FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
By LIAM DURKIN
YOU do wonder if results ever make it back to AFL HQ.
Just one game in Round 17 of the North Gippsland Football-Netball League was decided by less than 100 points at the weekend.
More alarmingly, a game between seventh and ninth was decided by 115 – and the team ranked ninth won.
Results did little as far as the ladder was concerned, only to highlight just how big the gap remains between the top and bottom sides.
With one round to go, the top five is set – unless Churchill beats Glengarry by 500 points and Rosedale loses to TTU this weekend.
What a difference one preseason can make: a Bombers win over the Blues would have been considered probable at the start of the year.
Heading into the last round, the most obvious match of intrigue sees Yallourn Yallourn North host Heyfield.
The Jets can finish on the same number of points as the third-placed Kangaroos, although there is virtually no chance YYN can take the double chance off Heyfield.
Heyfield’s percentage is 224.47, meaning even if YYN wins by 100 points, it still won’t come close.
The match however should be a good finals warm-up for both sides.
YYN will play Rosedale in an elimination final. The Blues will likely be fresh given it plays winless TTU, who are coming off a bye and likely finding it very difficult to get any motivation to play one last game.
Heyfield meanwhile will play Woodside in the qualifying final. The winner of that match will then have the right to take on Cowwarr for a spot in the grand final.
The Wildcats and Saints play Yarram and Sale City respectively this weekend. Those assignments could see players rested for finals given results are largely inconsequential.
Despite how obviously lopsided North Gippsland results have been this season, there has been virtually no discussion surrounding the issue.
Without holding a degree in psychology, it is hard not to think a mere exposure effect is in place.
A mere exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon where people develop a preference for something simply because it becomes familiar through repeated exposure.
Cue Homer Simpson singing: “I’m happy with things the way they are”.
IN very slim pickings to chose a game to lead this report, Woodside won a top five clash by 10 goals over Rosedale.
The Wildcats clicked into gear after halftime, and won 15.13 (103) to 6.7 (43).
An upset looked very much on the cards in the first half when the visitors trailed by just three points.
Woodside however got serious in the third term, kicking seven goals to three.
The reigning premier played a professional final term, kicking five goals to none.
Playing-coach Hudson Holmes kicked five goals for the winners, while club favourite Dan Missen was best-on-ground.
In what will surely please the coach, youngster Riley Denovan was second best on without kicking a goal.
Denovan, who joined the club from TTU this year, had previously been viewed as simply a goalkicker, but showed he has much more to offer.
In classic Woodside style, they are getting players qualified and into form in time for September.
Rob Michaelides played just his sixth game for the year, but showed what a class act he is.
Skipper Ryan Foat was also busy, as was Cam Whiteoak and Josh Morgan.
Rosedale was again well-served by Blake Safstrom, Riley Atlee, Tom Northe and Declan Barnett. Ben Agnew and Oscar Smith rounded out the best players.
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GLENGARRY had its most comprehensive win for some time.
The Magpies annihilated Yarram by 115 points, 25.12 (162) to 7.5 (47).
The result was a likely record for Glengarry over Yarram, and there is little doubt revenge was high on the agenda for the home side.
Glengarry led by 25 points at halftime, but completely broke away from that point on.
The Magpies kicked 18 goals to just three in the second half, 10 alone in the third term.
Such a result was somewhat expected, given Yarram had a number of players double up from the reserves.
Ben Truin was again prominent up forward, slamming through five goals, while Glengarry skipper Michael Ryan added four.
Angus Harle found plenty of leather, and was supported by Kade Marsh, Nathan Larkin, Callum Mitchell and Austin Blackford.
The reality for Yarram was evident.
Its list of best players were the same best players that were running around when the Demons were playing in grand finals eight years ago.
Kiefer Sutherland, Dan Vardy and Ben Vardy were in the list, along with Luke Hunter, Toby Mitchell and Cohen Farley.
Yarram used just 26 player points from an allotment of 45, compared to Glengarry’s 42 out of 46.
