New York travelled to Philadelphia looking to extend their unbeaten run. However, the Magpies were slow to start and a committed Philadelphia team took advantage kicking out to an early 3 goal lead. New York seemed to be lethargic, was second to the ball and with Philly kicking with the aid of a slight breeze they took a 2 goal lead into quarter time.

The second quarter was much of the same with Philly winning plenty of contested ball and taking the most of their opportunities. NY was still being outplayed but some individual solo efforts managed to snag a few goals and only go into the major break down by 2 goals.

After a few positional adjustments at the major break, the Magpies worked their way back into the game and started to win their own ball. However, they continued to struggle to penetrate the Philadelphia backline and went into the last quarter down by a goal.

The last quarter was desperate football from both sides and NY controlled plenty of the ball in the middle however Philly managed to continually repel Magpies attacks.  The Magpies drew level, but Philly kicked the last goal of the game to take out their first win against NY.

NY Magpies assistant coach Jeremy Spiteri lamented the Pies ordinary first half saying “We were terrible in the first half, playing undisciplined football and not sticking to team structures. When we were able to get back into the game Philly were up and about and we just couldn’t over run them in the end. Full credit goes to them as they were the better team on the day. We have Philly again in 3 weeks so we’ll go away and make some adjustments”

New York Magpies 8.7.55 def by Philadelphia Hawks 10.1.61

Goals: Walkington 2, Brennan 2, Hine, Spataro, Lin, Guarino
Best: Kyle, Davis, Norman, Walkington, Walker

The Magpies first game of the day was against Philadelphia. The Magpies were keen to start strongly, and did so through Farrell in the ruck and his onballers of McIntrye, Taylor and Kerr. Injuries in the opening minutes to boom recruit Spiteri and Spielman caused issues with the Magpies rotations, however young guns Lehane and Curran gathered plenty of the ball, showing maturity beyond their years.

Schieb and S Smith provided strong targets up forward and Murphy, Keefe, and Donner all were able to make an impact in the first half. First gamer Hine was a surprise packet with a few first half goals and additional 1st half goals to McIntyre, Sani and Blandford saw the Magpies go into the major break with a handy lead.

The second half was more attacking football from New York with the run and athleticsm of Didan, Sani and Miller proving telling. Steiner and Mcmahon were rock solid in their first outing for the year and Gluck 1 and Gluck 2 managed to win their fair share the ball. In the end the Magpies appeared to have too many options and sailed to a comfortable win.

Assistant coach Brett Smiley was happy with the overall team effort, saying “It was hard to single out any matchwinners today, it really was a full team effort where everyone played their part and that was great.”

With Baltimore coming off a big win against Boston, New York knew they were in for a tough game. The coaching staff put the challenge to the playing group to produce under pressure and it set the scene for the start of the match. The first 5 minutes was what we have come to expect from a NY vs BWE clash, tough and unrelenting.

Both teams were trying to gain ascendancy with a fierce attack on the ball and NY struck the first blow with a goal to Brennan. The back six of Oui, Curran, Caldwell, McMaster, Smith and Miller stood tall and repelled multiple BWE attacks. This enabled NY to kick clear with goals to Hine, Blandford and McIntyre and go into the half time break with a solid lead. Things may have been closer had Baltimore kicked straighter.

The second half saw a similarly committed NY outfit continue their attack on the ball, led by Brennan and Blandford, the likes of Thompson, Gluck, Miller and Collins also continued the theme and gathered plenty of the ball. Whilst undersized in the ruck, New Yorks duo of Homer and Buckets toiled manfully all day and that allowed the run of Lehane, Overall, Kerr and Toby to continue the drive the ball forward which resulted in goals to…X, X and X. In the end NY ran out comfortable winners by 7 goals, however the scoreline flattered NY and didn’t represent how tough a match it was.

The second half saw a similarly committed NY outfit continue their attack on the ball, led by Brennan and Blandford, the likes of Thompson, Gluck, Miller and Collins also continued the theme and gathered plenty of the ball. Whilst undersized in the ruck, New Yorks duo of Homer and Buckets toiled manfully all day and that allowed the run of Lehane, Overall, Kerr and Toby to continue the drive the ball forward which resulted in goals to…X, X and X. In the end NY ran out comfortable winners by 7 goals, however the scoreline flattered NY and didn’t represent how tough a match it was.

