FOOTBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
ZEUS and Poseidon decided to make their presence felt at the weekend.
Rain, wind and a decisive chill factor made for an unspectacular Round 1 of Gippsland League football.
With the first game of the season always carrying added interest, the task of extracting much meaning from the five games became difficult given conditions.
Grounds were wet and the ball slippery, so it was always going to be a simple case of whichever team had the wind in the first quarter while the ball was relatively dry was going to be at some advantage.
That and whoever had more contested players able to surge the ball forward.
Much as the weather put a dampener on the opening round, teams may still wish to store some knowledge for later in the year.
There is every chance a final will be played in similar conditions, the very same that have undone many teams in the past.
The league will play its mental health round this Saturday.
Moe 8.6 (54) def Leongatha 5.12 (42)
YOU don’t mind paying players if they deliver.
Moe rolled out its new recruits on reigning premier Leongatha, and got the result it was after.
The Lions held off the Parrots to win 8.6 (54) to 5.12 (42) at the Aviary.
Among the best for Moe were debutants James Harmes, Riley D’Arcy and Blake Mullane.
All had moments that showed why they come so highly praised.
Harmes’ career at AFL level is well-documented, and he pulled off the highlight of the day, kicking an insane checkside goal from a set shot deep in the pocket near the rec centre.
Mullane has been recruited to provide some midfield grunt, and thrived in the conditions, while D’Arcy kicked four goals, worth probably twice as many given conditions.
On one occasion, D’Arcy smartly read the drop of the ball from a pass off Mullane, spinning on a dime and turning his direct opponent inside out.
Moe kicked 2.3 (15) to 0.1 (1) in the first quarter, and kept Leongatha goalless in the first half.
The Parrots hit back in the third, reducing the margin to 10 points at the last change.
Lions coach Leigh Poholke put it on his midfielders to stand up in the last quarter. The message did not fall on deaf ears, with the visitors doing what was required to leave the venue with four points in tow.
Declan Keilty and democratically-elected captain Myles Poholke were enormous in defence for the winners, putting in countless second and third efforts.
Harry Pepper was also lively on a wing.
Kim Drew and new ruckman Jack Sheridan were best for Leongatha.
Sheridan may make Ben Willis’ job obsolete, although it should be noted the big man has an impeccable finals record.
Willis played in the reserves at the weekend, as he did at the start of last season before it became apparent the five-time senior flag winner was needed at 2.20pm.
The Parrots lost two players during the game, including third-best Ned Hanily, who looked in some pain as he was taken into the rooms in the arms of trainers.
Leongatha’s big guns rounded out the best – league best-and-fairest Ben Harding, Aaron Heppell and Dyson Heppell – who made an unsurprising cameo after most assumed he was done following last year’s premiership.
Moe defender and assistant coach Aaron Paxton left the ground in some discomfort before halftime.
He was later cleared of concussion, but could be facing some time on the side lines.
Traralgon 14.15 (99) def Bairnsdale 5.4 (34)
YOU could think of better things to do on a Saturday night.
Traralgon and Bairnsdale slogged it out in the rain at Terry Hunter Oval.
The Maroons won an uninspiring contest by 65 points, 14.15 (99) to 5.4 (34).
Although rain fell, the home side displayed all its skill by kicking near enough to 100 points.
Traralgon broke away after halftime, putting the game beyond doubt in the third term with seven goals to one.
Both teams were content to play the last quarter out to get off the ground and into the showers as quickly as possible.
The final term only went for 27 minutes, as both teams scored just one goal each.
Despite the rain, the day was memorable for Traralgon Football-Netball Club, as the club finally got to use its new change rooms.
Member for Morwell and club champion Martin Cameron described the anticipation for the first game out of the new rooms as like the “night before Christmas”.
Fobs have been distributed to club officials, who may well have thought they’d never see the new facility open after nearly five years waiting.
Club favourite Dylan Loprese kicked three goals on senior coaching debut, and found good support from Harvey Neocleous, Cooper Brown, Tye Hourigan and Connor Ambler.
A VFL bye enabled Luis D’Angelo and Joel Scholtes to play for their home club, and they performed accordingly.
