A strong block of five matches has Roxburgh Park sitting nicely heading into the second half of the Essendon District Football League division 2 season.
After an up and down start to the season, the Magpies have won four of their past five games, with the only loss by seven points.
Magpies coach Michael Farrelly said the side was starting to gel and things were coming along nicely.
The Magpies had a bye at the weekend.
“We have had a really good five weeks,” he said.
“We had one blip and every team had one … ours was against Northern Saints. It wasn’t ideal and it was our worst performance of the season. We should have won, we kicked 10.20.
“Overall, I’ve been impressed with how the boys are gelling and sticking to the game plan. It’s becoming a habit now instead of having to be instructed.”
While disappointed with the loss to the Saints, Farrelly was impressed with how the team responded and took out the points against the undefeated Moonee Valley side.
He said that game showed how far they had come in the past 12 months and that the playing group was wanting to continue to raise the bar.
“A lot of it is played above the shoulders and they were mentally prepared and you could see they were ready to go,” he said.
“The Moonee Valley win was huge.
“We had a hot start and they came back at us and hit the front.
“Last year we would have lost by seven-eight goals. This year, with the character building and internal development, we were able to fight out the win.”
Though sitting comfortably in the top four, Farrelly said they aren’t looking too far ahead.
This week they face ladder leaders East Sunbury.
“We don’t have any expectations,” he said. “East Sunbury is a huge challenge. They ‘pantsed’ us early on and got on top.
“It we can get over the line, there will be the belief that we can beat anyone on our day.”
The Magpies are set for another boost in the coming weeks, with their new club rooms almost complete.
Farrelly said they were looking forward to having them open.
