PARKSIDE had to overcame its own woes in front of goal to shrug off a never-give-in Glenorden by 35 points on the road at Heathdale Oval in the Western Region Football League division 2 on Saturday.
The Magpies registered more than double the scoring shots of its opposition (38 to 18), but the game was still up for grabs as late as midway through the last quarter because of their string of misses, and a terrible 42 per cent conversion rate.
“Bad kicking is bad football,” Magpies administration manager James Lee told the Weekly. “They put on quite a spirited challenge and got within 10 points.”
The Magpies steadied for a deserved victory to move into outright second on the ladder, and
did it without two key players – veteran Peter Krueger and recruit Con Karavias.
Lee says the pluckiness of the home side, the tricky cross-ground wind and the absence of two key players made it a tough win, but one made possible by everyone doing their little bit to contribute to the outcome.
“It was a good all-round performance. and all the blokes played a big role. It wasn’t easy down there.It had to be a team effort.”
The Magpies defence was at its miserly best, led superbly by a surprise packet best-on-ground Luke O’Farrell.
O’Farrell was playing his first senior game after earning a promotion from the seconds, and slotted into the difficult centre half back position seamlessly.
Onballer Joe Jamieson was inspirational for the Magpies with his hard-nosed approach to the stoppage situations.
Adrian Gervasi bagged two goals to keep the Hawks at arm’s length, while power forwards – Mo Khartabil (five goals) and Fab Mastropasqua (four) – had a big say on the outcome.
The Magpies would not have won without a “captain’s game” from onballer Nathan Juegan.
-Lance Jenkinson
