A scoreless third quarter from the Busselton Magpies saw their rivals the Augusta Margaret River Hawks steal the game on the final siren.
The teams met early for their clash on Saturday afternoon which was followed by an exhibition WAFL game between East Perth and South Fremantle at Sir Bovell Park.
In the SWFL league match, it could have been anyone’s game at half time after the Hawks made their way down the Bussell Highway to swoop over the Magpies territory.
It was going to be a big game for the Magpies who were desperate for a win and their strong defense made it hard for the Hawks to score in the first quarter.
The AMR side overcame their attackers in the first quarter but missed two opportunities at goal taking them to an eight point lead by the time they secured their first goal.
The Magpies struck back late in the first quarter scoring on their first attempt at goal after making a number of mistakes, missing marks and struggling to dominate the ball out of the ruck.
The goal was enough for the Magpies to build momentum as they began dominating the ball, seeing the home side gain another successful goal and take the lead 1.2 (8) to AMR’s 1.1 (7).
Although the Hawks side were first inside their 50 during the second quarter, the Magpies showed they were hungry for a win and maintained domination throughout the quarter.
The Busselton side were first to score taking the team to a five point lead early in the second quarter after the Hawks missed several attempts at a goal.
Busselton were not going to give up easily and kicked their third goal which took the team to a seven point lead.
The Hawks defence tried hard but failed shots at goal saw them finish two points behind the Busselton team going into the second half with the Magpies finishing 3.1 (19) against AMR’s 2.5 (17).
Sitting 16 points ahead on the ladder, the Hawks were not going to let the Magpies have an easy win showing why they were ahead as the teams moved into the third quarter of the game.
AMR took control of the ball early on in the third quarter with their third goal for the game taking the team to a four point lead.
Their hard work was quickly followed up by for their fourth goal for the game pushing them in front of the home team with a 10 point lead.
AMR took advantage of a missed mark by Busselton driving the ball straight back into their 50, Busselton struggled to find their form and failed to score as they headed into the last quarter finishing 3.1 (19) against AMR’s 4.8 (32).
After a dismal third quarter Busselton came out strong in the fourth kicking their first goal since half time edging them closer to the visiting side.
A free kick after the ruck saw the home side back up their scoring streak with another goal making the team look hopeful for a possible win at home.
Busselton backed it up with a mark inside their 50 but failed to convert the goal missing out on their sixth goal for the game.
The AMR side tried hard to progress their lead but the Busselton defense was too strong for the visiting team making it hard for them to score.
Towards the end of the last quarter both teams were scrambling for the ball and tried to maintain possession with both teams struggling to convert a goal.
Busselton showed they were a strong force and managed to keep the ball inside their 50, but unlucky attempts at goal went wide.
AMR responded towards the end of the final quarter driving the ball back down the field but missed a late attempt at goal.
A scoreless Busselton side in the third quarter secured a win for AMR with the home team finishing 5.2 (32) against the Hawks 4.10 (34).
