THE Berry-Shoalhaven Heads Magpies have gotten the proverbial monkey off their backs, chalking up their first victory of the 2017 season.
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At the Berry Showground on Saturday, Adam Vanzanten’s Magpies defeated the Stingrays of Shellharbour 40-10.
“The biggest difference between this week and previous ones was the effort, enthusiasm and execution to put it simply,” Vanzanten said.
“We had a good chat during the week about the way we have been representing the club hasn’t been up to scratch.
“So I told the boys to leave no stone unturned this week at training – so they can play the way I know they are capable of.”
The key for the victory for the Magpies was defence, only conceding 10 points for the match – compared to the 300 points they have conceded on the season.
“The boys haven’t defended they way they did on Saturday since I’ve been at the club,” Vanzanten said.
“We were more physical and it highlighted our potential in that aspect of the game.
“It’s now my role as coach to get them motivated to play at that level each week.”
In the win, the Magpies were led by Josh Coulter, Blake Dryden, Joe Rogers and skipper Josh Ingold,
“Josh’s leadership and kicking game was great and really put us in a strong position to win,” Vanzanten said.
“I was also happy with Joe Rogers’ tackling and Jack Windley – who seems to get better every single game he plays in the top grade, which is all you can ask for as a coach.”