SWFL 2023: Busselton Magpies hand Eaton 145-point shellacking under lights

Busselton have continued the strong start to their 2023 South West Football League campaign, handing Eaton a 145-point shellacking in one of the league’s biggest winning margins this century.

The Magpies returned to Sir Stewart Bovell Park on Saturday night where they faced off against Eaton during round two.

It did not take long for Busselton to establish dominance, with Austin Styles breaking through to score the first goal of the night.

Although Eaton tried to respond quickly, Busselton set the tone and pace, quickly intercepting and driving the ball forward to Liam Creighton for his first goal of the match.

As Eaton tried to adapt to Busselton’s rapid-fire pace, the Magpies built up a strong lead with majors via Dylan Patterson, Mitch Howlett and Beau Chinnery.

However, Busselton soon found themselves under pressure late in the term, with Eaton stepping it up in defence and forcing rushed behinds.

Despite their efforts, Eaton were kept scoreless for the term, trailing Busselton by 36 points at quarter time.

Within seconds of the second term starting, Busselton drove the ball to Chinnery, who quickly booted his second goal of the night, leaving Eaton in his dust.

Despite Eaton trying their hardest to break through Busselton’s defences, they found themselves stuck in their defensive half as the Magpies continued to extend their lead.

With the likes of Brodie Howell, Creighton, Patterson and Jaxon East kicking goals, Eaton found themselves struggling to keep up.

It was not until a few minutes before half-time that Eaton finally broke through and hit the scoreboard, with Tanner Allen kicking their first goal to much fanfare from Eaton supporters.

By half-time, Busselton were well and truly on their way to victory, leading 14.10 (94) to 2.1 (7).

The third term saw Eaton return to the field keen to fight back in a big way, applying plenty of defensive pressure to keep Busselton to scoring behinds.

However, every time Eaton had a chance to drive the ball forward, they were blocked with strong tackles and interceptions from the likes of Jon Meadmore and Jake Dugan.

While Eaton would manage their second major of the night via skipper Greg Humphries, Busselton booted seven goals to lead by 127 points at the final change.

Despite signs of improvement by Eaton throughout the final quarter, it was already too little too late as Busselton continued to keep the ball inside their forward 50.

Creighton continued to be unstoppable in the air, booting another two goals to ultimately finish on 7.6 for the night.

At the final siren, Busselton recorded one of their most dominant victories in recent memory, winning 23.21 (159) to 2.2 (14).