Australian Football

Match Report

Match number three would take place a little further north west of there, we're off up the Port Road and into the Alberton Oval for the clash between the Magpies and the Roosters. The last four games have all gone the way of the red & whites, the last game back in Round 7 was quite a battle with the Roosters ermerging with the win at Menzies Crescent. The Roosters won by eight points, it was a pretty close match most of the day though a 20-point break created by North in the final term allowed them to withstand Port's last ditch attempt at a comeback. The match before that will be one that the Roosters' faithful will never forget, a 21-point hammering that went a long way to bringing the old "one goal in mind" jibe from Magpie fans to a halt. However, this year these sides are in very different positions on the ladder as the Magpies have been surging forward and their win against the Eagles last week put them in the five, while North are clinging to that fifth spot after a win at Noarlunga, in contrast to last year's top spot at the same time. The Roosters' opening term inaccuracy would play right into Port's hands early on, scoring 1.4 as the Magpies bagged 5.1 to start the day with a 21-point quarter-time lead. That gap wouldn't change much going into the sheds at the long break as a little spot of rain fell, both sides kicking a pair of goals each in addition to some missed chances as the gap was reduced to 20 points come half-time. The Roosters were perhaps guilty of overusing the ball at times, with over 50 more handballs on their tally than Port. North won their fair share of clearances as well, but with lousy returns on the board the Magpies thrived. That was no more evident than in the third quarter as the Roosters couldn't find the big sticks at all, adding just four behinds as the home side put a further 3.3 on their score to take their lead out to 37 points going into the final change. Much like the Tigers over at the bay, the Roosters found some more avenues to goal in the final term, but with their forwards failing to fire they would still get more minor scores than majors. The Magpies finished the stronger in the end,much more cleaner and efficient as they ran out 38-point winners after a 4.1 to 3.6 closing period. Riley Bonner was by far Port's best afield, with 32 disposals, 15 marks and five tackles as well as a pair of goals. The Roosters named Mitch Harvey as their best on ground, with 27 disposals and 10 clearances.