Magpies win a thriller
• The victor and the vanquished. Scottsdale coach Ethan Petterwood (right) with Anthony Taylor the South Launceston coach after the match. Taylor is a former player and coach of Scottsdale and premiership coach at Launceston.
By Peter Fish,
MAY 05, 2021
Since 2014 when South Launceston re-entered the NTFA, Scottsdale has only beaten them once.
But on a balmy Saturday night at home under lights, the Magpies pinched, by a point, a game that had seemed lost against a team that had seemed superior.
The match was not a high scoring encounter, and the biggest margin was at quarter time after Scottsdale had booted the first three goals of the game.
They still led by five points at the long break but the inaccurate Bulldogs were starting to look menacing.
And in the third term they began to use the ball more efficiently going forward and found loose men everywhere.
The Magpies failed to kick a goal and trailed by 12 points at the final change.
But they showed plenty of self belief in a gripping final quarter kicking four goals, and the ladies in their entertainment marquee roared with delight when full forward Kyle Lanham kicked the point that put the Magpies in front with just seconds remaining in the match.
It was sheer persistence that got the Magpies over the line.
They may not move the ball with the same precision and skill as other top teams in the NTFA, but they don't drop their heads when the going gets tough and they certainly don't rely on individuals to get them out of a tight spot.
Their tackling pressure was a feature of the game, and coach Petterwood would have been extremely pleased to watch his players run down opponents at crucial stages of the game.
Full back Jacob Singline was outstanding on boom recruit Bart McCulloch, running off him at every opportunity, and his fellow defenders ensured their opposition gained no easy possessions.
Captain Joey Robinson was back after suspension, and he makes a difference to the midfield.
He gets the tough inside balls and takes some pressure off Petterwood, who had to wear a hard tag from South Launceston.
Brad Tuffin in the ruck was good at centre bounces and stoppages, and his second efforts only add to his value.
In attack Chev Deacon, back from George Town, and Lanham, booted five goals between them and they are proving to be more than useful marking targets in the front half.
After the game Petterwood praised his players' pressure and attack on the football and described the one-point victory as a reward for persistence.
"But we've got to keep doing the good stuff, " he said, and reminded the players he expected them to be at woodchopping on Sunday morning.
While it was all celebrations after the seniors' result, the reserves and Under 18s suffered big defeats.
Despite a number of opportunities the reserves just couldn't buy a goal, and conceding seven to their opposition in the last term didn't help their bottom line. Bryton Mullins showed he's ready for promotion, and young Sam Tomkinson competed well against all odds.
The Under 18s were also kept goalless by a very slick outfit.
Riley Probert gained plenty of possessions while Daniel Tomkinson and Bradley Milne continued their good form.
This Saturday all teams head to Bridgenorth including the women's team who finally get a chance to kick their season off.
SCORES
Seniors: Scottsdale 8.8 (56) d South Launceston 7.13 (55)
Goals: C Deacon 3, K Lanham 2,
E Petterwood, L Young, J Krushka
Best: J Singline, J Robinson, B Tuffin,
E Petterwood, L Burr, J Hayward
Reserves: South Launceston 16.17 (113)
d Scottsdale 0.4 (4)
Best: B Mullins, S Tomkinson, W Burr,
A Stevens, L Forsyth, K Mullins
Under 18s: South Launceston 22.25 (157)
d Scottsdale 0.1 (1)
Best: D Tomkinson, R Probert, B Milne,
L Mountney, H Burr