GSFL 2024: Railways’ strong midfield display against Denmark-Walpole has them in winning form ahead of finals

Railways player-coach Bodhi Stubber credited his side’s selfless role-players after ending their regular season in style with a 54-point win over Denmark-Walpole as they approach the finals in fine form. After a sluggish start from both sides, in which only one goal was scored in the opening quarter when Tigers gun forward Joel Want booted one of his five majors, the hosts surged in the second term with seven goals. Tigers’ Kane Shepherd scored all four of his majors in the second, propelling his team to a commanding 34-point lead at the main break. The Magpies found their offensive rhythm in the third as the two teams traded goals, but the Tigers maintained their strong lead heading into the last. The hosts then kicked away in the final term with five of the last six goals to notch an impressive 15.7 (97) to 7.1 (43) victory before the Great Southern Football League finals series. Stubber said he was pleased his side played their brand of football, and credited his side’s midfielders, who excelled despite the absence of co-captain and hard-nosed midfielder Jayden Scott. “We sort of played into their hands a little bit early, but once we started getting control of the footy we got it on our terms and we started to play our brand of footy,” Stubber said. “(Ethan Knee) was excellent in the midfield and played in (Scott’s) role, and Ryley Valli was very good. “Mohit (Jaggi) was good through the guts, and Kane Shephard was very good in the forward line.” Ball magnet and Kleemann Medal fancy Valli was sensational for the Tigers and booted two goals, while Jaggi provided plenty of run on the wing. Tyler Stone capped off another superb season in the black-and-white with four goals, and Revis Alone injected much-needed pace and poise around the ball. Magpies coach Brad Nisbett said he was proud of how his undermanned side fought out their final game of the season. “They were just cleaner with the ball and moved it more freely than what we did,” Nisbett said. “It was a decent game from us. We were pretty undermanned and only had 20 players, so they had to run out the game a bit more. “Our league side is aware we need players to top our league side up but there’s been a lot of improvements off the field with numbers, and they’ve been really competitive. “Socially, the club’s culture is really strong and everyone seems to be enjoying it which is the main thing, so hopefully we can build from here.”