Gippsland League Round 12 review

Drouin and Bairnsdale were forced to split the premiership points on Saturday after scores were tied at the final siren, 6.9 (45) apiece.

It was slow going in the first term with Drouin’s four scoring shots returning as many behinds and Bairnsdale managed a single major and two behinds to lead by four points at the first break.

It was goal-for-goal play in the second quarter but the Redlegs went one better in the third to carry an eight-point buffer into the final term.

Rhys Salter and Josh Seri kicked two each for the Hawks while singles went to Jordan Kingi and Tom Barr.

Drouin remain on the bottom of the Gippsland league ladder with a single win to their name for season 2018 and will enjoy the week off and return to face Moe after the split round.

For Bairnsdale, the draw places them a game-and-a-half behind Warragul in seventh spot on the ladder ahead of their match up with Moe this weekend.

Latrobe Valley Express

Moe were brought hurtling back down to earth at the hands of Warragul in round 12, 10.12 (72) to 9.6 (60).

After causing the upset of the round with a two-point win over Sale in round 11, the Lions went toe-to-toe with the Gulls and led at three-quarter-time before a late barrage of five goals sealed the win for the visitors.

Brayden Fowler was the pick of the bunch for Warragul and finished with four goals while Matt Ross kicked two and singles went to Kim Drew, Nathaniel Paredes, Tom Kelly and Tyssen Morrow.

The Lions had nine individual goalkickers for nine majors and come up against Bairnsdale on the road this weekend.

Warragul will enjoy a break and return on the other side of the split round to host Drouin on July 15.

Latrobe Valley Express

Defending premiers Leongatha have brushed aside Morwell with ease in round 12 Gippsland league action, limiting the Tigers to a solitary goal on their way to record a mammoth 123-point win, 20.16 (136) to 1.7 (13).

Thirteen players hit the scoreboard for the Parrots in a complete performance reminiscent of the dominance that helped them to a one-point win over Maffra to claim the flag in 2017.

Chris Dunne kicked five to move into equal first spot on the league goalkicking leader board alongside Maffra’s Mitch Bennett and Cade Maskell chipped in with three and Brok Davidson two.

Brandon McDonald kicked Morwell’s only goal for the day.

Leongatha will test themselves against league leaders and hot flag favourites Maffra when they travel to take on the Eagles in round 13.

The Tigers will enjoy a week’s rest and return to face Sale in the second week of the split round on July 14.

Latrobe Valley Express

SALE consolidated its hold on third spot on the Gippsland League football ladder with a 46-point victory over Traralgon at home on Saturday.

The floodgates opened in the final term for Sale, as the Magpies doubled their three-quarter-time score, kicking seven goals to win 13.6 (84) to 5.8 (38).

The return to the winner’s list after a hiccup against Moe in round 11 was “pleasing” for coach Shane Fyfe, who said the foundations were laid early against the Maroons.

“The weather was at its worst in the first half, but we just managed to kick it forward and get it going,” he said.

“It was really a grind, but we were able to get some goals simply by kicking the ball, hitting it forward and playing simple footy.”

Fyfe said his side “adapted well” to the wet and windy conditions.

“It rained all day and was windy and we didn’t take to against Moe, but we did (on Saturday) and that was pretty pleasing,” he said.

The Maroons were missing playing coach Mark Collison through a knee injury and playmaker Jackson McMahon through a foot injury.

The Magpies welcomed back ruckman Jack Lipman from injury and defender Zac Hurley from Gippsland Power duties.

Because of the conditions, it took seven minutes for any team to get a breakthrough, courtesy of a long entry with Jarrod Freeman roving smartly off hands to snap truly.

Senior Magpies Chris Laverty, Kane Martin and Fyfe set the tone of the day, their composure and smart decisions in slippery conditions a telling factor. The Magpies were pressuring well, forcing the Maroons to bring numbers up at the football.

Repeated stoppages ensued, and the scrappy play was suiting the Magpies.

A ball spilled out to Jayden Allison, a deep entry came where Jack McLindin applied great pressure for Mitch Dowse, who roved off the pack and dribbled a goal.

The Magpies kicked two goals, keeping the Maroons goal-less, and secured a 10-point lead at the first break.

Jordan Dessent was outstanding — it seemed every chance Traralgon had he seemed to be involved in preventing it.

As Dessent gained another clearance, a smart pick up by Allison saw a snap-goal extend the lead out to four goals.

The half-time margin was 31 points as Traralgon was limited to one goal for the half.

The Magpies expected some resilience — the Maroons kicking with the advantage towards the hospital end were always expected to come back hard. In the third quarter, they did, and a more concerted effort to maintain their structure and spread up forward saw the Maroons kick the only two goals of the term to draw back the margin to 19 points.

The Magpies kicked the first seven goals of the final quarter to put the match out of the Maroons’ reach.

As the Maroons’ big men began to tire, Lipman who stood tall, as the Magpies took advantage of his tap work.

Two late Traralgon goals brought the margin back to 46 points.

Jordan Dessent was the clear best-on-ground, his two goals and ability to have an influence with and without the ball in hand was fantastic. Laverty, Allison, Martin and Brad McKay were all terrific.

The win was important for the Magpies, who now have a two-game break from Moe. The Magpies have played each team in the top five twice, and if they can continue their good form, will give themselves a good chance of securing the double chance during the finals.

Ahead of a home game against Morwell, the Magpies will sit out the first half of the split round this weekend.

Gippsland Times

MAFFRA put in a dominant performance in wintery conditions at Wonthaggi, short-circuiting the Power’s charge on Saturday.

The Eagles won by 74 points, 16.19 (115) to 6.5 (41), to maintain its one-game lead on top of the Gippsland League football ladder.

Despite its strong form in recent seasons, Maffra has found trouble at Wonthaggi. In the Eagles’ seven previous visits there, they have lost five and had two narrow victories.

Any concerns were short-lived on Saturday, as the Eagles kept the Power score-less in the first term, while kicking 4.8 to lead by 32 at quarter-time.

The result was put beyond doubt during the second quarter, when the Eagles kicked two goals to one to lead by 38 points at the main break.

Maffra added five goals to one in the third quarter, before a more even final term, with the Eagles kicking five goals and the Power four.

Mitch Bennett kicked three goals for the Eagles, with two each from Andrew Petrou, Alex Carr, Kade Renooy and Daniel Bedggood.

Ed Carr, Danny Butcher and Jack Johnstone were superb in the midfield, linking with Alex Carr across half-forward.

Conceding only six goals, and 11 scoring shots, the Maffra defence, led by James Huts and Sam Pleming, was hard to beat.

Ben Eddy was Wonthaggi’s stand-out player, kicking five of his side’s six goals for the match.

The Eagles will meet another south Gippsland team this Saturday, when they host Leongatha in a rematch of last year’s grand final.

Gippsland Times