Magpies Rise To Do It For Ken

Glenorchy returned to the winners list for the first time since ANZAC Day with their 26 point win over Kingborough, but as TSL Digital Reporter Josh Duggan writes, the win held a larger significance for the club, who lost one of the great stalwarts only a day earlier.

Club Junior Vice-President Ken Silver passed away on Friday morning, following a long battle with Cancer, leaving a club and community in mourning.

“I haven’t been here long, but it didn’t take me long to see how special he [Ken] was,” said a clearly emotional Glenorchy coach Paul Kennedy after the match.

“I was just really pleased that we could put on a show, that he would enjoy, today and get a win,” Kennedy said.

Volunteers and supporters like Ken are the lifeblood of grassroots football, and his passing provides an opportunity to reflect on what people like him do for the game, and celebrate his life.

From a footballing perspective, the win was a hugely important for a Glenorchy side that had lost its way after a league-best record over the opening five rounds.

Though it wasn’t a complete performance and the match got ugly at times, the Magpies showed grit and composure to hold back a Tigers outfit that showed a lot of fight,

The start of the second half was critical for Glenorchy, with four goals in the opening five minutes breaking the game open to give Kennedy much to be pleased about

“We were pretty disappointed with our second quarter, but the response after half time was fantastic,” he said.

Versatile star Jaye Bowden was key in that third quarter turnaround, dominating around stoppages and kicking three goals in the second half.

Further up the ground, Matthew Joseph was crucial with a five goal-effort; his return to the forward group has been successful, having started the year in defence.

“We just felt like we weren’t getting his best [in defence], and he’s an important player for us… we said to him this week, ‘we need you’ and he produced a great performance for us,” Kennedy said.

Glenorchy’s win – its first since ANZAC Day against the Tigers – keeps the Magpies within striking distance of the competition’s top three ahead of a clash with North Hobart at North Hobart Oval next weekend.