General News
16 August, 2024
Youthful injection sets stage in Pies’ greatest result of season
PLAY the kids. It’s a mantra adopted by footy fans everywhere when a side is struggling and there is a need for an injection of youth and enthusiasm. Boort’s senior team is a perfect example of why the maxim can make sense. The Magpies fielded...
PLAY the kids. It’s a mantra adopted by footy fans everywhere when a side is struggling and there is a need for an injection of youth and enthusiasm.
Boort’s senior team is a perfect example of why the maxim can make sense.
The Magpies fielded six players aged 18 and under against Donald last Saturday and came away with a 71-point win in the side’s best performance for the season.
Coach Dale Cameron said it was a deliberate decision this year to look to the club’s youth for improvement. The under 17s side has lost only one game for the season and sits atop the ladder.
“You have got to have an eye on the future,” he said. And that future is bright.
Three 17-year-olds played against Donald: Lachlan Hall, Alex Chamberlain, and debutant Max Beattie. They were joined by 18-year-olds James Byrne, Tom Potter, and Frasier Holland.
Another six under 17 players are likely to push for senior spots next season.
The Magpies, in seventh spot on the ladder, stormed out of the blocks, led the third-placed Royal Blues 11.2 to 1.4 at half-time, and powered on to win 19.9 to 6.10.
Cameron was effusive in his praise of his young guns, in particular Hall: “He is going to be a special talent.” Hindered by hamstring issues, he has played the past three matches with the seniors and racked up more than 20 disposals against Donald.
“We needed to go through a season like this,” Cameron said. The team would learn from its struggles on the field and the subsequent injection of youth adding a bit of hunger.
While the Magpies will miss the finals, it has been a what-could-have-been season for Boort.
Two narrow losses to Nullawil by nine and six points, and a draw with Donald in their first clash highlighted the side’s competitiveness.
“You have to go through challenges,” Cameron said. “We’re not there yet, but we’re on the way.”
More than anything, he said, victory last week showed the importance of a football club to a country town, especially when it was facing challenging times.
“It was what the town and the community needed,” he said as the Pies prepare for the final match.