Challenged in the first half to lead by just one point at half time, the Lyrebirds were able to secure more scoring chances in the second half to run away with it. The final margin could have been greater had it been for a better return than 1.5 in the third term, an effort that saw the Iyrebirds double their half time score.

Bryce Monahan, Adam Rakip, Trent Baker, James Tayior, Matt Gray and Reece Campbell heIped the Lyrebirds prevail in the trying conditions.

Ashley Lockett, Nathan Bayne, Jackson Ward, Toby Bayne, Dean Stringer and Aaron Fawcett helped keep the Cats in the contest.

Warragul & Drouin Gazette

Lang Lang came agonisingly close to securing their second win of the season, but had to settle for a draw against Nilma Darnum.

It was a low-scoring slog in the Darnum mud and the Tigers could only muster one-point in the second half, while the Bombers only added a goal themselves, to see scores tied at the final siren, 2.4 (1.6) to 2.4.(16).

Sam Kendall and Tim Bramall thrived in the tough conditions for Lang Lang, while Nathan and Ben Campbell were the best for Nilma Darnum.

Pakenham Gazette & Gippsland Footy admin

Nyora's flawless start to the 2018 season has come to end, finally suffering their first defeat at the hands of reigning Ellinbank league premier Catani on Saturday.
The back and forth affair was heavily affected by the torrential rain that saw players slipping and sliding all over the ground.
The first term was easily the best for the afternoon, played at a fast pace before the rain set in. Ilan Osman struck early for the Saints but Catani were never far behind, with midfielder Paul Pattison getting his day off to a great start with a major. The siren sounded with just one point separating the two sides as the weather began to turn.
Kallon Rigby got himself on the board for the Saints before Cody Banbury kicked his first of two for the afternoon for the Blues. The scoring dried up and at the long break the scores were all tied up at 39-points apiece.
Again, the Blues controlled the early play after the break with Pattison putting in a sublime performance in the midfield, setting up Fitzpatrick for his third and nailing his own second goal in the same quarter. But the Saints were right up for the challenge as Rhys Bancroft and Ryan Spooner started to get things going. Both men threw caution to the wind, crashing their way into the packs to win the loose ball and feed it to the outside pace of Jesse Heylen and co. The sides couldn’t be separated at three quarter time, deadlocked at 52-points each.
The rain was probably at its peak in the final quarter, making any score vital to the outcome of the game. Early misses looked like they could hurt the Saints and when Fitzpatrick and Cody Harrison both kicked goals for Catani it turned into an uphill battle. A late goal brought the margin back to four points but some strong defence late in the quarter by the Blues handed the Saints their first loss of the season.
South Gippsland Sentinel Times

Poowong welcomed Longwarry on Saturday on one 0f the coldest days for football. A breeze blew down the ground with heavy rain and hail during the four games. The ground surface was good at the start but deteriorated as the day went with a lot of water on the ground.
Poowong kicked to the Drouin Road end favoured by the breeze and started positively. This was despite players leading into the defensive pocket, making scoring harder. They opened with a point before Peter Edwards kicked the first goal - this was followed by a point before a hand pass from Chris Doria to Chris Robinson resulted in the second goal. Chris Doria added a third goal but then added three points for the rest of the quarter. With the strong wind, scoring against the breeze was difficult with Longwarry failing to score. Poowong held a 23 point lead at quarter time.
It was Longwarry’s turn with the breeze and Poowong were out to defend its lead. A kick into the man on the mark resulted in Longwarry’s first goal, followed by its second from the bounce. Poowong managed to bottle it up until Longwarry added their third goal right on the siren to reduce the lead to five points.
Poowong battled it out in the heavy conditions but Longwarry’s game plan looked a lot more effective than Poowong’s. Longwarry was tackling harder and had players in defensive positions 20 or 30 metres in front of play unmanned when Poowong tried to go forward.
After half time, Poowong had the use of the breeze but Longwarry managed to force the play down its end against the breeze and Poowong was unable to clear it out. Longwarry kicked a goal off the ground followed by a point. Poowong was not using the breeze at all, messing around with short passes, not long kicks and with Longwarry defenders cutting off the low ball coming out they were able to force it back. Poowong managed a point but many opportunities were lost because the forwards led into the defensive pocket of the ground. Longwarry forced it backup the ground and added a goal against the breeze their fifth, game over with a seven point lead and Poowong kicking against the strong breeze in the last quarter.
The last quarter was a real slog in the deteriorating conditions. Poowong was defending hard but were struggling to get it passed the centre. Longwarry’s pressure resulted in two points and a goal. Poowong did get the ball down forward but did not convert resulting in Longwarry winning 6. 3.39 to Poowong’s 3.6.24.
The Great Southern Star

