FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
By LIAM DURKIN and TOM HAYES
Round 2 – Yarram 17.16 (118) def Glengarry 13.2 (80)
HAVING both Vardys back in town certainly helps.
Local football’s Easter vigil saw Round 2 completed in the North Gippsland Football-Netball League on Good Friday.
The temple was the Yarram Recreation Reserve, and the home side made it two wins from as many starts after holding off a determined and very accurate Glengarry 17.16 (118) to 13.2 (80).
As the marquee fixture necessitated, pre-match formalities saw presidents of both clubs address the crowd, while a Welcome to Country and the Australian national anthem was also performed.
Yarram, favoured heading in, were without veteran midfielder Griffin Underwood, who tweaked his hamstring at training.
Ever the clubman, he performed umpire escort duties on the day.
The Magpies, coming off a somewhat bizarre draw in Round 1 after they led by six goals at the last change against Rosedale, started brightly, kicking the first two majors.
A long-range effort from skipper Jack Burgess gave Glengarry a boost, and saw them head into the first huddle ahead by four points.
Their lead would have been greater had it not been for a couple of undisciplined acts.
Yarram was gifted a shot on goal when skipper Kaleb Pearce was handed back the ball after initially being caught. A Glengarry player came in, cleaned up Pearce, and saw the decision reversed.
On another occasion, the Demons were awarded a free kick before the ball was thrown up after a Glengarry player stepped inside the centre square.
The resultant play saw the ball land in the arms of Josh Swift, who kicked the first of his six goals for the day.
Magpies coach Alex Bermingham touched on this at quarter time, but was relatively pleased nonetheless with other aspects, noting the number of ‘one percenters’.
Yarram however clicked into gear as soon as the second quarter commenced, kicking two goals inside the first two minutes.
With the margin suddenly widened, the Demons made use of their momentum, kicking 5.5 (35) to 1.0 (6) for the term.
Glengarry’s only goal came from Jet Hodges, who silenced a Yarram supporter’s suggestion as to his chances of kicking a set shot from 30 metres out on a slight angle.
Signs were worrying for the Magpies, particularly as gun Demon midfielder Boadie Motton started coming into the game.
Motton, channelling his inner Rafael Nadal with a red Nike headband, had his own footy in the second term.
Frustration was evident among some Glengarry players after Yarram kicked their fourth goal, while the Demons scrambled another out of congestion just before the halftime siren to extend the lead to 25 points.
Bermingham played as an extra in defence during the third term, in what turned into a stalemate, with both teams managing just two goals.
The playing-coach was unable to address his troops at three quarter time, owing to a cut above the eye.
His assistant, Brett Sutton took charge, urging players to keep “honouring the 45s” to allow the game to open up.
Over in the Yarram camp, Demons coach Brett Mitchell wanted deeper entries, warning if he saw another kick to a two-on-one at the top of the 50, an area he termed “turnover city”, he was going to lose his proverbial.
Much like the second quarter, Yarram was able to bang on a couple of quick goals to snuff out any chance of a Glengarry comeback.
Swift goaled in the first minute, while Pearce brought out the aeroplane celebration after kicking truly on the run.
He followed up with a successful snap, although Swift saved his best for last, kicking an outrageous goal while literally laying on his back deep in the pocket near the Magpies bench.
When you are hot you are hot.
If The Footy Show was still on TV, Swift would have just about won Almost Football Legends.
“Wasn’t a bad goal was it, he’s pretty special up forward,” his coach said in complete understatement to the Express post-game.
Swift has established a strong affinity with the Good Friday fixture. His latest effort equalled his haul against Yallourn Yallourn North in 2023, while he also kicked four in the corresponding fixture against the same opponent in 2022.
A goal of perhaps equal measure given the individual came right on the final siren, after lumbering big man Ben Vardy thumped a floating punt from beyond 50 that split the middle.
Vardy, who was back home for Easter, was best-on-ground, followed by Kelly Griffiths, Ben Mattern, Pearce (three goals), Dylan Garnham, and Jacob Davis.
Motton was also busy, and provided the one highlight for the third quarter, kicking a classy goal on the run from 50.
Motton should attract league votes in this game, and the Demons will hope for similar output in weeks to come from the player who might now be the best in the league following the departure of Chris ‘Squid’ Williams from Churchill.
Glengarry certainly made Yarram earn the points, as noted by Mitchell.
“They contested really well, we probably wasted a few opportunities and kept them in the game but it was a great contest in that heat,” he said.
“The two Vardy boys (Ben and Dan) certainly straightened us up, having them up forward was really important for us. I thought Kel Griffiths in the ruck was fantastic, he probably made the difference, then we had a number of contributors, our midfield, our rotations, we went pretty deep so that made a difference in that last quarter, second half.”
