Final term Deja Vu costs tenacious
Pirates on Anzac Day.

The visitors put their foot on the gas in the second term, booting six unanswered goals to stretch the lead to a commanding 28 points. Despite the best efforts of Kurt Thiele and Luka Tonner, who remained prominent around the ground, the Pirates were hurt by uncharacteristic turnovers. Mazenod capitalised on the sloppy ball movement, using a wave of repeat entries to fuel a six-goal-to-none onslaught that left the Pirates trailing 33–61 at the long break.

With Mazenod slotting the first two majors of the third term to push the margin out to a game-high 37 points, the Pirates looked down and out. However, the home side refused to fold. Brendan Dunne and Cooper Denton found the big sticks in quick succession, breathing life back into the contest, but a steadying goal from Mazenod briefly halted the momentum. A late strike from Jake Lovett in time-on ensured the Pirates remained within striking distance, heading into the final change trailing by 28 points. They would have to manage this challenge while kicking into a breeze that had favoured the Boarding House End all game.

It was as if a switch had been flipped at the final change. The Pirates emerged with a renewed sense of belief, with sharpeye Ned Evans-Brumby and skipper George Fletcher both converting early to halve the margin. For the next ten minutes, the Pirates had the ball on a string, their relentless pressure around the ball suppressing Mazenod’s forward entries and immediately transitioning forward.

The game reached its climax when Craig Sanders produced the highlight of the afternoon; a supreme chase-down tackle on the Mazenod captain that resulted in a major, bringing the Pirates within ten points and the home crowd to life. A late upset from the home side looked well and truly on the cards. Unfortunately, the relentless pressure proved difficult to sustain, as Mazenod broke the shackles, responding with four unanswered goals to ice the game and extinguish the courageous comeback.

While the boys walk away without the four points, the Round 3 outlook remains bright. Having proven their ceiling is high, the focus shifts to finding four-quarter consistency and tightening the screws to ensure the mistakes in crucial parts of the game become a thing of the past.