Oscar Morrison, Ethan East, Damon O’Connor, Tyran Rees, Cooper Harvey and Sam Townsend battled hard for Bairnsdale.
You’d be absolutely demolishing some Nando’s on the way home if you were a Redleg.
Wonthaggi 9.14 (68) def Morwell 5.7 (37)
WONTHAGGI won’t drop off as much as people think.
This writer included.
If it isn’t too late to change preseason predictions, the Power should still be around the mark for finals this year.
Wonthaggi broke away from Morwell at the weekend, winning 9.14 (68) to 5.7 (37).
In atrocious conditions, wind gusts made for ugly viewing at Morwell Recreation Reserve.
The scoreboard was perhaps closer as a result, as by all reports, the better team certainly won.
The home side led at quarter time, yet managed just 0.2 (2) in the second term.
Conversely, the Power had 10 scoring shots for only 3.7 (25) during the same time frame, showing just how much the ball was inside the visitors 50.
Morwell had its turn kicking with the advantage on the resumption, but couldn’t hit the lead at three quarter time.
From there, the end result was not all that surprising.
As they tend to do, Wonthaggi has picked up a host of new players who are good, it’s just no one knows much about them.
The loss of gun midfielder Ryan Sparkes to Inverloch-Kongwak might yet be a blessing, as there was suggestion he attracted too much attention at times.
Perhaps most pleasing for the Power was that its four best players all carried familiar Wonthaggi surnames in Hunter Tiziani, Jai Williams, Josh Bates and Brodie Mabilia.
Bryce Joyce and Kaj Patterson rounded things off.
Maffra 18.17 (125) def Sale 8.5 (53)
MAFFRA won what was surely the least-hyped Battle of the Birds ever staged.
The Eagles prevailed 18.17 (125) to 8.5 (53) over Sale.
The home side took full toll in the second quarter, kicking 8.3 (51) to no score.
Jack McQuillen did most of the scoring, booting four goals, while Noah Christy, John Butcher, Max Stobie and Archer Watt chipped in with doubles.
Former Maffra player Ashton Wright was best for Sale, along with Kaden McCulloch, Cooper Rand, Jarrod Freeman, Jordan Dessent and Archer Gerrand.
The Magpies have never ‘won’ a Gippsland League wooden spoon, and one game in, it is already clear how much they are going to struggle.
A mass exodus of at least 15 senior players would make it difficult for anyone, and there could be some even bigger margins to come.
Perhaps most alarmingly, Sale has just 34 senior players named on its list, and no under 18s.
Warragul 20.14 (134) def Drouin 3.5 (23)
WARRAGUL win this game without Gary Ayres.
But they probably don’t win it by 111 points if he’s not there.
The Gulls destroyed Drouin in Sunday’s western derby, leading from start to finish in a final scoreboard that read 20.14 (134) to 3.5 (23).
Siren-gate Gippsland League style saw the timekeepers hit the button after just 20 minutes in the first quarter, leaving all players on the ground stunned.
This remained the only moment worth remembering on a bitterly cold day at Western Park, as the game quickly became one way traffic.
Jed Lamb kicked three goals in the second quarter alone, and finished with half-a-dozen for the winners.
His partner in crime Jordan Stewart kicked seven.
Warragul midfield bull Tom Hobbs showed absolutely no sympathy for his young opposition, stiff arming two Drouin players in succession before launching a shot on goal from 50.
The Gulls busted the game open with 5.7 (37) to 0.1 (1) in the second term.
As the second half unfolded, it became apparent it was boys against men.
Drouin coach Jordan Kingi was the only player who ever really looked capable of generating some overlap run, in a side that is helplessly inexperienced.
That inexperience was telling during one passage of play that would have to be the dumbest thing seen by a Warragul district team since Jarrod O’Meara went out to face Nathan King without a lid.
Warragul defender Sean Masterson took a clear mark, yet was thrown to the ground by a young Drouin player, gifting him the easiest of 50 metre penalties.
Stewart and Lamb were best for the winners, followed by Liam Serong in from the VFL, man mountain Rhys Galvin, Tom Stern and The Incredible Hulk, Sam Whibley.
Brodie Atkins, Riley Wierzbicki, Seb Amoroso, Zayne Atkins, Max Williames and Will Virtue were honest for Drouin.