For Yarram, there might only be one thing better than having two Vardys in the same team, and that is getting all three, with West Coast premiership player, Nathan.
While the Demons have surely worked on that arrangement behind closed doors, for now, Mitchell said his team would get a good gauge after this weekend’s game against rival and reigning premier Woodside.
“We’re gonna know where we’re at, will be a really good test for us,” he said.
Mitchell expects ruckman Levi Muns to come in for his first game of the season, along with Underwood and a fully fit Motton, who battled illness entering Good Friday.
Glengarry, much to their credit, kept persisting right to the end, and added six goals in the final term.
For a team that has struggled the last few years, to put up 80 points was a very good sign, and will surely please those constantly fearing about the competitive balance of the league.
Callum Mitchell contributed more than 25 per cent of the Magpie’s score, kicking four goals, and received helping hands from Ewan Williams, Tom Harris, Ben Truin, Bermingham, and Jordan Thomas.
After finishing the game with 13.2 (80) on the scoreboard, goal kicking certainly won’t be an area of focus for the Magpies at training.
How the ball gets there however might be.
On a ground as big as Yarram’s, there was space out wide just begging to be used on multiple occasions, yet hardly any movement to make it happen.
For teams coming up against the Demons in weeks to come, a ‘swift and shift’ (that show becomes a bit too real sometimes) approach might also be worthwhile in combating the goal sneak.
While Swift’s goal kicking prowess is undeniable (more than 1000 career goals), you can almost guarantee he isn’t ever going to pass inside 50.
With this in mind, defenders could look to swarm him into making a rushed shot, while the remaining defenders and midfielders set up for either a quick kick in or rebound.
Additionally, for anyone prone to conspiracy theory in local football, could Yarram have stooged Glengarry into agreeing to play this game on Good Friday knowing both Vardy boys were going to be home for Easter?
Round 3 Preview
FOLLOWING a split round over the Easter weekend, many teams will enter Round 3 action much more refreshed than usual in North Gippsland.
Most recently, Yarram hosted Glengarry on Good Friday (April 18) granting both sides eight-day breaks, meaning every other team will be coming off a 14-day break.
Meanwhile for Traralgon Tyers United – who had the Round 2 bye – it will be the Bombers’ first game in three weeks.
On one hand they will be well rested, but on the other, will they be behind the eight ball?
TTU v Rosedale, Tyers Recreational Reserve, April 25
WE will find out soon whether a 21-day break has done wonders for TTU, or hindered them in some way, when they host Rosedale in a night game at Tyers Recreational Reserve on Anzac Day (starting at 6.20pm).
The Bombers’ last game was a Round 1 Grand Final rematch at Woodside, a game the visitor’s won in a final quarter comeback.
Plenty of positives came from that encounter, the main one being that TTU has already knocked off last year’s premier.
The Bombers were resilient in defence late into the game when Woodside had all the momentum, doing just enough to prevent scores going through the big sticks.
It would be hard to assume Rosedale would be able to stretch TTU just as much as Woodside did, but the Blues have shown signs of improvement.
Rosedale would have been disappointed with their Round 1 draw against Glengarry, although the Magpies are also expected to make up some ground in 2025. Nevertheless, they would have been proud of the final quarter comeback against Glengarry that claimed them two points.
The Blues also put up a heck of a fight against Woodside at home in Round 2, however the Wildcats were able to hold onto the lead to deny Rosedale.
Considering TTU will be playing their first home game of the season, in front of a decent crowd, they will be hard to beat.
If TTU want to return to the top, they simply can’t afford to lose games to Rosedale.
Also, when was the last time Rosedale played a night game? It’s a much bigger adjustment when players aren’t used to it.
Heyfield v YYN, Gordon Street Reserve, April 26
ALL eyes will cast on Heyfield and Yallourn Yallourn North this Saturday (April 26).
In what is certainly the match of the round, both sides will take to Gordon Street Reserve to claim what will be an important win.
Widely tipped to be the two sides that will challenge Woodside and TTU for the flag, a win here could be a ticket to early favouritism.
Both sides are coming off 14-day breaks, and it is fair to say YYN had the least struggles.
For their first game of the season, YYN welcomed Gormandale to George Bates Reserve, sending them home on the back of a 235-point hiding.
A number of Jets displayed their early season form, with Jai Massese leading all comers with 50 disposals, while Dlyan Bath racked up 43 touches, new recruit Tyler Brown had 35, and Riley Byrne 32. Not to mention, coach Dean Macdonald kicked 11 goals.
