BIG BRYCE BAGS LAZY 11 AS TIGERS UNLEASH
Pies go cold then hot again
COACH Nathan Buckley hailed Collingwood’s maturity after the Magpies saw off a determined Brisbane to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
As they have done too often during a faltering campaign, the Pies went missing for periods of yesterday’s clash at the MCG, but they steadied to win 18.21 (129) to 13.6 (84). Collingwood led by 35 points early in the third quarter, but the maddening inconsistency that has dogged them all season reared its ugly head once again.
“I thought there was maturity in the performance,” Buckley said. “There was a patch in the first quarter and there was a patch in the third Labrador PBC Broadbeach Magpies Wilston Mt Gravatt Morningside Surfers Sandgate quarter where our intensity dropped off. But we were able to right the ship pretty well and at no stage did it look like there was any panic out on the field. “That’s a sign of maturity.” Lions coach Chris Fagan lamented another mixed bag.
“It sounds like the story of our season - positive bits and lapses,” Fagan said. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 5 0 182 167 109 127 90 96 79 75 48 24 16 16 12 12 8 4 4 0 LABRADOR spearhead Bryce Retzlaff calls himself “lucky” after his career-high 11 goals in the QAFL.
Retzlaff was unstoppable on Saturday as the unbeaten Tigers demolished bottom side Sandgate by 20.17 (137) to 6.10 (36) at Cooke-Murphy Oval.
“I think eight was my previous best when I was playing for the Brisbane Lions reserves against Broadbeach at Merrimac Oval,” he said. “I was just the lucky guy at the end of the chain and full credit goes to those guys up the field.”
Retzlaff, 25, is a real target after 11 AFL games with the Lions, a Box Hill VFL flag and two seasons with Central District in SANFL. He reunited with his junior club last year.
It was a slowish start on Saturday but when the Tigers hit top gear they raced away.
It was 1.5 to 0.3 after a dour first term but by half-time Labrador led by 11.9 to 2.6 on the back of a 10-goal burst.
Palm Beach-Currumbin kept pace with their 2016 grand final conquerors with a polished 19.8 (122) to 8.6 (54) win against Wilston-Grange at Hickey Park.
Skipper and reigning Grogan Medallist Jesse Derrick was a star in the middle for the Lions who were without forward Jarryd Douglas and Jackson Emblem for what was tipped to be a danger game.
“We were stoked with that, especially to win up there,” coach Chad Owens said.
Broadbeach beat Mt Gravatt 12.13 (85) to 11.11 (77) at Ord Minnett Oval.