FOOTBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
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.
Sale v Traralgon
The floodgates opened in the final term for Sale in their meeting with Traralgon on Saturday as the Magpies doubled their score to three-quarter-time with seven late goals to seal a 46-point 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 in the piece against the Maroons.
“We probably set the game up in the first half,” Fyfe said.
“The weather was at its worst in the first half but we just managed to kick it forward and get it going.
“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 drew a comparison to the Pies’ loss against Moe in round 11 but said his side “adapted well” in “similar conditions” against Traralgon this time around.
“I was probably pretty happy with the way we bounced back after Moe,” he said.
“It rained all day and was windy and we didn’t take to against Moe but we did yesterday and that was pretty pleasing.”
Five players hit the scoreboard with multiple goals for Sale in the win – a positive sign for Fyfe heading into the split round which will give the Pies a much needed week of respite.
“It’s really good to have a lot of different options up [forward] and the conditions suited that in that it wasn’t going to be too many big marks taken but it’s definitely good to have those options,” he said.
“The week off has probably come at a pretty good time for us, we’ve played six games straight and as with a lot of teams I think there’s a couple of sore bodies so we’re looking forward to it.”
Sale will face Morwell after the break while Traralgon will also have a week’s rest before coming up against Wonthaggi on July 14.
Moe v Warragul
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.
Drouin v Bairnsdale
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.
Wonthaggi v Maffra
League leaders Maffra have continued their dominant run towards finals with a commanding win over Wonthaggi on the road in round 12, 16.19 (115) to 6.5 (41).
The Eagles started in classic fashion and held the Power scoreless to lead by 32 points at the first break, but the damage was limited by some wayward kicking on goal which had Maffra with four goals from 12 scoring shots.
Mitch Bennett led the way for the Eagles on the scoring front with a tidy three-goal haul while Alex Carr, Andrew Petrou, Kade Renooy and Daniel Bedggood all finished with two each.
Ben Eddy was a lone ranger for Wonthaggi up forward and kicked five of their six goals for the day while Aiden Lindsay kicked the single.
Maffra will host Leongatha this weekend in the match of the round when first plays second and Wonthaggi will enjoy the week off and return to play Traralgon after the split round.
