FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
Yarragon caused the upset of the round and finally claimed the scalp they had been promising, defeating their more-fancied rivals Thorpdale, 9.8 (62) to 7.7 (49).
Thorpdale arrived as visitors on one of the better decks in the competition knowing that the home side were capable of causing them some headaches.
They quickly realised it may well be a far greater problem than they thought when the Panthers jumped out to an early lead and were up by six points at the first break.
The Blues regained their composure in the second quarter and started to assume control at the stoppages.
As the third quarter commenced, the intensity lifted and it was obvious that Yarragon found themselves still in the game at three-quarter-time but trailed by seven points.
With no key forward, goals were shared by many Yarragon players in the last quarter as the home side ran riot for one of their most impressive periods of play for the year.
Hitting the target on six occasions and keeping Thorpdale to just three majors helped the home side turn a seven-point deficit into a 13-point victory.
Michael Whyte, Mark Quigley and Paul Harvey all grabbed two goals for Yarragon in the win.
YYN v Morwell East
Yallourn-Yallourn North managed to keep Morwell East at arms’ length for most of the day and ran out comfortable 20-point winners in round 15. 12. 16 (88) to 9.7 (61).
The visitors started the game with intensity and a purpose that had been missing for all but patches of games for most of the season.
The Hawks better players against quality opposition Jarrod Lont, Matthew Cunningham, Lucas Towns, Zach Mangion, Nick Campbell, and Rob Michaelides were out to make life as uncomfortable as they could for the highly-rated Bombers side.
At quarter-time Morwell East trailed by just seven points but the visitors were up and about.
Through the second quarter the Hawks played better football and worked the margin back to three points at the main break.
The Bombers started to lift after half-time and found the space to hit up forwards on more occasions.
Possibly most pleasing was that Dean Macdonald and Keenan Hughes weren’t relied on to kick goals themselves, although they did manage four between them.
Campbell Macinnes also bagged three and Josh Keyhoe two, with nearly a handful of team mates also snagging singles.
Trafalgar v Newborough
Trafalgar did what Trafalgar do and produced another disciplined display of football in their 16.19 (115) to 5.1 (31) victory over Newborough on Saturday.
The Bloods have been the most consistent side of the MGFL competition with 13 wins from 14 rounds leading into their clash with the Bulldogs.
What the Bulldogs were expected to provide for Trafalgar was a step-up in intensity and pressure.
Unfortunately for Newborough coach Tom Hallinan and even for the Bloods, the fierce battle anticipated didn’t live up to expectations.
The home side jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back for the remainder of the afternoon.
A quarter-time lead of 28 points was extended to 34 by half-time.
Goalscorers for Trafalgar were shared with Darcy Brock (four), Matthew Swenson and Daniel Hayes (three) the main contributors.
Yinnar v Hill End
Yinnar cruised to the easiest of wins over Hill End by winning by 93 points on Saturday, 19.15 (129) to 5.6 (36).
A gutsy win a fortnight ago against Yallourn-Yallourn North was an indicator the 2017 runners-up still had the fire in the belly for finals success.
The Magpies started well and maintained the pressure throughout the afternoon, producing one of their more consistent performances of the season.
Their 24-point lead at quarter-time was built on in the second quarter and increased to 67 by the main break.
Hill End managed to find some fight in the third quarter and outscored Yinnar to pull the margin back to 60.
Coach Jaime Aitken was relatively pleased with the performance, however, with his sides accuracy a pleasant change, the Magpies added another five goals in the final quarter to kick one of their highest scores of the season.
Boolarra v Mirboo North
It was all one-way traffic as the reigning premiers steamrolled Boolarra, 18.17 (125) to 0.1 (1).
Mirboo North moved the ball nicely from the opening bounce and grabbed six goals from 12 scoring shots in the first quarter and had added another four by half-time.
The game was over for Boolarra, but not for the Mirboo North, who continued to maintain focus on ball movement and patterns of play in the second half.
Although little more than a training run for the Tigers, the fact that they could put together 35 scoring shots to Boolarra’s solitary point is impressive.
The Tigers will meet two of potential finals opponents in the last three home and away games of the season in Thorpdale and Yallourn-Yallourn North, and it’s these two games that will give Mirboo North coach Josh Taylor a true test.
