In a season restoring win, Boolarra has knocked off powerhouse Trafalgar by four points in a Mid Gippsland Football League thriller.
The round 10 clash between last season’s grand finalists was a low scoring affair in poor conditions at Trafalgar.
Demons co-captain Simon Buglisi said he was thrilled with the win and the team’s confidence going into the game definitely played a part in the win.
“We were pretty confident that we could beat them one-on-one… I think the boys knew it was pretty much do-or-die for us,” Buglisi said.
“It was a struggle to pick the best six; there’s probably at least another six blokes that were unlucky not to be in there.”
At quarter-time Boolarra held a 13-point lead, but Trafalgar managed to come back with two goals in the second and trail by one-point at half-time.
Each side only scored one goal in the third quarter with Bloods sneaking ahead by one point at the final break. The scrappy game continued into the last quarter with Boolarra’s determination getting them over the line by less than a goal.
Yinnar v Morwell East
Yinnar remained in control all day at its home ground to record a 40-point victory over Morwell East, 11.8 (74) to 4.10 (34).
While both sides had equal amount of possession, the Magpies were more effective with their use of the ball.
Magpies playing coach Sam McCulloch, who was rested from the game due to injury, said his team delivered the ball to their forwards well which helped greatly.
“We had a similar amount (of forward entries to Morwell East), but we got more out of our inside 50 opportunities,” McCulloch said.
He said it was an even contribution from the whole team which earned the Magpies their win, and a one-game breathing space from Morwell East and Hill End on the ladder.
Hawks playing coach Paul Henry, who was also sidelined because of a shoulder injury, said it was frustrating to watch on when his side was not playing at its best.
“It was an ordinary performance; this was not what we expected from what we normally put out,” Henry said.
Yallourn/Yallourn North v Yarragon
YALLOURN/Yallourn North recorded a comfortable 57-point victory against Yarragon, despite trailing during the early stages of the match.
The Panthers put on a terrific start to lead by 17 points at quarter-time, but the Bombers turned the tables in the second quarter with four goals to take a 43 to 31 lead. Yarragon players James Harvey and Leigh Carroll went off with injuries in the first half, which did not help the Panthers. YYN did not hold back once it got on top of Yarragon and made better use of its opportunities to stretch the margin out to 35 points at three-quarter-time.
The Bombers went on to win 15.13 (103) to 7.4 (46).
Panthers coach Shaun Kleeven said his side stuck to its game plan and was able to start well.
He said he would take these positives from the game ahead of coming weeks.
“We really don’t want to be blown out of the water like we have been; we’ll be working on sticking to our game plan and trying to fight games out to the end,” Kleeven said.
Mirboo North v Hill End
Mirboo North got on top of Hill End in the second half to win by five goals, 9.11 (65) to 3.17 (35).
While both sides kicked more behinds than goals from their scoring shots, the Hillmen’s poor accuracy hurt the side.
The Tigers led by three points at quarter-time and two goals at half-time. However, in the third quarter, Hill End only scored five behinds, while the Tigers piled on 4.2 to build an overwhelming lead the Hillmen could not overcome.
The Tigers have jumped to second on the ladder at the expense of Trafalgar, and have cemented their status as a serious finals threat.
Newborough v Thorpdale
Newborough’s display of strength scored it another resounding victory, this time over Thorpdale, 20.12 (132) to 7.4 (46).
On a positive note for the Blues, they improved on the margin from last time the two teams met.
In round one, Newborough had 51 scoring shots, while Thorpdale had five and on Saturday the Bulldogs had 32 to the Blues’ 11.
While Newborough still won convincingly, the Blues made the Bulldogs work for their goals.
Thorpdale’s Mullen brothers, Josh and Hayden, worked well together in the backline and were the stronger bodies the Blues needed.
Thorpdale coach Brett Sherriff said the side has improved and was happy with its performance against Newborough, especially its last quarter effort.
