2011 PINEAPPLE HOTEL CUP E-FOOTY RECORD ROUND 6 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup E-Footy RECORD 21st May 2011 Issue 6 by Terry Wilson DAVID Martin’s Wilston-Grange Gorillas have added premiers Noosa to an impres- sive list of scalps in their ultra-impressive start to the Pineapple Hotel Cup season. After beating Sandgate in round one, the Gorillas have now beaten last season’s grand fi nalists in their unbeaten run under new boss Martin. Saturday’s 18.5 (113) to 15.11 (101) victory at Noosa’s Weyba Road stretched the Gorillas’ run to fi ve and proved conclusively that one of the QAFL Premier Division’s perennial strugglers is defi nitely the real deal this season. In another highlight match on Saturday, the Western Magpies stormed home to snatch victory from Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast with a four goals to one last quarter. Elsewhere, Sandgate edged Coolangatta in a close one at Len Peak Oval, Palm Beach-Currumbin whipped Mayne at Salk Oval; and Burleigh scraped home against Springwood at Lowe Oval. Gorillas on top in battle of the jungle WILSTON-Grange continued their giant-killing ways and grabbed outright leader- ship of the AFLQ’s Premier Division ladder by downing premiers Noosa at Weyba Road on Saturday. In a clear display that they are do not plan to be temporary table-toppers, the Goril- las managed to do what a lot of other teams have failed to do – to beat Noosa in Tiger territory on the northern tip of the Sunshine Coast. The Grange scored by 18.5 (113) to 15.11 (101) after coming back from three goals down early in the fi nal term. The Gorillas have now beaten 2011 grand fi nalists Sandgate (round one) and Noosa and remain unbeaten after fi ve rounds – but with another tough one against the Western Magpies coming up next weekend. Grange’s blazing start to the season begs the question of how long it is since the club had such a start. Certainly not in the past couple of decades at least. Next Weeks Game Saturday 28th May E-Footy Magpies v Sandgate (11.00am) Record Burleigh v MNS Chief Executive Offi cer: Richard Griffi ths Football Operations Manager: Marty King Mayne v Wilston Grange Record Editor: David Heilbron Media Consultant: Terry Wilson PBC v Springwood Advertising: Penny Chapple Sunday 29th All Correspondence to: The Editor, Footy Record, AFL Queensland, PO Box 1211 Coolangatta v Surfers Paradise COORPAROO DC, QLD 4151. Tel (07) 33942433 Page 2 E- Footy Record Issue 6 21st May 2011 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup AFL Queensland Pineapple Hotel Cup 2011 Round Reviews Understandably new coach David Martin was rapt to take the points back down the Bruce Highway, precious away points banked against a power club in the bag. Martin said the winning streak is ‘amazing. “You can’t say it surprises you (to beat Noosa at Weyba Road), because you always go up to win,” he said. “But the boys have been great, they’re fi nding ways to win. “It would have been easy for them to give in and get a pat on the back for just put- ting in up at Noosa. “But this bunch of players have some good fi ght in them.” A great fi nal term from former State full-back Matt Pardew swung the game the Gorillas’ way. Several of Pardew’s match tally of six came in the vital fi nal stanza, although he managed to kick two at- tempts out of bounds on the full. Asked what was the catalyst for the Grange fi ght- back, Martin replied: “The boys keep persevering and making a contest out of everything. “We didn’t kick a lot of clean goals – a lot of them came from hustle and bustle.” Martin was then asked what it means to have beaten both 2010 grand fi nalists in the fi rst fi ve rounds. “I suppose it gives them confi dence,” he said. “But what we’re after is to play fi nals footy, that’s got to be the goal at the start of the year. “So we’re trying to get enough points in the bag to be able to play in the fi nals.” Leading the Grange superbly was captain Lee Smith, who won a lot of hard ball in the middle up against what is generally rated the best centre-fi eld unit in the compe- tition. Pardew was great up front, small forward Matt Stevens worked well and Lachlan Moir was prominent on a wing and up forward. For Noosa, who have now lost two from three, it is far from the end of the world, al- though