Magpies sneak home in sixth consecutive win
Mitchell Farrugia
In a match separated only by goal kicking, the Western Suburbs Magpies have narrowly defeated the Dragons at WIN Stadium 30-28.
It was the Dragons who struck first as the Magpies failed to deal with an attacking kick. Second-rower Shalom O’ofou was able to scoop up the loose ball to score the first points of the match in the seventh minute.
The Dragons looked to score for a second time, but the ball was dropped cold over the line by Jackson Ford.
They were able to double their early lead moments later through a darting play close to the line. Half Tyran Wishart sliced through to score untouched under the posts, pushing the Dragons lead out to 12 points.
On the stroke of halftime, the Magpies kept their chances alive. Reece Hoffman barged his way over the Dragons’ defence to get Wests on the board. Jock Madden was successful with his first goal attempt.
As the teams headed into the sheds it was the Dragons with the slight advantage, leading 12-6.
The Red V ran out for the second half firing. With a smart set play, the Dragons charged through some soft Magpies defence as fullback Tony Pellow planted the ball to the left of the uprights.
Wests continued to fight on, forcing an error the set after conceding. Musgrove threatened close to the line, but the ball was put down on the ensuing play.
The Dragons made them pay. After marching the ball upfield, repeat sets tired the Magpies' defence. It was Mathew Feagai who darted over following some slick passing.
Trailing by 18 points, the Magpies were able to keep the door ajar. Hooker Jacob Liddle scored under the posts from dummy-half. The try set up a blockbuster finish with 20 minutes remaining.
Jock Madden continued to force repeat sets for Wests through his short kicking game. The pressure paid off as Zach Dockar-Clay was fed into a hole to score untouched, narrowing the Dragons' lead to just six points.
They continued to fly home as speedster Allan Fitzgibbon juggled the ball before placing it in the right-hand corner. Jock Madden maintained his perfect record with the boot to draw the game level at 24-all.
Jacob Liddle caught the Dragons napping again close to the line, eerily similar to his first as the Magpies took the lead for the first time.
It was a nervy final five minutes with the match on a knife's edge. The resilient Magpies were able to hold on, despite the Dragons scoring in the final minute of the match. Only a miss-hit conversion attempt separated the sides as Wests recorded their sixth consecutive win, defeating the Dragons 30-28.
