AFTER both teams had the yips in front of goal in the first half, Sandhurst broke the game open in the third quarter to finish 51-point victors against Castlemaine at Camp Reserve on Saturday.
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The half-time score read the ladder-leading Sandhurst 11 points in front, 2.12 to 1.7, as the two sides had a combined 3.19 on the board at the main break.
However, the Dragons skipped away in the third term with five goals – although they still kicked six behinds – to two to set up their 13.20 (98) to 6.11 (47) victory, their seventh in a row to improve to 11-2.
“Castlemaine has the bodies to play that small ground well where they can really shut you in, but I felt in the last five minutes of the second quarter we started to get a bit of freedom,” Sandhurst coach Wayne Primmer said.
“In the third quarter we were able to really open the game up with our run. It was untidy at times today, but a lot of that was due to Castlemaine’s pressure early.”
Ruckman Tim Martin, Lachlan Tardrew and Codie Price in the back half and bullocking midfielders Blair Holmes and Adam Parry led the better players for the Dragons in what was their eighth win in a row against the Magpies.
Joel Wharton, Holmes and Martin kicked two goals each.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Magpies, who are now three games outside the top five as their finals drought looks set to continue into a 12th season next year.
The Magpies were best served by the experienced Justin Dorward, Tommy Horne, who continues to impress, Jesse Muscatello, Mark Ramsey and James O’Brien.