Mid Gippsland FL Round 14 review

It was David versus Goliath and top team David (Trafalgar) registered a good but not impressive win over minnows Boolarra, the Blood took the game by 61 points but inaccuracy at crucial stages could have seen a much bigger bounty. Boolarra after two years are still to find that elusive win. A five goal first term allowed Trafalgar to break away but Boolarra fought tooth and nail in the second term to break even, although the scoreboard didn’t reflect their hard work. Trafalgar shifted into a higher gear in the final term with 4-4 to zero to run out winners 12-14 to 4-1. Daniel Puglia and Locky Farrell both kicked three for Trafalgar while Sam Mazou scored a brace for Boolarra. Jamie Hines, Darcy Brock and Daniel Puglia were Traf’s best and for the Demons Sam Mazou, James Holmes, Tom Reiske and Dan Wilson all played well.

(Independent observer)

Morwell East tipped out Newborough in the fight for the vital sixth position on the ladder, the East jumped up one position after their good win while the Dogs dropped down a cog. Morwell East had a tough match against Hill End although the scoreboard showed a big margin to the East. The East with Andrew Brown dominating the early centre bounces were able to jump away from Hill End and early goals to Nick Campbell, Frank Marks and Lucas Towns saw them 18 points up. Simon Fairbairn brought up the double flags for the Enders but early attempts by Hill End were wayward. Hill End recovered in the second term with the first five shots at goal for a piddly reward of 1-4. Morwell East on the other hand were more accurate and banged on four goals within five minutes to overrun Hill End. The Enders had good players in Matt Moseley in defence and he picked up twelve kicks to half time, Mugzy Mooka picked up possessions while Ambu Uliando was good until he was stretchered off after a clash in the middle near half time. Nick Campbell, Brandon Francis and Brendan Evans were the Morwell East play makers. After the break Morwell East put Hill End to the sword and added four more goals, the two giants Andrew Brown (ME) and Calvin Rees (HE) had a great battle in the ruck with Brownie just getting the better of his younger opponent. Hill End fought back in the latter part of the term with three quick goals and a melee just before three-quarter time livened up players and the crowd. A six goal final term by the East carried them on to a rewarding victory but not before Hill End came back with three more goals to finish 19-13 to 10-16. A massive 29 goal aggregate for the match. Frankie Marks and Nick Campbell topped the card with four goals each and best player awards for the East while Dylan Brooks notched three for Hill End.  Isaac and Clay Ketchen were consistent players for Hill End with Liam Fitzpatrick and Dylan Brooks amongst the best.

(Independent observer)

In the third annual indigenous round where both teams were involved in a “smoking” ceremony prior to the match. Yarragon put up a great fight against the Tigers and with very little between the two teams for the first three terms. Yarragon jumped to a five point lead by three-quarter but the might of Mirboo North shone through in a top last term. In conditions much better than the previous week (although cold), the Tigers unleashed a powerful seven goals straight to 1-2 to run out easy winners in the end. Yarragon provided a healthy competition for most of the match. The win giving Mirboo North fourth position. Three goals went to Brayden Wilson, Josh Taylor and Darryl Mayman while for the Panthers Mark Quigley also booted three. Joe Brooks, Hudson Kerr, Brayden Wilson and Josh Taylor were among the best while for Yarragon Nick Pratt, Dean Fitzgerald and Tim Farthing were voted as best.

(Independent observer)

Could this match be the last for the Energy –Australia Cup between YYN and Newborough, strong rumours are that EA could be pulling out of sponsorships in the future. We all hope that this isn’t true as YYN and Newborough are co-sponsored by the Energy giant and any loss of revenue by the two clubs would be sadly missed. YYN got away early against their feisty opponents but the Dogs kept pace as the quarter went on, a seven goal aggregate first term kept fans on their toes. The Bombers had a good target up forward with Dean McDonald able to revel in the sunshine, his final contribution of five goals was the big difference between the two teams. Eleven goals to two in the last half showed how the Bombers dominated. Coach Barrie Burnett revelled in the conditions picking up kicks around the ground, Rohan Reid, Steve Pearson and Tyler Brown were all good in the conditions. Newborough, now in seventh will have to fight hard to regain a final’s berth and with four matches to play, every match is important for them. Best on Saturday were Mat Slattery, Manny Faustin, Rob Wilson and Jared Risol.

Note: it was announced via Newborough FB page that this will be the last Energy Australia Cup.

(Independent observer)

The clash for third position saw Yinnar with a six goal start able to settle back and have a good win over Thorpdale, the Pies with two successive wins are still sitting in third while Thorpdale will have to fight hard after dropping to fifth. After the initial onslaught the game settled down with Thorpdale being competitive with the final score Yinnar 16-6 to 9-9. Daniel Webster (Yinnar) and Ed Greene (Thorp) were the top scorers on the day with four each. Yinnar had good players in Brendan Chapman, Daniel Webster, Mark Stolk and Matt Williams while for Thorpy Gavin Low, Nick Brown, Luke Collie and Jake Atkinson all put in solid performances.

(Independent observer)