Leading by just 10 points at half-time the Dragons gradually found targets in their front half to nail nine goals to four in the run home.

Maryborough goalkicking ace Stewart Crameri wasn't available for the early start Saturday game.

Magpie coach Ben Lavars said "family matters and commitments in Melbourne and Geelong" had meant Crameri had withdrawn from Saturday's team.

"We knew at the start of the year Stewie wouldn't be available to play every game,'' Lavars said.

"However, we think that he's going to play a lot more than not."

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Jayden Templeton stepped up in Crameri's absence booting two goals and presenting strongly all game while at the other end of the QEO small forward Jake McLean (four goals) and marking target Matt Thornton (three goals) were the Hurst's main scorers.

The Dragons landed 32 scoring shots to 12 on their way to a 14.18 (102) to 9.3 (57) victory.

As has been the case in so many BFNL clashes in recent seasons the first quarter was the most even of the match.

Maryborough led by five points at quarter time with Templeton, Jordan Fraser and Jake Postle all on target at the Barnard Street end.

The Magpies had held an early 4.1 to 2.1 lead with only Nick Stagg and Lachlan Tardrew able to reply for the Dragons.

Vincent Rodi's set shot for Sandhurst just squeezed over the hands of the Magpie defenders on the goal-line with only moments to go to the first break.

Inaccuracy plagued the home side in the second term. The Dragons added 2.9 with Maryborough's only response coming at the 29-minute mark from Matthew Bilton when he was paid an overhead mark - a mark hotly disputed with the umpires by unhappy Hurst defenders.

Leading up to the Bilton mark Joel Wharton sank the set-shot-of-the-day from deep in the South Bendigo rooms pocket while his Hurst team-mate Charlie Robinson toe-poked through a loose ball in the Barnard Street end goalmouth.

Then after the long break the Dragons started to fire.

After Luke Bucknall and Templeton had combined to find Postle for an accurate snapped Magpie goal, Thornton and Jake McLean each nailed two third term majors with Andrew Collins feeding pass after pass into the Sandhurst forward line.

The Dragons were 29 points up as the last quarter got under way with McLean nailing two of his four goals within the space of 90 seconds.

He took a neat handball and ran his full measure to boot the first and then drilled another soon afterwards.

Lachlan Butler snapped Maryborough's final goal of the day 21 minutes in only to see Thornton reply by posting his third for the Hurst from a clever snap shot.

Dragons' coach Ashley Connick said it was good to see his side play "an aggressive and spirited brand of footy in the second half" but paid credit to Maryborough for a really competitive effort.

The Dragons face a tougher test next week against Eaglehawk, while the Magpies travel to Golden Square.

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