As for Heyfield, they were faced with an elimination final rematch against Sale City, once again getting the job done against the Bulldogs, who’s bark matched their bite a little more.
New Roos recruit Darren Sheen played his first game, kicking four goals, proving he will be one for YYN to watch.
The Kangaroos only got the job done in the last quarter against the Bulldogs however, prompting a slow start could repeat itself against the Jets this weekend.
If it does, YYN will surely be there to pounce like they did in Round 2, which saw them kick 21 goals in the first half. Of course, they aren’t expected to record the same multitude of goals this weekend, as much as they might like to.
Only so much can be said two weeks into the season, but both teams will enter Round 3 undefeated, so that only adds a little more spice.
YYN may be fresher coming into this one, and that might just give them the edge.
Cowwarr v Sale City, Cowwarr Recreational Reserve, April 26
ALTERNATIVELY, between Cowwarr and Sale City, one of the two will get their first win on the board at Cowwarr Recreational Reserve.
The home side has shown they can put a score on the board, but oppositely, have also shown they can give away cheap runs of momentum.
The Saints lost by three goals to Yarram in Round 1, while scoring 13.9 (87). Then in Round 2, the Saints recorded 11.17 (83) but went down by 60 points against Churchill.
What might they be able to do if they can swing momentum in their direction and stop their opposition from scoring as much?
On the other hand, Sale City was unlucky not to claim four points in their Round 1 match against Gormandale, after Tigers player Nick Millington required an ambulance for a spinal injury, bringing the match to an abrupt end before halftime. The Bulldogs were ahead by 47 points at the time.
Then in Round 2 against Heyfield, Sale City led all game until the final quarter, which maybe gives them a clear point of difference to focus on for the future.
Will either side get the jump on the other? Many would expect Sale City to run away early as they have done so far, but Cowwarr counteracts that fact with their ability to annoy opponents on the scoreboard throughout the first half.
Will Sale City be able to run a game out confidently? That is yet to be known, but you would back them based on the small amount we’ve seen this season to get the chocolates this time around.
The game between Yarram and Glengarry in the second week of the split Round 2 was living proof that the sides at the bottom of the league aren’t so far off those vying for a finals spot.
Of course, this won’t be the case every week. Yet, it does make every game much more important for those outside the top five.
Woodside v Yarram, Woodside Recreation Reserve, April 26
WOODSIDE versus Yarram may be much closer than people expect.
The reigning premier simply can’t be put in the same classification as their Demon counterparts, but if the start of the season has shown us anything, it’s that there may be less walkover results.
Yarram remain undefeated after their soft start to the season against two 2024 bottom three sides in Cowwarr and Glengarry, but they didn’t get those eight points without a fight.
Despite the respective 18 and 38-point wins, both Cowwarr and Glengarry gave Yarram a run for their money.
What must be highlighted is that Yarram closed out both games strongly, and will want to put that to use against Woodside.
The Wildcats come into the match with a 1-1 win-loss record. What might be a point of concern is that Woodside weren’t able to break away from Rosedale until the very last quarter last round, and that was only six goals to three in the final half.
When it came to the Woodside/TTU hit-out, the game came in waves, and the Bombers just happened to ride it in the final quarter, as both sides kicked five goals in the second half.
Will Woodside be able to break the shackles of Yarram, or will Yarram be able to drag the game onto their terms, like their opponents have tried to do?
Glengarry v Churchill, Fred King Oval, April 26
ONCE again, Glengarry put in a shift against a team expected to finish far above them in 2025, as they enter an enticing fixture against Churchill.
The Magpies were perhaps lucky to walk away with two points after Rosedale came storming home in Round 1, while they stuck with Yarram for the majority of the Good Friday game, leading at quarter time, eventually going down by over six goals.
The clear improvement sets up an interesting fixture against Churchill, who’s list isn’t as star-studded as previous years.
The Cougars look a little harder to judge than initially thought. They suffered a heavy Round 1 loss to Heyfield, but then bounced back with a 10-goal win over Cowwarr, a team that was suggested to be fighting for their position.
It must be known that Churchill did have the services of Thomas ‘Prime Train’ Baulch (six goals) in the win over the Saints, but their youngsters have risen to the occasion so far this season.
And Cowwarr’s score of 11.17 (83) showed that it is possible to score in decent quantities against the Cougars, especially when key forward Keenan Hughes could’ve had a day out, scoring 3.10.
Churchill seem to have more of a base that has begun to build since their last flag, while Glengarry are just in the second or third season of that process.
This one again could be close, but Churchill may just have the edge.
GORMANDALE has the bye.
