grogan Medallist Callum Carseldine winning the first 2 possessions and Val Pope kicking the first 2 goals but after that it was the Vultures who dominated play.

The Pies were out-enthused, out-run and generally out-played by the home team in a display that was more grey than black and white. 

The Pies were made to look slow as the Vultures used the ball better with good disposal and plenty of run which the Pies could not match, especially in the second and third quarters when the match slipped away from the Magpie outfit.

The Pies were on the back foot as their much vaunted midfield lowered their colours despite a good performance from ruckman Dom Beer. So much the springboard for the Magpies in 2015, the midfield just could not get their hands to the ball and denied first use of the football the Pies were chasing from midway through the first quarter.

2015 Bill Peirce Medallist Val Pope looked to be on song in the first quarter but a knock to his leg early in the game and a close tag did restrict his influence but he was still one of the Pies better players.

Ben Jaenke-Cain and Tim McEvoy worked hard around ground in and effort to lift the Pies and both had a glut of possessions. However, the Magpies work rate to present to teammates further afield was poor so the Pies resorted to short kicks, often going sideways and eventually a mistake was made and and the ball often rebounded as result. 

Redlands listed Tyler Jones tried hard a cross half back and Aspley listed CHB Doug Lawrence also battled gamely to stem the tide.

Luke Mitchell was busy in the back pocket and gave plenty of run out of defence - he had plenty of opportunities as Mt Gravatt had a multitude of forward entries. 

Back pocket Richard Wenham was involved in a sickening collision with teammate Jack Goodall in a marking contest in the second quarter and suffered a concussion but had no other injuries and was unable to continue in the match. He will miss next match but should make a full recovery. 

Glenn Humphrey – Senior Coach

“We were terrible.

“Around the stoppages, we were beaten at our own game. They used the ball better than we did, and they work harder than we did.

“They had 18 more inside 50’s than us, and fully deserve the win that they had.

“The only thing I take from this is that we were poor.”

The Pies will need to manufacture goals from somewhere as 3 goals to halftime and 5 at three quarter time was never going to enable the Pies to win the match. In addition, the Pies had 6 NEAFL listed players included in the side which did not help as the team looked disjointed and incohesive in much of their play. 

The QAFL season is shaping as an even season and the Pies have another big challenge as they meet Wilston-Grange on Saturday after the Gorillas caused an upset by toppling 2015 Premiers Labrador on Saturday. The Pies will have to re-group quickly to meet the challenge and kick-start their season.

The Magpies were scheduled to play at home in Round 2 but the venue is yet to be determined as the Pies' Powenyenna Oval at Chelmer has still not recovered after work on the Telstra tower at the ground in the off-season caused damage to the oval on the pavilion side of the ground.  

Mt Gravatt Vultures4.2 | 7.7 | 12.10 | 15.14 - 104

defeated

Western Magpies      2.3 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 8.10 - 58

Best: V.Pope, B.Jeanke-Cain, L.Mitchell, T.Jones, T.McEvoy, D.Beer

Goals: V.Pope, A.Dickfos, D.Mitchell 2, B.Jeanke-Cain, N.Barling 1

CFMG creates value for investors through active and passive property investment in the residential, retail and commercial markets.

Visit http://www.cfmgcapital.com.au/ for more info

Coopers Community Footy - Woodsmen keen for season opener

Western Magpies affiliate, the Woodsmen will get their 2016 season underway tonight against a strong UQ side at UQ in a match that will also be their first full hit out for season 2016 after an interrupted pre-season.  The match commences at 730pm and we encourage supporters to get down for a look.

The Woodsmen enjoyed a strong lightning cup carnival at UQ in March to blood a series of new recruits and work on their combinations for season 2016, running out winners in all 3 matches against UQ, Coorparoo and Morningside.

The Woodsmen are coached this year by Western Magpies legend, Chris Mihalopoulos who will also play in the centre, but the Round 1 side will be missing 2016 skipper Sean Toohey who is unavailable.  Also lacing up the boots for the Woodies are a number of former Magpies and Sherwood juniors - maintaining a strong link the Magpies again in 2016.

The Woodsmen have high hopes for Season 2016 after dropping just 3 games across 2014/15 seasons, but falling short in the 2015 Grand Final has left a sour taste and the boys will be looking to send a message to the competition that they remain a force to be reckoned with.

Any old boys looking for a kick and a beer or 2, are welcome to join training Monday and Wednesday nights at 7pm as the season starts to ramp up.

