CONSECUTIVE victories do not make a season, but playing at Maryborough has again become a daunting prospect for the rest of this Bendigo Football League season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Magpies' wins against Kyneton and Kangaroo Flat in the past two rounds have shown the club is on track toward reaching short and long-term goals.
Pre-season and there were doubts about how competitive Maryborough would be at senior level.
Winless after eight rounds, Maryborough is now 2-8 and confidence is building at Barkers Oval in Princes Park.
The Jamie Bond and Glenn Chadwick-coached Magpies are on the rise.
The Pies latest wins were a jolt to the plans of Kyneton and Kangaroo Flat finishing in the top five.
There was a lot to like about the way the Magpies played against the Kangaroos.
A 25-point victory was built on winning a lot of stoppages, sustained pressure and run.
Maryborough captain Luke Bucknall epitomised the Pies' spirit with his relentless attack at the ball or opponent.
Luke Bucknall epitomised the Pies' spirit with his relentless attack at the ball
He is far from the tallest or heaviest player in the Borough line-up, but it's plain to see why Bucknall is captain of this team.
Add the likes of Matthew Bond in attack, Lachlan Edwards and Joel Radlof in a midfield or onball role, and versatile big man Tyson MacIlwain and the Pies are a team to be reckoned with.
A huge beneficiary of the Magpies' wins against the Tigers and Kangaroos was Eaglehawk, which has a 5-5 record and is fifth on the premiership race ahead of Flat, 5-5.
The Hawks have a 17 per cent buffer on the Roos, but the Borough boys have to play at Barkers Oval in round 17.
That's six rounds away, so a lot will unfold before then.
Maryborough heads to Gisborne for this Saturday's 11th round.
In terms of home-ground advantage, Gisborne's is one of the most significant, especially during the premiership years when Mick McGuane and then Marcus Barham were in charge.
Maryborough is back home in consecutive rounds to face Castlemaine and then Sandhurst.
The season's earlier meeting between the league's Magpies from Castlemaine and Maryborough ended in a Maine victory.
On present form, the Borough would have to start favourite in round 12.
Matches at Strathfieldsaye and Kyneton will be a big test in Maryborough's run home.
The same can be said of Golden Square's trek to Pie Park in round 15, and then Eaglehawk a fortnight later.
It may well be a few more winters until Maryborough is back matching the glory years of when Jamie Bond, Glenn Chadwick, Matt Aston, Geoff MacIlwain, Brendan Tranter and more were dominating in the Bendigo Football League.
For the Pies, persistence is being rewarded.
