After a decade in the lower half of the BFNL ladder, Castlemaine has made great inroads in the past two years as it works its way up the table.
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Saturday’s upset win over Kyneton at the Kyneton Showgrounds was testament to the improvement the Magpies have shown.
The next step in the Magpies’ progression is competing with the BFNL’s big boys – Strathfieldsaye, Golden Square and Sandhurst.
In 2014 and 2015, the Magpies played 12 games against the big three and lost all 12 by an average margin of 80 points. That trend continued a fortnight ago when the Magpies suffered a 15-goal loss to Strathfieldsaye.
Skipper Zac Hansford said it’s time for his side to stand up in big games – starting with this Saturday’s home clash against a club the Magpies haven’t beaten since round 17, 2005 – Golden Square.
““There’s still a big gap between our best and worst football, but I think our best brand of footy can match it with the best three sides if we play it consistently,’’ Hansford said.
“That’s the next step we have to take if we want to get that respect.”
Hansford said the Magpies’ win over Kyneton had given his team an injection of self-belief.
“We had the short turnaround from the Monday night and to come out in the third quarter and kick eight goals showed a lot of character,’’ Hansford said.
“It’s probably the best win I’ve been involved with at the club. We were playing against a team we’re going to be competing with for a spot in the five and it could have been one that got away.
“To hold on and win was a big effort.
“We’ve set a standard now with the footy we played on Saturday.
“The first couple of rounds we were trying to find our feet a bit and the footy we played on the weekend was a bit step forward for us.”