Sci-Fleet Colts Preview - Magpie Colts keen to make their mark

The Western Magpies Under 19s will be keen to make a mark against one of the QAFLs Under 18-19 powerhouses in Mt Gravatt when they clash at Mt Gravatt at 9.30am on Saturday. 

The Pies did not field an Under 18 team last year but the Sherwood Under 17s were undefeated Premiers and will provide quite a few top-line players for the team with several on the verge of senior selection.

The Pies are keen to test their mettle against their long time rivals in junior age groups to see where they sit at this level.

Coach Justin Gore has said it has been a challenging pre-season pulling the team togetherwith a squad made up of Under 17s from last year and several players returning to the club with a few new players as well.

The preseason matches saw some mixed results as the squad came together with some players also required to play in the seniors which was a good thing for their development.

However, this left the side down on numbers in their match againsta powerful Southport but the side responded by outscoring their more fancied opponents in the second half despite only playing with 16 players. This gave the team belief that they can compete with the best at under 19 level this season.

In the other match at Redcliffe the Pies won easily with some lessons from the first game being learnt and applied.

Some of the players Gore will look to lead the side will be captain Dom Misso through the midfield and fellow midfielders Liam Reynolds and Rory Johnson. He has 2 big key forwards in Jonno Mason (returning after missing 2 years with a serious knee injury) and Jeremy de Rooy as targets and some silky movers around the goals and across half forward in Chae Lawson, Kurt Vine and Billy Johnson. 

Gore believes he has a side to challenge for the top half finals in the new Under 19 format and is confident that his side will put plenty of smiles on the Magpies' faithful as they continue the tradition of strong Magpies Colts teams that have come before them.

Metis Wealth Match Preview - Reserves looking strong with key inclusions

The Western Magpies Reserves will be a strong side for their Round 1 clash with Mt Gravatt on Saturday at 11.30 am, with several regular Senior players being pushed back due to an influx of NEAFL listed players into the senior side.

In a big plus for the Pies, regularseniors key defender Chris Hunt returns several weeks earlier than anticipated after off-season surgery and will be part of a very strong half back line.

A number of players who showed good form in the pre-season have been squeezed out of the senior side with the NEAFL inclusions, namely the Easton brothers, Brodie and Riley, half forwards David Lewis and Jake Heard, utility Jadan Morton and defender Luke DeNys.

New recruits in Reece Bridge (Cairns) and Ricky Dudley (Woodsmen), who both looked good in the pre-season, were also forced out of the Senior team.

Other new players to the club are the strong bodied Chris Devlin (Ipswich) in the centre and solid defender Brent Walker (Warwick).

Into the team come three players from the Sherwood U17 Div 1 2015 Premiership side in tall forward Charlie Pershouse, ruckrover Lachie Dennis and utility Jake Farrell.  All three have senior football written all over them and will be keen to stake a claim for a senior debut at some stage during the year. 

Redlands listed players Liam Dwyer in ruck and Brenton Saunders across half forward are both inclusions with Dwyer showing promise at the end of last year after an injury interrupted season and Saunders a 2012 Pies premiership player who also had stints at Mt Gravatt before settling in the NEAFL at Redlands.

Add the returning Mitch Stallard after missing last year with injury and CHB Todd Billing, who had a year off after a superb 2014 season and Jae Humphrey, who played quite a few Senior matches last year, and it is clear the Pies Reserves are a very strong team. 

Add the experience of fullback Sean McEvoy and full-forward Matt Hockley, both with plenty of senior exposure in the past and the Pies have almost a Senior strength line-up.  

Coach Quentin Johnson will be keen to start the season with a win after a slow start last year wrecked any chances of a finals appearance.

He is pleased with the depth of his squad with 9 players not selected due to injury or not able to be squeezed into the team. Among the missing are the injured Blake McClennan, Hunter Heath, Jamie Page and Braydon Thomas (ACL Season)  with Sean Mewing, Joel Workman,  Cory Hopkins and Gabe McKinnon all unavailable. 

Reserves vs Mt Gravatt at Dittmer Park, Sat APril 2 @ 11:30am

B: Luke De Nys - Sean McEvoy - Ricky Dudley

HB: Chris Hunt - Todd Billing - Reece Bridge

C: Mitchell Stallard - Chris Devlin - Brodie Easton

HF: David Lewis - Jadan Morton- Jake Heard

F: Brenton Saunders (R) - Matt Hockley - Charlie Pershouse

Foll: Liam Dwyer - Lachie Dennis - Riley Easton

Int: Jake Farrell - Matt Mazerolle - Jesses Pukallus - Brent Walker

PLACE PREVIEW - PIES MEET OLD FOE IN QAFL OPENER

The Western Magpies meet their old foe from SQAFA days when they travel to Dittmer Park to meet Mt Gravatt on Saturday afternoon in what shapes as an intriguing match. 

