LIAM DURKIN
SPORT
COMMENT
BY LIAM DURKIN
WITH premierships and grand finals dominating the sports pages in recent weeks, readers may be surprised to learn just how successful one local town has been in 2022.
They may even be more surprised when they find
out that town is Moe.
For a town that traditionally doesn’t get a great rap, Moe has certainly provided plenty of positivity on the sporting field.
Earlier in the year, Moe Cricket Club won the A Grade premiership in the Latrobe Valley and
District Cricket League.
That same summer, Moe Tennis Club took out the Riverside Tennis Association Section 1 title.
Just a fortnight ago, Moe United Soccer Club won the Battle of Britain, adding another cup to its huge trophy cabinet.
In fact, the Red Devils are the most successful club in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.
On the football field of a different shape and size, Moe has won two premierships this season.
The Lions took out the Central Gippsland Junior Football League Under 15s, while the senior women won the Female Football Gippsland flag.
Not to be outdone, Moe/Newborough Dodgers recently won the Latrobe Valley Baseball Association A Grade premiership.
Some honourable mentions are needed for Moe netballers.
Moe’s A and B Grade netball teams each missed playing in Saturday’s Gippsland League Grand Final by one goal.
Speaking of Grand Finals, a few Moe footballers have made their mark on AFL Grand Final day.
Who could forget Ted Hopkins’ heroics for Carlton in 1970? Or Barry Rowlings winning two Gippsland League best and fairests playing for Moe, before going on to play in two AFL premierships.
John Somerville played in Essendon’s 1962 flag, while his son Peter played in the Bombers’ 1993 triumph – both are Moe boys.
The Somerville name is behind long running Moe joinery business Law Somerville Industries – the Law being current Latrobe City councillor Brad and the Somerville Geoff (brother of John).
Brad’s father Alby was another Essendon player, whom the Moe Football-Netball Club senior best and fairest is named after.
While on the subject of local connections, current Australian women’s goalkeeper Teagan Micah hails from Moe, as does former Olympian Julian Paynter.
Paynter carried the Olympic torch through Moe for the 2000 Sydney games.
More recently, there was another famous connection that landed in Moe.
Did you know Black Caviar’s son ran at Moe Racing Club earlier this month?
Moe Racing Club of course being being one of the few country tracks located virtually in the centre of town.
Not long to go now until the Moe Cup – one of the most popular meetings on the Gippsland calendar.
Moe Racing Club’s state of the art StrathAyr track adds to a list of high-quality sporting infrastructure in the town.
The Gippsland Regional Cricket Centre is in Moe, as is Ted Summerton Reserve, arguably the best football/cricket surface in Gippsland.
You may not have picked Moe as being a sporty town, but it looks like it is more than pulling its weight up against ‘big brothers’ Traralgon and Morwell.
Who knows, perhaps there will be even more Moe premierships to celebrate in 2023.
