Laverton caused the upset of the Western Region Football League division 3 season so far, holding off Sunshine Heights in a thriller on Saturday.
The Dragons have had the wood over the Magpies for a number of years and are pushing for a top two spot, while the Magpies have been slowly building.
On Saturday, the Magpies got a glimpse of what the future might entail, with an 11.7 (73)-9.14 (68) win.
The win was the first time since 2018 the Magpies have beaten a team other than North Sunshine.
Magpies coach Tony Jofre said it was a really big win for the club.
“We’ve been making changes at the club and the rewards are now starting to pay off,” he said.
“It’s a reward for effort. The club has been struggling for so many years, but this game shows that we are heading in the right direction.
“To win against a team other than North Sunshine is really rewarding. We got messages from other clubs and the WRFL, it’s the first time since 2002 that we have beaten Sunshine Heights.”
Jofre said the playing group stuck to the game plan and the structures all day. He said they’ve been learning the game plan the last couple of seasons and it’s now showing.
“The boys were up all day,” he said.
“We spoke with the boys at three quarter time. We have not been in a position like this for a long time.
“We were the underdogs and we had to pride ourselves on working hard.”
Jofre said the whole playing group showed what they were made of in the dying minutes to hold on.
The Dragons had reduced the margin to less than a goal and were attacking hard.
“The boys had to really fight,” he said.
“The ball was 10 metres from the Sunshine Heights goal for the last six minutes, We didn’t allow them to score, we were really proud, they did well.”
Jordan Viojo kicked three goals for the Magpies while Richard Mulroy and Matthew Grigg kicked two goals apiece.
Jofre said everyone played their role in the win. Online, the Magpies name Nathan Gannon, Anthony Pasqua and Viojo as their best.
The win was the Magpies third for the season. While they still sit in seventh spot, the Magpies are now equal with Tarneit.
Jofre said they were hoping this was the confidence booster the group needed for the rest of the season.
“We have three wins for the year, that’s more than last year,” he said.
“We were confident before the season that we could match it with the other teams. It was about the process and growing as a group, which we’re doing.”
Tara Murray
