Sport
24 April, 2026
Final term falls short of benchmark
IT SEEMED fitting that a dozen or more birds of prey were circling over Newbridge’s Riverside Oval at three-quarter time of the senior football on Saturday.
Maiden Gully – the Eagles – were 89 points ahead of Newbridge, and a 100-plus thumping was on the cards.
Eagles co-coach Angus Monfries certainly thought so, telling his players that he wanted to see them kick eight goals to one in the final term.
It didn’t work out that way, with the Maroons belatedly hitting the scoreboard and kicking 6.1 to Maiden Gully’s 2.3 for the quarter.
Clearly, the damage was done earlier in the game, with Newbridge’s defence, missing key recruit Jon Coe, constantly under siege.
The Eagles’ attack was multi-faceted, with Monfries and fellow forward Todd Delahey each kicking five goals and seven other players booting majors.
Newbridge relied too much on centre half-forward Brandon Dimech, who fought hard for his four goals, with returning key forward Billy Schilling goalless on the day.
Maiden Gully was dominant at the coalface, winning clearances at will until the Maroons’ late revival.
A highlight of the final term was a brilliant running play from Newbridge’s Jackson Eadon which led to a goal for Caleb Sanders.
The 67-point loss sees the Maroons rooted to the bottom of the ladder.
Next Sunday they travel to Mitiamo, also winless in 2026, desperate to kickstart a season in which they were predicted to be the league’s big improvers.
Maiden Gully travels to Pyramid Hill to face the Bulldogs.
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