Youngsters hold on
Despite being decimated by injury, with coaches Sam Hall and Keegan Bailey required to play, the development team produced a gritty six-point win to move a game clear in third spot on the ladder.

It was the RSEA Magpies' fifth win from their past six games at development league level, coming from behind in the last term as Hall used his experience in the ruck, while the returning Cam Goodsell also had an important impact in the final term.

Emerging teenagers Lewis Crennan, Tyson Stacey, Zayden Kelly, Dylan Browning, Jordan Green and Riley Best were all named in the best players.

Seventeen-year-old Crennan was a rock in defence in just his second game of the season, while 18-year-old Stacey booted three crucial goals in a low-scoring affair.

The development team now has an 8-5 record, a remarkable turnaround from last year's winless season. With 63 different players having now worn the balck and white in the early game in 2021, the depth of the club is on the improve.