Clearly, one club has recruited heavily and the other has struggled to attract players.
It is understood the Demons began its recruitment program for 2027 months ago.
In the words of one leading Yarram official they “need to”.
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COWWARR won a somewhat bizarre game against Churchill.
While the scoreboard showed an eventual 107-point margin, 28.14 (182) to 12.3 (75), it made for strange reading.
The home side kicked 10 goals to one in the first term to seemingly have the game wrapped up.
Churchill however matched the effort, to go into halftime only 15 points down.
“Churchill’s going alright,” I said while showing the scores to Kurt Holt in Bairnsdale.
By three quarter time however, the Saints got the lead back out to 41 points, and then kept the Cougars scoreless in the last.
The floodgates (or perhaps more accurately, stock gates) well and truly opened, with Cowwarr finishing the game as it started, with 10 goals in a quarter.
Keenan Hughes kicked eight and Caleb Michie six; the pair continuing to make a mockery of the league goalkicking. Hughes already has 100, while Michie is third on 66.
They had plenty of supply coming down from Shannen Lange and Jack Johnstone, who it is still hard to believe are playing at North Gippy level.
Likewise Tristan Waack, who contributed well, alongside Tim Johnston and Cowwarr great Shane Morgan.
Usual suspects were best for Churchill: Bailey Flanigan (five goals), Travis Nash, Chris Williams and Jordan Fenech, along with Jack Hasell and Nathan McRae.
While Cowwarr already has the minor premiership secured, the Saints were at maximum points at the weekend (49 out of 49).
Is the points system really working if a team is going from bottom three to the minor premiership in one year?
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HEYFIELD inflicted Sale City with a 108 point defeat.
The Kangaroos won 24.14 (158) to 8.2 (50) at Gordon Street Reserve.
Sale City managed just one goal in the first half, while the margin was out beyond three figures at three quarter time.
Heyfield playing-coach Daniel Bedggood was again absent, but the Kangaroos again found another goalkicker in Brandon Manson who kicked five.
Manson has been in and out of the seniors, but looks to have timed his run to perfection. He spent five weeks in the reserves leading up to last weekend, and was in the best four weeks in a row.
Jack Christian collected best-on-ground honours, while Harry Tatterson and Tyson Birss again showed their level is above North Gippy. Others who played well were Brayden Woodland and Tom Marchesi.
Nathan Whitford battled hard for the Bulldogs, as did Bailey Harrison, Hudson Tollner, Tyson Dobson, Sam Treglown and Jaxsyn Whitehill.
The situation facing Sale City is hopefully not a sign for the future of football in the town.
It is very unusual for both Sale City and its Gippsland League counterpart to be near the bottom of the ladder as they currently are.
Heyfield meanwhile will head into finals minus at least one player, with key forward Darren Sheen now officially out of time to get the four games in needed to qualify.
YYN did the business against Gormandale.
A tale of two teams saw one heading to finals and another playing its last game for the season.
The Jets extended on its margin throughout the game to eventually win 19.22 (136) to 4.11 (35).
Dean Macdonald kicked half-a-dozen, while his relation Cody Macdonald found plenty of touch.
Jai Massese was best, followed by Darcy Shellcot, Hayden Mowat, Dylan Bath and Lucas Fry.
Chris Wangman kicked four goals for the Tigers, and looks set to finish the season fifth in the league on 44.
For a team that won four games, there can be little argument Wangman didn’t pull his weight as a much-touted recruit.
Liam Deering was best for the home side, while Peter Strong was also serviceable in the ruck. Strong won the club’s senior vote count last Sunday.
Trent Baldwin, Riley Jenkins, Michael Diaz and Riley Hughes also put in honest efforts.
The Tigers will likely view the season as a success, given they went from zero wins to four, and could have easily added a few more along the way.
Gormandale started the year with a draw, and lost games to Yarram by six points and were only trailing Churchill by a handful in the last quarter.
TTU had the bye.
