From Perth to Shepparton via Cairns and Darwin: Magro ready to make an impact for United

West Australian Magro won the NTFL grand final with Waratah in March, helping the Warriors earn an 18-point win that snapped a 23-year premiership drought – what was the longest in Men’s Premier League history.

Six months before that, Magro hoisted the Cairns AFL premiership trophy alongside his Cairns City Lions teammates after their 95-point triumph.

Magro kicked five goals that day in a dominant display from the Lions, earning the Howard Kennedy Medal as the best-on-ground in the grand final.

Now, Magro will be hoping he can bring his success with him to Shepparton United.

The former Perth native joined the Demons as one of their big off-season recruits, and it certainly didn’t take him long to start making waves.

Having arrived in Shepparton four days before the Dees’ season opener against the Bears, Magro kicked four goals in United’s upset Good Friday victory – its first win in 11 months.

Last week Magro added to his goal-scoring tally after he kicked five goals in United’s defeat at the hands of Shepparton Swans.

Magro said it was good to hit the ground running in game one, while the celebrations after United’s first win reminded him of grand final day.

“It normally takes me a couple of weeks to adapt to the different style of footy. So I just got lucky, I reckon and snagged a couple and finished off the boys' hard work up the ground,” he said.

“I just try to take my opportunities as a forward. You don't get a hell of a lot of opportunities, but when you get opportunities you just have to take them and kick goals.

“Honestly, how much it meant the boys after having a really tough year last year, if not a few years, for them to get that win in round one just lifted their confidence and obviously, confidence is massive in football.

“It meant so much to them. Not only them, but everyone involved in the club, there was a massive turnout at the game and then in the change rooms after the game, it was it was actually unreal. It felt like we had won the granny.”

Football in every corner of Australia

Magro spent three years playing for East Perth in West Australian Football League, before shifting to Darwin to join Waratah.

A stint in Cairns and a premiership followed, before he returned to Waratah and won his second premiership in six months.

Magro said playing in different leagues had helped him, but said it was always a difficult decision to relocate to different corners of the country.

“It has definitely helped my footy. Every competition you play in is a different standard of football, a different level of football,” he said.

“Darwin is completely different to down here and state league footy is completely different to everywhere else as well, so it's helped my footy and probably made me the player I am.

“It's hard to just get up and restart every six months. You make sure it's the right decision.

“You have to obviously pack up the house, get another house, there's a bit involved. You have to get some things put in place before you can make that decision and make sure that you are making the right one, and at least have a roof over your head when you get there.”

With a large number of players in the NTFL coming up to play from Victoria, Magro said he chatted with teammates about the Goulburn Valley League about what to expect before making the move.

And following conversations with the club, he made the decision to become a Demon.

“Chris Barzen and Jason Kelly got in touch me in my first year at Waratah last year and I and I said no. I had already signed when they got in touch with me, so I couldn't honour that deal. And then they persisted and tried again this year and I said yes,” Magro said.

“I have found it great, the footy is great. It is a big competition, 12 teams. But yeah, the level of footy and all the young kids running around, it's very talented.”

“There's everything to gain.”

The Demons may have only had one win next to their name in 2022, but Magro said there was everything to play for this season.

“The group only won one game last year, so there's nothing to lose this year, there's everything to gain,” he said,

“I think the boys have stuck together and worked so hard in this pre-season, and with that win in round one, we have set the benchmark for ourselves. So we've just got to keep working on things during the week and trying to get better week in, week out and take it week by week.”

With a core group of young players and Duane Hueston at the helm, Magro said United was in a strong position moving forward.

“Coming into the club, this group are best of mates. I think they've all grown up together, they're very tight-knit, it'd be hard to tear him apart,” he said.

“They're unreal. Win, lose or draw, they're going to stick together. They're putting in the hard work now and together to obviously start getting these wins.

"Duane has been unreal. The boys are really buying into what he's trying to coach.

“I think he is going to build a very strong relationship with the group in the way of getting everyone on board and getting the best out of the group and helping the boys get the best out of each other.”

Eyes on Mooroopna

With two games in the books, United will now turn its attention to a round three clash against Mooroopna at Deakin Reserve in Shepparton on Saturday.

“They are a very skilful side. They have a good coach, so they'll be well drilled. We just have to play our best football and try and stop them from playing theirs,” Magro said.

He said skills execution would be key if United was to come away with the four points against the Cats.

“Making sure our fundamentals are on point. That we are doing the basics – we're hitting kicks, we're holding marks,” he said.

“And then just really focusing on our foward entries, our inside 50s and the way we deliver it to the forwards so then we've got every chance to put a score on the board.

“Our mids work very hard and our backs have been very, very good this year. We just need to put a score on the board and obviously that's what wins games.

“I think we we play with a lot of toughness. Teams probably won't take us lightly any more. Obviously, with the win in round one we set the benchmark, so teams might come in with a plan to beat us and stuff this time round, rather than last year. And now it might not be an easy win.”