By Nick Creely
Narre Warren coach Matt Shinners drilled into his players during the week that the trip to Wandin would be the biggest experience his side would face this season.
The vocal crowd, the unique conditions and the challenge of knocking the Dogs off in their own fortress – it’s something Shinners knew his Magpies would simply relish.
“When you look at what they’ve done over the last three weeks, beating Beaconsfield and then Cranbourne and with the crowd right behind them, it’s a big advantage for them,” he told the Gazette.
“That was a big focus for us (the experience), and not one south east side had gone there and won, so there was that motivation – the crowd is very, very vocal and a lot of the other coaches I’ve spoken to have witnessed that, so we knew the challenge we would be facing.”
And in Saturday’s blockbuster between the two sides, it took a moment of sheer brilliance to separate two sides that refused to let the foot off the throat all day.
The Magpies and Dogs could barely be split at the Kennel on Saturday, with a magic goal from Peter Gentile in the dying seconds sealing the four points for the Magpies, 18.21 (129) to 19.8 (122).
Gentile used all of his class to kicking a goal in mid-air from the goal square over his head with only seconds to play, ending a battle which had so many twists and turns of momentum.
The Magpies got the hot start away from home to silence the vocal home crowd, with two beautiful running goals from Trent Cody within a few minutes of each other getting the visitors off to the perfect start.
Maximising on their elite pressure through the midfield, and with the likes of Trent Cody, Brad Scalzo, Dylan Quirk and Nathan Foote controlling possession and getting the ball moving, the Magpies looked ominous when the ball went forward, with Daniel Jackson marking everything and kicking the ball beautifully.
But Dogs skipper Justin Van Unen showcased some brilliance of his own to stem the bleeding nearing quarter time with a lovely checkside goal, before Clinton Johnston slotted a goal after the quarter time siren to draw the margin back to just 23.
The Dogs started the second well, with Rohan Heasley capitalising on some excellent forward pressure, before the Magpies once again steadied to regain control.
Van Unen, however, kicked a pearler from the pocket after the half-time siren to give the Dogs plenty of momentum heading into the final siren, and with confidence they could overrun the Magpies on their home fortress.
And signs were looking worrying for Matt Shinners’ side, with the Dogs going absolutely berserk in the third quarter, kicking 10 goals to three and opening up a three goal lead with some of the most electric footy of the year, with Van Unen continuing to create serious headaches on his way to seven majors.
But the Magpies – like quality sides do when severely challenged – clawed its way back, rediscovering some of its spark from the first half, with veteran Col McNamara’s set shot putting them back in front midway through the final term, before a Patrick Hodgett soccer only seconds later saw the Dogs reclaim the lead.
With no indication of which way the contest was going to go, the little contests – whether it is the stoppages, or the ability to just stick marks and tackles – become vital, and young gun Tom Miller came to the fore for the visitors, showcasing great composure as his side once again took the lead.
But Hodgett had other ideas, sneaking another through the big sticks to create a three-point lead, and when Michael Collins couldn’t quite convert his set-shot only seconds later, it appeared as if the Dogs – with the home crowd in toe – would hold on as the clock shot past 30 minutes.
It wasn’t until Gentile’s piece of magic that sealed the result, with the siren going shortly after the crafty forward’s freakish match winner, in one of the most entertaining games of local footy in recent memory.
For the Magpies, veteran Michael Collins was absolutely sublime once more, while fellow great Col McNamara and Dan Jackson (six goals) had moments that will be talked about in the lead up to the finals, with McNamara’s drive particularly influential late. While for the Dogs, Van Unen’s seven goals were remarkable, Tom Hinds was excellent, while Hodgett’s last quarter almost got the home side over the line.
Shinners said that it was disappointing for his side to have allowed the Dogs to control the game in the third, and knew they would be punished if they continued to turn the footy over.
“We started well, but I think we kicked 3.8 in the second term, so we probably didn’t make the most of our chances,” he said.
“But for most of the day we did a lot right, but we lost a bit of ascendency in the middle, missed a few kicks in the corridor, and once you miss those little things, it’s one kick and a goal.
But the Magpies showed plenty of determination to claw its way back, with Shinners heaping praise on his leaders in lifting when it mattered in one of the most impressive wins of the season from any side.
“I spoke to Col McNamara after the game, and he reckons it’s one of the best wins he’s been associated with,” he said.
“I said to Collo (Michael Collins), Col and (Brad) Scalzo before the game that they are our most experienced, and you’ll have to keep the young blokes up and about all day, and they did, and in the last quarter, they showed some terrific leadership.”
And as for Gentile – who snared one of the most brilliant goals of the season to be the match winner – Shinners said it was great reward for a player with an abundance of talent.
“In school footy, Pete played as a defensive player, but he’s got a great kick, and we felt his leg speed and kicking is important, so we moved him forward,” he said.
“Like everything, you tell the boys to play on instinct – we missed some opportunities, and sometimes it takes something out of the box, and to see the players and how they rallied around him was fantastic.”
Beaconsfield, meanwhile, found a bit of spark at home after a disappointing fortnight of football against Upwey Tecoma, 17.22 (124) to 3.5 (23).
Coming off losses against Berwick and Wandin away from home, Leigh McQuillen’s side simply needed to respond – and they did.
The Eagles were never really headed after skipping out to a 28-point lead at quarter time, and continued to build back into form and take the game on across the wide expanses of Holm Park.
Matthew Johnson’s stunning patch of form continued for the Eagles with a brilliant nine-goal haul, taking his tally to 34 after being dropped back to the reserves early in the season, indicating just how far he has come in such a short space of time.
With the Eagles forward up and about, as well as Kyle O’Sullivan continuing his strong form with another bag of three, the home side were simply too dangerous in attack, despite the Tigers battling hard all day and showing some terrific signs.
Others to impress for the Eagles were the emerging Brad Homfray, Casey-listed Jack Griffiths and the ever-consistent Sean Dwyer. For the Tigers, Glenn Costas, Ryley Hannagan and Liam Beacom did well to be named in the best.
In the remaining matches across the round, Cranbourne did what they needed to for their finals chances at home against Healesville, 17.17 (120) to 4.8 (32) to surge back into fifth, while Berwick’s impassable form continued with a vital win on the road against Woori Yallock, 15.13 (103) to 5.9 (39).
