Sport
15 August, 2026
Pies’ stellar win
AFTER drawing the short straw earlier in the season against Charlton, Boort got a measure of compensation with a 190-point win over the Navy Blues last Saturday.
AFTER drawing the short straw earlier in the season against Charlton, Boort got a measure of compensation with a 190-point win over the Navy Blues last Saturday.
In round seven, the Magpies had to play a Charlton side boosted by the one-off appearances of Brownlow winner Dane Swan, former Melbourne player James Magner, and Bendigo league legend Adam Baird.
Boort won by just 20 points, with other clubs routinely beating the winless Navies by more than 100 points this year.
So, coach Andrew Rutley was happy to hail “a morale-boosting win” and a rare four-quarter effort from his team.
With 54 scoring shots to four, he was even able to lament missing the chance for an even greater percentage lift.
“Last week we kicked 18.4 and our conversion rate was really good,” Rutley said.
“This week we wasted a few opportunities, and that can happen when you are on top and you start blazing away.”
Boort restricted Charlton to only 15 inside-50s for the match and Rutley was able to give some regular defenders a rare chance up forward. Keiren and James Wilson celebrated their freedom with a pair of goals each as 11 Magpies hit the scoreboard.
Lachlan Fitzgerald booted seven for Boort, with brothers Kayne and Tyson Rutley kicking four goals apiece.
The sixth-placed Magpies have another winnable match this week to add some light to a disappointing, injury-hit season, travelling to Donald, which is second last on the ladder, before a tough assignment against Sea Lake Nandaly in the final round.
“It’s like a grand final for us against Donald, to try to stay ahead of them on the ladder,” Rutley said.
Tough contest for lower sides
MAIDEN Gully’s hopes of making the finals suffered a significant hit when the Eagles were beaten by 87 points by Marong, but fortunately for them Macorna also suffered a setback.
The two sides are battling for fifth spot, with the Tigers having to face top team Bridgewater in the final round, and the Eagles needing a big win over Calivil in a fight that may come down to percentage.
The Panthers led by 55 points at half-time after jumping Maiden Gully, whose form has been wildly up and down.
A 169-point loss to Bridgewater was followed by a brave against-the-odds two-point win over Inglewood, keeping alive the Eagles’ finals aspirations.
But Marong proved to be a class above Maiden Gully, who are consistently relying on too few players to be competitive.
Tye Bedford, Mitch Hill and Dan Russell were among the best against the Panthers, as they have been most weeks.
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