Vikings onboard for Magpies clash

By Ian Beeck | posted on July 3, 2020

FEATHERS will fly this Saturday when the Albany Vikings Masters Football Club clash with the Busselton Magpies at Collingwood Park.

This will be the Vikings’ first game of the year but veteran club members have been in intense training since the first easing of restrictions.

President Sean ‘Goose’ Maguire was wildly confident going into the game as he eased into a few refreshments following another gut-busting training session.

“I’ve never seen the lads so fit, so sharp and willing to put it all on the line,” he said.

“There’s Michael ‘Fatty’ Cramer looking trim, Scott ‘Tumbles’ Donegan is keeping his feet and Robert ‘Blue’ Field is red-hot.”

Maguire, who is in career-best form being dominate in front of goals and staunch in defence in practice games, said his only concern for the Vikings was scoreboard pressure.

This is due to the wayward kicking of full-forward Dion ‘Wigga’ Marwick missing his past 15 shots, with Maguire anticipating a move back to defence for the erratic spearhead.

The game commences at 3.30pm and following the clash, the participants will go upstairs to Valhalla to celebrate the occasion with the Magpies players all staying in Albany the night.

Maguire said this was a financial boom for Albany as when the opposition veteran teams stayed in the city, they were very generous in opening their wallets.

The Vikings then take on the Leschenault Crabs on Saturday, July 18, at Collingwood Park followed by the Collie Fossils in Collie on August 2.

There are also two carnivals held in September, a country carnival in Perth featuring teams as far afield as Kalgoorlie and Geraldton, and one in Busselton featuring teams south of Perth.

The Vikings were the 2017 AFL WA Masters Cub of the Year.