OUR CURRENT MAJOR PARTNER IS PETER DULLARD MOTOR GROUP
Website: http://www.pdmg.com.au/ | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterDullardMotorGroup/ | Twitter: https://twitter.com/pdmgBairnsdale | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterdullardmotorgroup/
QUALIFYING FINAL
LEONGATHA v SALE
Where is it being played?: Morwell Rec Reserve
What time is the seniors game scheduled to start?: 2:20pm, Saturday August 31st
Selected sides:
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live coverage from 1pm onwards on TRFM Gippsland Live 99.5FM & 99.9.FM or live stream on TRFM.com.au
MATCH PREVIEW
A spot in the preliminary final is on the line this week in what is shaping up to be a blockbuster qualifying final between defending premiers Leongatha and Sale.
The Parrots head into the finals series as the in-form team in the competition, having strung together eight consecutive wins since their last loss to Maffra in round 10. Through “necessity”, coach Paul Carbis said his side had to change tact from last year, thanks largely to an injury-riddled first half of the season, but maintained he never lost faith in the playing group.
“We knew the start we had. We had guys away with injuries but we knew we were going to be OK in the second half” Carbis said.
“We didn’t think we were going to win eight in a row to finish off but we knew we’d come home strong.”
Leongatha have rotated an astonishing 42 players through the senior side this season which Carbis admitted was “a hell of a lot”.
“We had a 16-year-old play six or seven games, so we got a lot out of it,” he said.
While the Parrots ‘aren’t at full strength’, they were a ‘hell of a lot better off than at the start of the year’.
Aaron Hillberg, who has only run out once this season, will be the most notable absence for the side, according to Carbis, while Pat McGrath is also off the selection table. Hillberg has been battling a niggling foot injury and will undergo surgery in the coming weeks. While Leongatha held off Sale to win by 13 points three weeks ago they still present a ‘very tough’ task for the Parrots.
“They’re playing good footy and we’ve got to watch their run. They’re quick and they can move the ball really well which we found out last time,” Carbis said.
League leading goalkicker Brad Dessent was an obvious one to watch for the defending premiership coach but so too is midfielder Jordan Dessent who will attract some well-earned attention.
“Other guys like Mitch Dowse and [Jack] Lipman the big ruckman… they’re a bit like us, they run very deep and you’ve really got to be on your game to get a win,” Carbis said.
“We’ve had a really good month of footy and we had our personnel changes but the confidence is really growing as results have shown.”
ELIMINATION FINAL
MOE v DROUIN
Where is it being played?: Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe
What time is the seniors game scheduled to start?: 2:20pm, Sunday September 1st
Selected sides:
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Live coverage from 1pm onwards on TRFM Gippsland Live 99.5FM & 99.9.FM or live stream on TRFM.com.au
MATCH PREVIEW
It’s do or die for Moe and Drouin in this weekend’s elimination final while, for the winner, a spot in the semi-final is up for grabs.
The Lions would have no doubt been barracking for Morwell to upset Sale at the weekend, as they very nearly did, which would have seen them snatch third spot and the double chance. It wasn’t to be, however, and Sale got home by the barest of margins, sending Moe into this weekend’s elimination final instead.
The last month of footy has been a mixed bag for the Lions, with losses to Leongatha and Sale softened by a 20-point win over Maffra three weeks ago.
For Drouin, the undisputed big improvers of the competition in 2019, their form against this season’s frontrunners has been their downfall. They were belted by Sale in round 14 by 97 points, backed up with a 121-point thrashing at the hands of Leongatha and a 114-point hiding from Maffra to round out a horror run. When the sides last met in round 11 the Lions travelled to the Magpies’ nest and returned home with the victory, winning by 43 points.
OUR LEAGUE PARTNER IS WARRAGUL GREYHOUND CLUB
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WarragulGreyhounds/ | Website: http://warragul.grv.org.au
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.
All match previews written by Kate Withers reporting for the Latrobe Valley Express and originally published by the aforementioned publication.