MONTMORENCY held off numerous Macleod fight backs to win by nine points in possibly a season-defining result at De Winton Park on Saturday.
The Magpies were dominant early in the game and were then able to hold their lead throughout the afternoon. They were able to get to the footy first and beat the Kangaroos in the contested battle as they went on to win 17.20 (122) to 17.11 (113).
The win sees the Magpies move into sixth spot on the Division 1 ladder, just one win behind Macleod in fifth. It was a huge win for last year’s runner up, having lost to West Preston-Lakeside the previous week in a heartbreaker.
Using the hurt from that two-point loss, Montmorency started the game in the best possible fashion, racing away to a 31-point lead after 10 minutes.
They shocked the Roos from the first bounce, smashing them in the contested ball and piling on a truck load of pressure onto the Macleod defence, who ultimately could not withstand it all.
Desperately needing a lift, Macleod was able to reply with two of its own against the run of play to reduce the margin to 18 points. The Magpies were able to finish the quarter stronger however, outscoring the Roos two goals to one in the final five minutes to go into the second term 24-point leaders.
Despite the way of momentum, the Roos got off to the best possible start in the second term, kicking two goals in quick succession to reduce the margin to 12 points.
After relentless attacking pressure, Montmorency was finally able to breakthrough as Jesse Donaldson booted a goal to push the lead back out to 20 points. The big lead was short lived, with Macleod able to reply with two in a minute through Patrick Martin and Nick Lynch.
Macleod kept this momentum going for the rest of the term as it kicked two goals to one in the final three minutes of the quarter to go into the second half trailing by only two points.
The break in play seemed to help Montmorency as it started the better in the third term, booting the first two goals of the quarter through Ben Fennell and Donaldson. Macleod however was able to reply with two of its own to bring the margin back to three points in a see-sawing affair.
Another spur of two goals in a row for both sides saw the margin remain at three points with one minute of play left in the third quarter. The Roos had hold of possession in the dying stages but a turnover cost them as Ryan Willits capitalised on the opportunity to give the Magpies a nine-point lead heading into the final term.
The Roos started the final term with a goal to youngster Reid Brandt to reduce the margin to less than a kick. But the Magpies were able to close the door prematurely on any hope of a Macleod comeback, kicking two goals in quick succession to extend the lead to 19 points.
Cathal Corr kicked his third goal of the day to give the Roos a glimmer of hope with under 10 minutes remaining, but after a tough five-minute scoreless slog, Patrick Fitzgerald kicked his fourth to seal the win for the Magpies.
Anthony Doherty and Corr were both able to kick their fourth goals late in the day, but they were only in consolation as their side went down by nine points in a high-scoring affair.
Montmorency was led by Donaldson who kicked two and dominated in the middle. He was assisted by Harley Ryan and Luke Jackson.
The Roos’ best were Corr and Doherty and Hamish Paynter, who continued his fine season with good ball use and silky smooth running.
The Roos are back at home in Round 8 as they take on a Lower Plenty outfit coming off a disappointing loss to Greensborough. The Magpies return to Montmorency Park to host undefeated Division 1 ladder-leader Heidelberg in a blockbuster between two league powerhouses.
Final score: Macleod 17.11 (113) def by Montmorency 17.20 (122)