it must be slightly worrying that the Tigers have now lost to Surfers Paradise and now Wilston-Grange. Noosa trailed 5.7 to 8.2 at half-time, but took the lead with a third term of 6.3 to 2.2 when it looked like they were going to go on and win with a two-goal advantage. On-baller and forward Travis Mills again starred for the Tigers. Mills kicked eight against Western Magpies the previous round and was at it again with fi ve against the Gorillas. Forward Dayne Frew (three goals), Tom McKittrick and Brooks Durdin were other more than serviceable Tigers. E- Footy Record Issue 6 21st May 2011 Page 3 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup AFL Queensland Pineapple Hotel Cup 2011 Round 4 Reviews Magpies fi nish too strongly for the Dees A TELLING fourth quarter from the Western Magpies turned possible defeat into a vital away victory in their match agai9nst Surfers Paradise at Sir Bruice Small Park on Saturday. After a fi rst half coach Peter McConnell described as ‘absolutely dreadful, terrible’, the Magpies ran over the top of the Demons to win by 12.16 (88) to 12.11 (83). Surfers led by 20 points at quarter-time, by 13 points at half-time and by 17 points at three-quarter time, so there was plenty of merit in the effort of the Magpies. “After half-time we worked our way back into the game,” said McConnell. “We were very fl at to then but we gathered momentum and ran over the top of them in the end.” McConnell made a telling decision at three-quarter time to post Val Pope at full-for- ward, supported by smaller running types, and move his bigger targets back down the ground to the half-forward line. The move worked well with Pope kicking two of his four match goals in the term. “I had a feeling at three-quarter time that we were getting it together and were primed for a big fi nishing burst,” said McConnell. Surfers coach Rob Martin admitted the Demons stopped running and conceded the Magpies were fi tter than his players. “At the end of the day yes, they were better, but at least we’ve kept them to a competitive score,” said Martin, recalling events of his club’s horror trip to Sandgate the previous weekend. “From where we were up at Sandgate last weekend to this one was a massive difference. I’m still scratching my head over that one – I just don’t know. “But we took a lot of confi dence out of this one.” Martin felt the Demons were unlucky not to have been awarded a free kick in front of goals just before the siren, denying the Dees the chance to steal a win. Stars for the Magpies were full-back Peter Kilroy, sho shored up the defensive unit superbly. Young ruckman Dominic Beer had another great game and Val Pope showed just why he is regarded as one of the most versatile and dangerous players in the game. For the Demons, on-baller Ryan Dienjes, described by Martin as possessing a big ticker, was the best, well supported by vice-captain Sean Atkinson at half-back and Queanbeyan recruit Dan McGavin in a back pocket. Page 4 E- Footy Record Issue 6 21st May 2011 Powerade QAFL Premier Division Pineapple Hotel Cup Second-half surge gets Sandgate home AN inexplicable siesta after half-time proved the stick that broke the camel’s back for Coolangatta after they fell to Sandgate in a free-fl owing affair at Len Peak Oval on Saturday. After a fi rst half of effort and fi ne football, the Blues went to sleep and allowed the Hawks to run away with victory by 18.14 (122) to 15.16 (106). It was a disaster third term, when Sandgate kicked 7.6 to just 1.4, that was the dif- ference. Before that, the Blues had led 4.5 to 1.1 at the fi rst break, then by 8.10 to 5.3 at half-time. An upset was in the offi ng, but it failed to materialise as the home side went into doze mode at a vital stage. “The difference was defi nitely that third quarter, because they had 13 scoring shots,” said disappointed Coolangatta coach Neil McKay. “We said before the match that we’d fi nd out if we could concentrate and play hard enough for long enough. “Unfortunately for us the difference between our good and our bad is pretty wide because in the fi rst half we were all over them.” Sandgate captain-coach Ben Long applauded the Blues for their fi rst-half effort, conceding they were well on top. “They came out of the blocks well and played some good footy.