After six straight losses, Montmorency has finished their season on a high, with an emphatic win over Heidelberg by 34 points at home.
The victory was even sweeter for the Magpies, with veteran Brett Zorzi ending his senior career with a win, in what was a physical and intense game.
With Joel McLellan absent through injury, Connor Dalgleish filled the big man’s shoes with great success, giving the mids first use of the ball.
From the beginning, the intent and pressure was evident, with both sides adopting a ferocious style of football.
Two narrow misses – both of which were set up from individual pressure acts from Brent Fotheringhame and Brett Zorzi – opened Montmorency’s scoring account.
But the Tigers pounced on the inaccuracy, with Will Goss outplaying the Magpie defence and securing the first major of the game.
Subsequent tackling pressure from the Magpies however swung the momentum back their way, with Nick Snowdon laying several tackles to offset the Tigers and propel the Magpies forward.
Jackson Jones was similarly prolific in the midfield, his frequent tackling and run-and-carry style resulting in three Monty majors from Jesse Donaldson, Riley Howe and Matt Deaves.
The work rate of the entire Magpie army saw them finish the quarter off with 20 tackles.
“The building blocks are our tackles,” said Haynes at the quarter-time address.
Urging his players to carry their momentum into the second term, the Magpies duly delivered, the pressure remaining consistent for most of the quarter.
Five goals for the quarter from individual goalkickers – Deaves, Fitzgerald, Donaldson, Walton and Bernardi – pushed the Magpies further in front.
Ben Walton was also sensational in the midfield, applying bone-crunching tackles in integral passages of play, as well as thwarting Heidelberg attacks with his trademark intercept marks.
Heidelberg were able to push forward, but the resolute defence led by Michael Fitz-Gerald, Bill Jenkin and Zorzi limited the Tigers to two goals for the term.
But it wasn’t a flawless performance from Montmorency.
Missed tackles were frustrating for those on the sidelines, and as the quarter ticked on, so did the missed tackle count.
The unstuck tackles could have proved costly, but the Magpies were blessed on more than one occasion.
A Jake McNamara shot on goal, presented to the Tigers directly through a broken tackle, narrowly missed, giving the Magpies breathing room heading into the second half.
With a 23-point lead on their side, there was still the looming question of whether the Magpies could play out four quarters.
Out of the 17 games played this season so far, the Magpies had led at the major change nine times.
Of those nine however, five games ultimately resulted in a loss.
The third quarter saw 11 goals kicked between both sides, with Monty’s Patrick Fitzgerald dominating and kicking three goals for the term.
In a highlight for the quarter, veteran Daniel Coghill outmanoeuvred his opponent in the goal square and slotted his first – an act jokingly described by the injured Stephen McCallum on the sidelines as “slowest candy show [he’d] ever seen”.
The crowd roared at Coghill’s goal, which had propelled the Magpies to a 35-point lead; the taste of victory now in the air.
As the Magpies extended their lead to 48-points, celebrations quickly dampened.
Spearheaded by the dangerous Tom Sullivan, the Tigers took the game on in the dying seconds of the quarter, managing to score two goals within ten seconds, the margin brought back to 26-points.
But the Magpies’ composure prevailed, and saw them race away to a 34-point victory.
The combination of Fitzgerald, Deaves and Donaldson in particular – who ended their days with five, four and three majors respectively – boosted Montmorency to their highest score of the year, lifting the Magpies to seventh place on the ladder.
A determined final quarter from the seasoned Zorzi was a standout for the quarter, his individual pressure acts lifting the team as he so often does.
As Bill Jenkin kicked the sealer, the siren sounded and the black and white army flocked to Zorzi.
Chaired from the ground by his teammates, the Monty faithful cheered as the seasoned campaigner finished his distinguished career on a high.
After what has been an uneven season, the stirring win in the final game of the season proved there are bigger and better things on the horizon for the year ahead.
FINAL SCORE: Montmorency 18.13 (121) defeated Heidelberg 13.9 (87)
BEST: Walton, Donaldson, Zorzi, Fitz-Gerald, Fitzgerald, Deaves, Jones
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