Australian Football

Match Report

The concluding game for the weekend takes us up to the north-west for the Battle of the Birds, the Magpies facing the Eagles at the Alberton Oval. Only a goal had separated these two sides at half-time in their Round 3 game at Woodville, then the Eagles booted seven goals to four in the second half to take out a 26-point victory against the mob from the other end of Port Road. This was just the beginning of the Magpies' woes in 2024, having lost the previous two games and wouldn't taste victory until Round 10, last week's loss and the Panthers' win put them back at the foot of the ladder. The Eagles on the other hand cling to fifth by the skin of their beaks, their loss to Adelaide and the previous day's victory by North and the Crows put them in a precarious position indeed. The Eagles began well enough despite their inaccuracy, kicking to a 14-point quarter-time lead with their 4.4 to Port's 2.2. However, the Magpies returned serve in the second quarter, overturning the deficit in their favour after bagging 6.4 to the Eagles' 2.2 to lead by two goals going into the rooms at half-time. In the crowd would be a reunion of the 1994 premiership-winning side that beat the Eagles in that year's Grand Final, so no doubt there was a bit of motivation not only to give the side a fitting welcome back but also to perhaps avoid a wooden spoon that they haven't been handed since the end of the 19th century. The Eagles' hold on that Elimination Final spot was about to get a bit more loose as they missed four cruicial chances on goal in the third quarter, the Magpies not taking full advantage just yet as they stretched their advantage to four kicks going into the final change. They added 2.3 to their tally, their lead out to 23 points at three quarter-time. The 'Pies would still be at the bottom of the league at the end of the day, but only by a small percentage. They finished with a 5.4 to 2.1 last quarter to run out 44-point victors, with two games to go it's next week's mini-Showdown with Adelaide that could decide their ultimate fate for 2024. The Magpies' best afield would be Will Lorenz with 27 disposals, eight clearances and four tackles. For the Eagles, it was Sam Rowland with 22 disposals and five marks.