Magpies hold strong in Kallady Memorial Shield

UNBEATEN Yinnar retained the Vin Kallady Memorial Shield with its 30-point victory over Mirboo North, at Yinnar Recreation Reserve on Saturday.

It’s 49 years since Kallady, 24, who represented both clubs at senior level, was killed in a car accident.

The mighty Tigers were on the scoreboard immediately, when Riley Gillian registered a goal, inside a minute of play commencing.

Yinnar’s Kane Grinstead-Jones then booted two of his five majors of the afternoon, for the Magpies to take an eight-point lead into the first break.

It was goal for goal in the second term and when Mirboo North skipper Hudson Kerr’s left-foot snap sailed through the big white sticks, the Tigers were two points in front at the long break.

Beau Peters, in his 50th club appearance for the Tigers, Clancy Snell, playing coach Damien Turner, Josh Taylor and Kerr were continually attacking the Sherrin with authority.

For the Magpies, Blake Van Der Meer, Thomas Robertson and Patrick Kearns provided lots of drive through the corridor and out wide, towards the waiting arms of Grinstead-Jones in the forward line.

A quick goal from Snell to start the third term pushed Mirboo North’s lead out to eight points.

Although Yinnar outscored Mirboo North for the remainder of the quarter, the Tigers only trailed by five points at the beginning of the final term.

Spectators were pondering which team would find a sustainable formula of flexibility and balance, to break the game open in the closing stanza and win the game.

Both sides had eight scoring shots in the last quarter, with Yinnar adding 6.2 and the Tigers 1.7 to their scorecards.

The centre piece of Yinnar’s game plan was to open up its forward line with only two of its players inside its 50-metre line. 

Mirboo North lost momentum and was a player down when ruckman, Patrick Lewis, was reported for an undisciplined act and sent to the sin bin.

Although Mirboo North’s kicking for goal was astray, a highlight for the Tigers was Beau Peters’ towering intercept mark over two opponents at half forward – where the tips of his fingers almost touched the clouds.

Late in the contest, Snell booted his fourth goal for the Tigers, before Grinstead-Jones secured his fifth major for Yinnar, just as the final siren sounded.

This Saturday, Mirboo North hosts reigning premier, Fish Creek, at Tigerland.