The Vultures have come off an impressive pre-season campaign winning 2 matches and going down in a tight tussle to Labrador in the pre-season final.

The Pies have not hit their straps in the pre-season but have been largely experimental and will be keen to show their true strength on Saturday in the season proper.

Pre-season form largely goes out the window , especially as the Pies will include six players from NEAFL clubs with ex-Magpies Doug Lawrence (Aspley) and Aaron Maricic (Redlands) being joined by the Redlands contingent of Tyler Jones (midfield/half back), Jack Goodall (half back), Matt Sondergeld and the other Matt Thompson (not Clock) (both small forwards).

Lawrence will be a key inclusion for the Pies as they were a little under sized in the back half in the pre-season and Maricic gives the Pies plenty of run from a wing. Jones was good in his 2 matches for the Pies last year before being injured and Goodall and Sondergeld both donned the Black and White guernsey last year.

The Magpies will miss star recruit Brent Staker who still has a hamstring niggle but will bring in new players Nick Barling (ruck/forward) and Gareth Crawford (midfield). For this match Barling will start at CHF and Crawford on the bench as part of the midfield rotations. 

Also returning from Queensland Under 18 duties will be young tall forward Sam Copland who will be a third marking option across half forward.  

Lawrence will hold down CHB which he did with aplomb last year and will have strong support from Matt Davis and Tyler Jones. Davis had a break-out season last year and will be keen to repeat his stellar form.

Luke Scott is named at fullback and Luke Mitchell and Richard Wenham in the back pockets will provide run out of the back line, with one likely to have a shutdown role.

In the midfield 2014 Peirce medallist Ben Jaenke-Cain will provide his usual non stop display and with 2015 Grogan Medallist Cal Carseldine and Drew Mitchell top performers in 2015 the Pies have some solid ball winning ability. Add 2007 Peirce Medallist Tim McEvoy and new recruit Gareth Crawford, himself a multiple award winner in Victoria, the Pies have strong midfield depth. Wingers Brady Allen and Lachlan Woods are big bodied hard nuts who also add plenty of ball-winning ability and class to the midfield mix. 

Dom Beer looks as fit as he has been for some years and will shoulder the ruck burden with Barling slotted into the key forward position.

Alex Dickfos was a close third in the QAFL Goalkicking last year and will again be a focal point up forward and may also have to help out in ruck at times.

Dual Peirce Medallist Val Pope will be a key player across half forward and last year kicked bags in both outings against the Vultures and will be keen to repeat this on Saturday. 

The Pies team looks strong and coach Glenn Humphrey and his co-selectors had a difficult task at selection trying to fit 30 players into the final 22.

As is always the case the first game is a bit of an unknown especially with NEAFL top up players, but the Pies team looks very strong and will be keen to start the season with a win and justify some pundits' predictions of the Pies being the main challenger to Labrador this year. 

Western Magpies vs Mt Gravatt Vultures - Dittmer Park on Saturday, April 2 @ 2pm

B: Luke Mitchell - Luke Scott - Richard Wenham

HB: Matt Davis - Doug Lawrence (A) - Tyler Jones (R)

C: Brady Allen - Ben Jeanke-Cain - Lachlan Woods (C)

HF: Sam Copland - Nick Barling - Val Pope

F: Matt Thomson (R) - Alex Dickfos - Matt Sondergeld (R)

Foll: Dom Beer - Cal Carseldine (C) - Drew Mitchell

Int: Tim McEvoy - Gareth Crawford - Aaron Maricic (R) - Jack Goodall (R)

24 Fit - Ressies Review

With as about as many changes to side as the Melbourne weather...the boys are still adapting to the new game style and showed in patches that in-time and with some fine tuning this recent experimental period will start to pay off!

Unfortunately this weeks game was a bit similar to last week - the Ressies side just couldn't finish off the hard work on the scoreboard.  A couple of skill errors in crucial times were costly, and at this level turn-overs cost you - but the hard work and desire is there, which is a great sign for the season ahead. 

Stuart Hubbard new to the club & the game itself showed how its done in the 3rd quarter by kicking 2 goals and setting up a couple more with 2nd & 3rd efforts, so with more development into him, he will become a great asset. 

Thanks to the Colts who backed up from a solid early morning training session to play out a full game in pretty hot & humid conditions. 

