Should Castlemaine go on and make its first finals appearance in the BFNL since 2005, coach Shane Robertson’s half-time spray in round three might well be remembered as the defining moment of the Magpies’ season.
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Trailing country rival Kyneton by 30 points at the main break, the Castlemaine players were on the wrong end of one of Robertson’s famous verbal bursts.
“Robbo reminded us that there were a lot of people doing a lot of work for the footy club and the effort we were putting in wasn’t acceptable,’’ Castlemaine captain Zac Hansford said.
“He let us know that he wasn’t going to put up with it and that the people who were doing all the work for the club shouldn’t have to watch it.
“He gave us a rocket…it was a good one.”
Most importantly, the players responded to the home truths and played arguably their best half of football since Robertson returned to the club for his second stint as coach.
From 30 points behind, the Magpies kicked eight goals to one in the third quarter to set up a seven-point win.
The gutsy victory over Kyneton showed the Magpies can be regarded as finals contenders this season.
It also gave the players a boost in confidence ahead of Saturday’s home clash with the top-of-the table Golden Square.
“Golden Square is a bigger test than Kyneton, but we know that if we play the footy that Robbo has spent the past couple of years teaching us then we can compete with anyone,’’ Hansford said.
The problem for the Magpies is they’ve struggled just to compete with Golden Square let alone beat the Bulldogs.
Square has won the past 20 encounters by an average margin of 70 points, with seven of those 20 games resulting in margins of more than 15 goals.
The Bulldogs are also coming off one of their best wins in the past couple of seasons after they snapped Strathfieldsaye’s winning streak at 39.
Square’s biggest strength this year is its even spread of contributors and its stingy back six. The Bulldogs are only giving up eight goals per game so far this season.
While the Bulldogs have lost star midfielder Simon Rosa to injury, they regain key position player Travis Baird from suspension.
Robertson showed faith in the 22 Magpies that defeated Kyneton by naming an unchanged line-up.
Robbo reminded us that there were a lot of people doing a lot of work for the footy club and the effort we were putting in wasn’t acceptable.
- Zac Hansford