Montmorency has slumped to its second consecutive loss at home after going down by 17 points to Heidelberg on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies trailed at every change and came close on numerous occasions in closing the gap, but ultimately lacked the edge to push past their opponents.
Ben Walton was best afield for the black and white finishing with three goals and a handful of
stunning contested marks, while Ben Kennedy and Sam Binion were valuable contributors
throughout the midfield.
Montmorency now sit in eighth position on the ladder – a game outside the top-five – with places three through seven all sitting on 24 points.
Both sides exchanged goals in the opening term, with Heidelberg doing one better to
Montmorency’s two-goal opening to the game.
The Tigers were quick to make their mark on the Magpies’ home turf, with Ryan Stone putting through the first of the day from a set shot 30m out.
While the visitors hit the scoreboard, Binion made his presence felt with his cool composure in the centre of the ground, easily outmanoeuvring his opposition with seemingly ample amounts of time.
The 19-year-old’s skill translated into a goal just moments later, with his work in the centre of the ground allowing the ball to find Patrick Fitzgerald, who selflessly handpassed off to a blistering James Brooker who streamed into an open goal.
Monty’s willingness to take the game on, find space and continually move the ball forward was commendable, yet their final execution needed tidying up.
Heidelberg too had their concerns when driving the ball forward, but made it count on the
scoreboard, with Lachlan Wilson converting from an identical position to his teammate in Stone.
A Walton long bomb after a big fly brought the Mapgies within two points, but another goal to put them in the lead proved to be elusive.
It was Heidelberg who instead found that major, with an errant kick out of defence following a desperate James Potter tackle in defence allowing Sam Grimley to take the Tigers to a nine-point lead at quarter-time.
The goals kept flowing for the visitors in the second term, with a five-goal quarter propelling
Heidelberg’s lead and leaving the Magpies in the lurch.
In an impressive display, the Tigers booted the opening three majors of the quarter through Guilian Fable, Stone and Grimley, yet all three majors were preventable had it not been for lapses in the Magpies’ concentration.
A free kick in the centre square, a lack of anyone on the goal line and an intercepted kick inboard respectively put each Tiger on the board, taking the margin to 27 points midway through the term.
With the visitors looking much faster and far more dangerous, it would once again fall on Binion to steady the ship; his move to the forward line paying dividends as he slotted his first.
Some Luke Collins dash put Montmorency back in the hunt, yet a lack of communication in defence and subsequent collision between two Magpies afforded and opportunity for Fable to jag his second.
Another massive leap from Walton over the top of a pack lifted the spirits of the Magpies, with his kick placing the home side four goals down.
Monty somewhat minimised the flow and began a resurgence of sorts in the latter half, yet
Heidelberg were unable to be budged.
Binion continued to loom as a threat in the forward line, yet only registered two more behinds despite his strong presentation.
A final major to Jesse Cucinotta put the margin at 23 points at the major change, with the Magpies needing to put in a large second half to topple their opposition.
Montmorency brought their A-game in the third with a four-goal display, yet only sliced the half-time margin by one straight kick thanks to the Tigers’ three majors.
A unified Magpie attack emerged from the get-go, with a blistering midfield combination of Joel McLellan, Collins, Binion and Stephen McCallum allowed Brooker the snap his second – again off the back of some skilful play from Fitzgerald.
It was a taste of Monty’s damaging capabilities, and despite a Matthew Cecchin goal souring the occasion, two back-to-back goals from Collins placed the Magpies firmly within the contest.
Yet the surge wasn’t to last, with another slip-up in concentration allowing Chaz Sargeant to thread a precise major from the pocket before Harrison Payne immediately followed up to undo the Magpies’ hard work.
Fitzgerald finally put his name down on the scoresheet to restore some of the ascendancy, but despite some heroic work from McLellan, Monty were unable to rally together to squeeze through another major.
Despite skill errors becoming increasingly prominent for the Magpies and a key contributor to the Tigers’ goals, the window was still there to snatch a victory, with a 17-point deficit at the final change.
Although slotting three majors in the final term, the Tigers’ 2.9 end to the match put a victory out of reach for the Magpies.
While Montmorency began to find cohesion through the midfield, Heidelberg always seemed to outshine their opposition, with a miraculous Wilson dribbler bouncing at right angles to kickstart the last quarter.
A last-gasp three-goal effort from Potter, Walton and Fitzgerald narrowed the margin, yet the
Tigers’ constant peppering of the behinds served as a reminder as to how strong they had been up their attacking end of the ground.
As the game fizzled out and Payne secured his second, the onset of rain prior to the final siren only dampened the Magpies’ spirits further, with the final margin resting at 17 points.
Sliding down three spots on the ladder, the black and white army will need to bring their absolute best if they are to remain a relevant contender come the pointy end of the season.
A win next week will be nothing short of vital for Montmorency, who will take to Shelley Reserve to play North Heidelberg in an attempt to stay in touch with the top-five.
MONTMORENCY 2.0 5.2 9.5 12.9 (80)
HEIDELBERG 3.3 8.7 11.10 13.19 (97)
GOALS
Montmorency: B. Walton 3, L. Collins 2, S. Binion 2, J. Brooker 2, P. Fitzgerald 2, J. Potter
Heidelberg: L. Wilson 2, H. Payne 2, R. Stone 2, S. Grimley 2, G. Fable 2, J. Cucinotta, M. Cecchin, C. Sargeant
BEST
Montmorency: B. Walton, B. Kennedy, S. Binion, L. Collins, P. Fitzgerald
Heidelberg: B. Irving, J. Gribben, T. Sullivan, M. Cecchin, H. Payne, M. Pianto
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