Pleasing sign is all players got through unscathed & considering there's no game this weekend we should have a healthy list to pick from for Round 1.

VALE JEFF LANGDON

It is with a great deal of sadness that the Sherwood/Western Magpies Football Club confirm the passing of former club champion and Premiership player, Jeff Langdon.  Jeff was known affectionately to all his team-mates and friends as “Mad Dog’.

Jeff was a talented, robust and a fierce competitor and part of his football makeup was plenty of flair.  Jeff was a great person off the field as after matches he would bring out his guitar and mouth organ and entertain everyone with his versions of “Gloria” and ‘Route 66’.

He also had a great love of horses, drove trotters and for many years was the head farrier for Gallops and Harness racing around south east Queensland tracks.

Jeff will always be remembered for his sterling and lion-hearted display in the 1977 Grand Final after taking 20 marks after half time to help his team to a fantastic victory against Mount Gravatt, who had beaten Sherwood two weeks earlier by 100 points.  After this game, Jeff was admitted to hospital suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, but not wanting to miss the celebrations checked himself out of hospital two hours later and once again, dominated the Premiership celebrations in style.

Jeff was a very loyal friend to people he had known all his life.  His first passion was his three children, Lisa, Tammy and Steve.  His wit and his lust for life will be missed by all that knew Jeffrey Paul Langdon. 

Rest in Peace, Jeff

Past Players, present players, current and former Board members and his many supports.

(Jeff will be privately cremated at a family only funeral).

The Sherwood & Western Magpies Football Club will play special tribute to Jeff with a wake and club luncheon to be held in the social club on Saturday 7th May commencing at 11.45am, culminating with an on-field tribute to Jeff before the senior game that afternoon.

(A small cover charge will apply to cover food and drinks at bar prices).

All welcome to attend.

Kev Kluver – 0407 65 71 33

PRESIDENT - Sherwood Australian Football Club (Incorporating the Western Magpies)

Metis Wealth Match Review - Pies Prevail in final hitout

The Western Magpies had a 4 goal victory over UQ in their final pre-season match at Coorparoo on Saturday. The match was played in oppressively hot conditions and after trailling early the Magpies were able to put together some cohesive football to take control late in the match.  The Pies kicked 10 goals to UQ 6 goals, however a final exact score was not recorded.

The Pies were disorganised early due to numerous changes to the line up and were not helped when the match was halted late in the first quarter for 30 minutes due to lightning in the vicinity. After half time the Magpies started to develop some teamwork and better efficiency with disposal as well as gain control at the stoppages to wrest the match away from UQ.

Inclusions to the team from last match were Callum Carseldine, David Lewis , Cory Hopkins, Lachlan Woods, Blake McClennan and youngster Jake Farrell who showed some good touches across the half back line.

McClennan (ankle)  and Lewis (head knock) both were injured but with the Easter break should be fit for Round 1 against a resurgent Mt Gravatt on Saturday, April 2nd.

Much like 2015, the Pies pre-season form has been indifferent while Mt Gravatt were defeated in a close tussle by Labrador in the pre-season final so on pre-season form, Round 1 should be a tough contest.

However, pre-season form is a minimal guide to the season proper andthe Pies were definitely experimental in their matches with a number of new players to the club as well as trying several players in new positions.  With a full list to choose from coach Glenn Humphrey is confident the Magpies will meet the Mt Gravatt challenge with confidence to get their 2016 season off to a good start.

Bodykey Chiropractic - NEAFL Player Update

NEAFL ALIGNED PLAYERS

There will be no mini-draft of NEAFL players this season and all Redlands listed players from 2015 aligned to the Pies will again be attached to the Pies in 2016.

The Pies do not expect to see much of CHF Tom Michael this year as he is expected to cement his place in the Redland team.  Other Redlands players who played for the Pies last year were Tyler Jones, Jak Williams, Jake Goodall and Liam Dwyer and it remains to be seen If the Pies see much of them this year.

Magpies players from the 2015 Magpie side now NEAFL listed are Doug Lawrence and Aaron Maricic.  Doug and Aaron are automatically aligned to the Magpies if not selected for NEAFL duties and ex-Magpie and Gold Coast Suns player Jackson Allen can also play for the Pies if not in the Aspley team.

Allen has had a delayed start to the year with some niggles so may see early season action in the Black and White as he builds his fitness for the NEAFL.

Another ex-Pie and 2012 premiership player Brenton Saunders is listed at Redland but has requested he be aligned to the Pies this year if not selected in the NEAFL team rather than Mt Gravatt, his club for the past 3 years.