The Eagles Seniors marked the return of their season with a bang on Saturday, delivering a commanding 81-point win over rivals Euroa at the Mansfield Recreation Reserve. The day was made all the more special as stalwart Adam Boshevski celebrated his 200th senior game in front of a lively home crowd, with the traditional Easter golf ball drop adding extra colour to the spectacle. From the first bounce, the Eagles were on the hunt like kids chasing Easter eggs, grabbing every chance and leaving the Magpies with nothing but empty baskets. The scoreboard told the story — Mansfield 15.17 (107) to Euroa 4.2 (26) — a result that emphasised both dominance and precision. Mansfield set the tone early, booting 4.6 in the opening term while holding Euroa scoreless. Callum Brown, William Kelly, and Jack Christopher were prominent in the midfield and forward line, setting the Eagles up for a dominant afternoon. The second quarter saw Euroa finally hit the scoreboard with 3.2, but Mansfield responded with 4.3 of their own to maintain a healthy 34-point lead at halftime. Cody George and Campbell Smedley drove the Eagles’ centre clearances to keep the momentum firmly with Mansfield. After the main break, Mansfield maintained their intensity, kicking 3.6 in the third term and restricting Euroa to a single goal. Defensive pressure forced turnovers and consistently found space through the wings, keeping the Magpies on the back foot. The final term was more of a formality, with Mansfield adding 4.2 to Euroa’s solitary goal. Sam Thomson, Campbell Smedley, William Kelly, and Harry Mahoney all contributed majors, while Boshevski, Callum Brown, Jack Christopher, and Cody George impressed throughout the lopsided contest. For Euroa, the challenge was one-way traffic for much of the afternoon, with Hugh Bailey, Lachlan Curran, and Tom Wallis trying to spark their side in patches but ultimately unable to stem the Eagles’ momentum. With the win, The Eagles launched their season in style, not only securing maximum points but doing so in front of a packed crowd eager to celebrate Boshevski’s milestone. Coach Mitch Wareham said he was thrilled with the way the boys played and congratulated Adam Boshevski on his 200th game with the club, noting he had worked his way up through the ranks from the very youngest teams. "Adam grew up in Mansfield and has played his way up from U10s right through to Seniors; hitting 200 games is a fantastic effort," Wareham said. Wareham said the whole Seniors side put in a strong four-quarter performance. "It was very pleasing to see how everyone played as a team," he said. "We will now focus our training this week on facing Rochester away; Rochy were top last season and only lost in the grand final. "It will be interesting to see how the Eagles match up with them this coming Saturday. "And the crowd of spectators, estimated at over 5000, enjoyed some great football." Earlier in the day, the Reserves fought hard but fell short, going down to Euroa by 14 points in a tight contest. Again, head coach Wareham said it was a good effort by the Reserves in a close match. "There were some positives that came out the game - they all played well, but it was some inaccuracies that didn't help," he said. "Although we were short on players for the Reserves a couple of younger ones came up from the thirds and helped out - a great effort." Adam Storer, Baxter Golden, and Jack Nation were among the few to hit the scoreboard for Mansfield, but the Magpies’ game across all four quarters proved decisive. Mansfield's U18s were dominant from start to finish, cruising to a 76-point win over their Euroa counterparts. The young Eagles’ forward line was unstoppable, piling on 11 goals, while their defence smothered the Magpies, who managed just a solitary major late in the final term. It's Rochester in the crosshairs this weekend.