Warragul Industrials moved a step closer to securing a top three finish and second chance with victory over fellow finals aspirant Ellinbank in trying conditions.
Despite a late charge from the Eagles in the final term, the Industrials had done enough work earlier to hold on and win by eight points, 4-9 (33) to 4-1 (25). The win moved the Industrials 10 points clear of the fifth-placed Eagles. Level on points with reigning premier Catani, the challenge is still on for a top three berth for Dusties.
Ellinbank had their opportunities throughout the course of the day but struggled to score and capitalise on its forward entries for the most part of the match. The match had been played in dark conditions with the lights turned on for the entire match, with persistent rain and strong wind also impacting on the match.
Shane Brewster looked as if he would master the windy conditions, with his early shot on goal drifting a long way from light to left to score the first major. Ellinbank went forward twice and could only manage a minor score for its efforts, the Industrials then taking the ball the length of the field to threaten to open up an early break Shane Ingham took the shot from directly in front but couldn’t allow for the wind as his shot drifted left. Ingham marked on the lead but missed as the conditions quickly saw the game become a game of territory, long kicks along the wing and being forced out of bounds beginning to become a common theme.
Ellinbank went forward searching for Matthew Barrand on the lead, but he couldn’t quite pull in the diving mark. The Eagles finally broke through late in the term,finding an opening to have a shot at goal with the lndustrials defence failing to get a touch, reducing the margin to just two-points at quarter time.
Tyson Bale broke through early in the second term but found the ball difficult to collect. The match was becoming a constant battle for possession, punctuated by the odd intervention from the umpires for a free kick. Another strong mark to Brewster set up another chance but he stabbed at the ball to pull the shot to the left. Tye Holland made a long kick from centre half forward, but the ball carried the distance and missed. Holland kicked forward again to create a scramble, with Ingham able to soccer off the ground effectively for a goal. Travis Ogden took the advantage from a holding the ball free kick that had been awarded to Jack Blakey to establish a handy 17-point buffer at the long break.
Conditions improved slightly for the third term as the teams took the field with no rain. The Industrials were first to move forward but got caught holding the ball looking for options. A missed shot and a snap that landed out on the full wasted opportunities to move further ahead. At the other end it was Ellinbank that took full advantage, with Tim Mashado converting a checkside for the only goal of the quarter.
Rain began to fall again to begin the fourth quarter and again it was the Industrials who created the first meaningful chance. In what was arguably the play of the day, Holland found space to set up Blakey, who outpointed his opponent to search for Ingham but he couldn’t quite gather and make the kick in the horrid conditions. The Industrials recorded minor scores before breaking through from an Ellinbank kick in, Blakey finding Brewster on the lead for a goal. Ellinbank began to get the game on its terms, converting a shot at goal to give brief hope. A goal from a set shot at the 17-minute mark further escalated hopes. With little time on due to the conditions, neither side could press on for a score as the siren sounded at the 24-minute mark.
Warragul & Drouin Gazette

Nilma Darnum v Lang Lang match review taken from article published by Pakenham Gazette. To view original article in full online subscribe to Pakenham Gazette here https://pakenham.starcommunity.com.au/subscribe/

Nyora v Catani match review taken from article published by South Gippsland Sentinel Times. To view original article in full online subscribe to South Gippsland Sentinel Times here https://subscribe.realviewtechnologies.com/global/subscribe/rvportal/subscribe.aspx?cpid=14264

match review taken from article published by The Great Southern Star. To view original article on full online subscribe to The Great Southern Star here https://subscribe.realviewtechnologies.com/global/subscribe/rvportal/subscribe.aspx?cpid=14439

Warragul Industrials v Ellinbank and Neerim-Neerim South v Buln Buln match reviews taken from articles published by Warragul & Drouin Gazette.To view original articles on full online subscribe to Warragul & Drouin Gazette here http://thegazette.com.au/subscribe/

Shared by Gippsland Footy admin. Any factual errors or copyright breaches in this post are unintentional and should be brought to the attention of Gippsland Footy. Any factual errors in any shared links should be brought to the attention of the original poster.