A surging Maryborough got within two points of the Pies in the final quarter, but young forward Lachlan Wilson (five goals) was the hero for the Roos in the 12.10 (82) to 10.6 (66) victory.

"Maryborough has certainly improved since round one and they had a few players that didn't play in round one,'' Kangaroo Flat coach James Flaherty said.

"A couple of times in the second half I thought we had them covered, but they kept coming at us.

"Thankfully, we pulled away again with two late goals to finish the game.

"It was a good game of footy."

The Roos held a narrow two-point lead at half-time and it looked like they'd broken the game open when they kicked three quick goals in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

That burst set up a five-goal to one third term and a 28-point lead at the final change.

With a big home crowd cheering them on, the young Pies didn't lie down.

After struggling to score in the third term, the Pies kicked five of the first six goals of the final quarter to cut the deficit to two points early in time-on.

The Magpies had all the momentum and their faithful supporters could sniff a famous victory.

However, to the Roos' credit they didn't panic.

With Wilson on target inside forward 50, the visitors iced the game with the final two goals.

"I was really pleased with the resolve the players showed,'' Flaherty said.

"When Maryborough got within two points it was quite loud and we were well aware of how important the weekend was for them."

Mitch Trewhella was one of the Roos' players who stood up when his side was under pressure.

The youngster is relishing a new role off half-back, but was moved back to the midfield when Maryborough surged in the second-half.

Flaherty lauded Campbell Smith for his performance in the middle of the ground, while the Collins brothers - Mitch and Liam - and Jake Hywood also played well for the Roos.

While it wasn't the result the Magpies wanted, it was another sign of the team's improvement over the past month.

Skipper Coby Perry did everything in his power to get the Pies over the line, while Kya Lanfranchi had another solid four-quarter performance.

Liam Latch, Tom Gardam and Aidan Hare helped spark the Pies in the second half.

The Pies lost Matt Bilton (broken elbow) early in the match.

"It's been the story of our year. You can't fault the application of the playing group,'' Maryborough coach Rick Andrews said.

"We lost by 70 points to Flat in round one, so we're getting there.

"The boys played above themselves at times and win, lose or draw it was a great occasion for the club."

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