Second quarter blitz see Parkdale secure a 91 point win over undermanned yet resilient Pirates.

Led by Kurt and Disco, the Pirates’ brought intense heat from the opening bounce, beating Parkdale around the footy to win the contested ball count (+4) and dominate the stoppages with a commanding 20–11 clearance ratio; ensuring the boys were down but certainly not out at the first change.

Nelson Forrest was given the huge role on ex-AFL forward Mitch Brown, restricting the Parkdale star to just two majors in the opening term.

Rhett Gowans got the ball rolling in the second, kicking truly and keeping the Pirates’ afloat. Unfortunately, the shortage of Pirate talls quickly began to allow Parkdale’s dominant rucks to get the stoppages well and truly on their own terms.

The Pirates’ maintained relentless tackling pressure (26-10) over Parkdale but the visitors really began to use their height advantage to pile on seven unanswered goals, blowing the scoreline to 22–91 with five minutes remaining in the half. Mitch Brown saw more of the footy during this stretch, capitalising on the surge to bag three majors in the quarter.

Needing to stem the flow in the second half the magnets were swung; which sparked the Pirates' best footy of the day. Dunney was handed the lockdown role on Mitch Brown, allowing Nelson Forrest to be thrown into the forward line to provide a target. The shift paid immediate dividends in a high-scoring, five-goal third term.

George Fletcher put on an absolute clinic, booting four sharp goals in just 15 minute timeframe. The performance demonstrated how damaging the skipper could be when given multiple chance in front of goal. The rejuvenated home side went blow-for-blow with the Vultures, just about matching their scoring across an entertaining quarter of footy despite the margin.

The Pirates’ dug deep to finish the game on their own terms. Ben Goates and Jake Williams valuable inside the forward 50, hitting the scoreboard to ensure the Pirates once again drew just about even with Parkdale at the final siren.

While the second-quarter deficit was far too large to claw back, the performances of Jake Williams (25 disposals, 9 clearances), Craig Sanders (28 disposals, 7 tackles), Hugh Peacock (36 disposals and a goal), and Kurt Thiele (32 disposals) gives the boys some small wins to celebrate.

Around the grounds it was a incredibly difficult weekend. The Under 19s just fell just short by 8 points in a game that could have gone either way. Meanwhile, a player shortage unfortunately forced the Ressies to forfeit their match. A huge home match against PEGS next week awaits.