Despite a positive start to the year, a late-season drop of form sees the Magpies fall victim to the Division Three double relegation.
By Ryan Long.
Scoresby
Ladder Position: 8th (4-12, 75.44%)
Best and Fairest: David Evans-Marcius
Leading Goalkicker: Benjamin Bronsgeest (27)
Summary:
Despite showing plenty of promise throughout the early stages of the season, Scoresby found themselves relegated at the end of the year, finishing eighth.
They started the year 4-4 with impressive wins against both Ferntree Gully and Warrandyte. Unfortunately for Scoresby, they dropped off at the backend of the year, losing their last eight matches.
The season came down to the final round of the Home and Away season when the Magpies faced off against the Fairpark Lions. The Magpies led briefly at Half Time but never truly had full control of the game, eventually falling short by just 11 points and confirming a bottom-two finish.
Key Players:
David Evans-Marcius starred for the club, taking out the club’s best and fairest by a clear margin. In a dominant season for the Magpies, he made the best 12 times from 15 games.
Dale Hehir’s return to Scoresby was a successful one, finding a spot in the EFNL Division Three Team of the Year. He kicked 22 goals and made the team’s best five times across the season, coming back to the club for the first time since 2018. Benjamin Bronsgeest led the goalkicking for the club with 27 goals from 16 matches.
Best Win: Round 7 – Scoresby 8.11 59 def. Warrandyte 8.9 57 @Scoresby Recreation Reserve
For the second year in a row, Scoresby defeated the highly fancied Warrandyte side at home. The win was made even more impressive considering the Bloods led for most of the afternoon. Trailing by thirteen points at the last change, Scoresby kicked three goals to one to charge home and win by just two points.
Bronsgeest, Lang and Hehir all had two goals each while Guarnaccia and Anderson both had one. Defensively, the club did well to keep Warrandyte key forward Ryan Phillips to just one goal for the afternoon.
Off-Season Focus:
In 2023, Scoresby will be playing in Division Four after their relegation. Despite Scoresby’s on-field results from the second half of the year, the club are still in a strong position off the field.
They’ve welcomed back some former players such as Adam Brongeest, Jack Paravicini and Nathan Urbano who’ll re-join the Magpies in 2023. The club have also welcomed a new Senior Coach with Craig McKenzie with a great coaching history and experience with football clubs, Boronia and Dalyston. With a new coach and a rejuvenated list, the club will spend a lot of focus over the pre-season on developing any new structures or set-ups, then executing it out on the field during the season.
With the current list they have, it’s fair to consider them a real chance to win their way back into Division Three over the next couple of years.
Netball Review:
Scoresby Magpies Black (Section 2)
Ladder Position: 4th (8-9, 105.11%)
A great season for the club which entered three teams in the Bendigo Bank Netball league. Their top team that competed in Section Two this season finished fourth on the ladder, just percentage ahead of The Basin. Scoresby defeated the Bears twice during the year, both by over ten points, it ended up being the difference at the end of the season.
The fourth-placed finish set up a clash with Croydon North MLOC in the first week of the finals. Apart from the opening quarter, it was a very even contest, but they came up short, losing by just eight points. Jessica Ford had a fantastic season, finishing the year as the second-highest goal scorer in the section with 306 goals.
Scoresby Magpies White (Section 5)
Ladder Position: 10th (1-15, 50.08%)
The Magpies’ second team in the league ended the season with just one win to their name. However, the side faced a lot of improvement after some low scores at the start of the year. From Round Seven onwards, Scoresby scored at least 17 points in every match, something they had only done once in the first six weeks. Jessica Bignell was the side’s leading goal scorer with 77 goals.
Scoresby Magpies Grey (Section 8)
Ladder Position: 3rd (7-6, 103.52%)
The third Magpies Netball team comfortably made the finals, finishing third on the ladder, a game and a half clear of fourth. It set up a Semi-Final clash against East Burwood. In a very close finish, they fell short by just two points at HE Parker. Despite not winning a final, it’s an overall successful season for the Magpies Grey who won seven games for the year. Jordyn Walker had a great year in front of goal, scoring 174 goals and finishing in the top ten goal shooters of the league.
Scoresby Juniors:
The Scoresby Junior club re-established its AFL Auskick in Season 2022 after temporary closure during the Covid outbreak. The club was excited to see 20 new children register to kickstart the program on Friday nights at Scoresby Recreational Reserve.
Scoresby Veterans
The Scoresby also once again fielded a side in the BJS Men’s Veterans competition. They had a very dominant Home and Away season, winning eight of their nine matches. Scoresby averaged 96 points per game and just missed out on the Minor Premiership after losing to North Ringwood in their final Home and Away match. The Vets then played Coldstream in the first week of the finals, going down by 25 points.