After the match Coach Ormsby said “I was particularly pleased with the form of the new guys. This match was real test for them, and the team in general, and everyone stood up under the pressure so that will hold us in good stead. BWE always gives us a good contest with this one being no exception, and congratulations to them on holding a great tournament.

The New York Magpies have retained the ANZAC Plate with a strong performance against traditional rivals Boston to maintain their winning start to the 2011 season. With a large crowd in attendance at Tibbets Brook Park in Yonkers the Magpies had too much depth for the Demons and ran out convincing winners. The men’s game followed a women’s match between composite sides containing players from the New York Lady Pies, Boston Angels and Baltimore-Washington Lady Eagles sides.

Perfect conditions greeted the players as they arrived at Tibbets Brook Park for the annual grudge match between New York and Boston which honors the ANZAC’s that have fought to ensure the freedom enjoyed in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The Magpies had the positive headache of a large squad to select from including several debutants. After a minutes silence to pay tribute to the ANZAC’s, the importance of the occasion was driven home in no uncertain terms by former captain and life member Bubba in a rousing speech to the playing group.

The game got off to a scrappy start with lots of loose possession and hard, physical tackling. Slowly but surely the Magpies midfield of Smiley, McIntyre, Lin and Taylor got on top of their opponents and consistently pushed the ball into the forward line. Heavy flooding by the Demons limited the ability of the Magpies to convert opportunities with key forward targets Brennan and Smith being well held by their opponents. The Magpies set up the wall across the middle of the ground and following continuous pressure were able to register their first goal. Later in the quarter Boston managed to successfully push the ball into their forward line however the Magpies defense led by Georgiou and McMaster held firm, keeping Boston goal-less in the first quarter.

The Coaching staff made a few positional changes to start the second quarter, most significantly inserting Mike ‘Wolfman’ Speilman into the midfield to add some physical presence. The Magpies continued to retain the majority of possession but could not capitalize on the scoreboard due to some inaccurate kicking and strong pressure from the Demons backline and midfielders. Once again the Magpies established a wall across the middle of the ground and players such as Lehane, Davis and Spiteri continued to inject the ball into the Magpies forward line resulting in back to back goals to Thompson and Guarino. At half time the Magpies lead by 5 goals with Boston’s forwards continuing to be well held by the New York defence.

During the 3rd quarter Walkington, Blandord and Fowler pushed up the ground and an injury to Smiley late saw Weller moved into the ruck. Midfielders Kerr, Walsh and Miller continued the pressure around the ball and the defense of Norman, Flavel, Oestreicher, and Gluck provided strong rebound. Tempers flared midway through the quarter with players from both New York and Boston sent off, however the Magpies steadied through Lehane to take a 7 goal lead into 3 quarter time.

In the last quarter New York continued to run with Murphy, Guarino, Caldwell and Spataro running hard down the wings and providing the forwards with good service. Overall converted truly halfway through the quarter and ensured New York held a strong lead. Boston managed to kick a couple of goals which ensuried the scoreboard more accurately reflected the effort put in by the Demons over the game. Soon after, the makeshift vevuzela siren sounded to end the game which saw New York recording their second victory in as many games, 8.13 61 to Boston 2.5 17.

Assistant Coach Joel Daniher praised the New York players after the game, noting that ‘the result was a real team effort with all the first gamers putting in strong performances that complemented our established players”. Congratulations go to Weller, Spiteri, Miller, Murphy, Kerr, Blandford and Fowler on their first games for the club.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of drinking team captain Walsh, the Magpies couldn’t repeat their on-field performance in the pub, going down to Boston in the annual after match boat race.

New York Magpies 8.13 61 def Boston Demons 2.5 17
NYM Goals: Overall, Lehane, Brennan, Thompson, McIntyre, Spielman, Spiteri, Fowler
NYM Best Players: McIntyre, Smith, Lehane, Georgiou, McMaster