Sport
24 October, 2025
Men’s Blazers look to ignite season this weekend
Following a difficult start to their campaign, things look to be getting even tougher for the Maryborough Men’s Blazers, set to face both participants of last season’s grand final in a critical double header this weekend.
On Saturday, the Blazers will travel to Castlemaine to take on the premiership-holding Cannons, who have started their title defence flawlessly with four consecutive victories.
Maryborough will return home for the second leg of their upcoming double header, hosting a Bendigo Braves team that has had similar struggles to the Blazers this season, currently holding an 0-3 record.
The Blazers will be disappointed with their inability to secure a victory in their first four attempts, producing prolonged passages that display their untapped potential, but are undone frequently by back-breaking runs from their opponents.
That trend was on full display in last weekend’s defeat to the Mildura Heat.
After entering quarter time tied 20-20, Maryborough were suddenly trailing by 15 points late in the second quarter following a 16-2 run by the Heat.
The relentless Blazers dug deep against adversity, outscoring Mildura 33-18 in the subsequent 15 minutes to tie the game with eight minutes to go.
However, the Heat revoked all of Maryborough’s hard work by scoring 10 of the following 11 points, resulting in a 10-point loss for the Blazers.
Maryborough’s offence has often struggled during those runs, currently averaging a league-worst 72.75 points per game, nearly 10 points behind their closest adversary, the Heat.
The Blazers do possess weapons that can help their offence reach a new level, with captain Kynan Carter, Harry Alsop and Ollie McCarthy showing strong scoring prowess this season.
The trio will look to provide additional support to Bailey Jacobs and Ky Swards, who sit inside the top 10 of the league’s leading scorers with 66 and 61 points respectively.
The task of revitalising a season following a poor start is something the Blazers are not only familiar with, but have been relatively successful in facing.
In 2024, Maryborough started the year 1-3, with a commanding defeat to the Cannons by 25 points and a 35-point drubbing against the Braves on their record.
With their campaign at a crossroads, the Blazers began to ignite with a highly competitive contest versus the eventual premiers.
While that match with Castlemaine ended in a four-point loss, Maryborough found their groove to finish 5-5, including a nail-biting victory against Bendigo thanks to some clutch buckets from Jacobs.