FOOTBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
Leongatha and Warragul returned to the winner’s list in the Gippsland league at the weekend and will headline round six when they meet on Saturday from 2.20pm.
The Parrots were steely in their treatment of Moe, despite losing two players in the first half to injury.
Jake Mackie went down with a knee injury and Josh Schelling injured his shoulder, but the undermanned Leongatha were still able to extend their half-time lead to close the game with a 32-point win.
Warragul slipped up in round four and fell to Drouin to hand them their first senior win in more than 600 days, but returned to form in round five and made away with the points against Traralgon.
Parrots coach Paul Carbis was impressed by his side’s mettle against Moe and labelled the win “sensational”, but refused to discount Warragul ahead of round six.
“We go into each week and respect the opposition and expect they’ll bring their best and Warragul are no exception,” he said.
“They’ve got Nathaniel Paredes and a lot of good forwards so we will look at them a little bit but it’s more about us playing the way we want to play.
“Who knows what will happen … you look at the results every week and bottom sides are knocking off top sides, so anything can happen in this competition.”
Leongatha is in fourth spot on the Gippsland league ladder with three wins and two losses while Warragul is sixth, behind on percentage.
Mackie will miss for the Parrots against Warragul on Saturday while Schelling will undergo scans on his injured knee.
Wonthaggi v Sale
Sale have reared as the surprise package of the season in 2018 and travel to Wonthaggi this weekend in search of their fifth win.
The Magpies have dropped just one game to date, to ladder leader Maffra in the opening round, and sit in a commanding position in second spot on the ladder after they cantered to a 119-point win over Drouin in round five.
Warragul were similarly impressive at the weekend puting Traralgon away with relative ease to snare a 25-point victory.
Sale playing coach Shane Fyfe labelled the Gulls a “really, really tough” task and suspected the Magpies would be pushed to their limits come Saturday.
“Wonthaggi are really hard at home to play against and we probably expect them to bounce back, especially on their home deck,” Fyfe said.
With a league-wide interleague break on the horizon across the weekend of May 19, Fyfe labelled round six a pivotal fixture for the Magpies who were one and five at the same time last year.
“I find them a tough team to play against … they grind you down and I think it’s a big game for us, especially leading into interleague break,” he said.
“Across the board the way they play is hard to match up against but we’ll focus on what we’re doing and hopefully that’s enough.”
Lachlan Ronchi and John Gooch have missed through injury for Sale and are both possible ins for round six.
Morwell v Moe
Morwell are yet to get their season off to a start and will host arch-rival Moe this weekend in search of a maiden win.
The Lions were dealt a blow in round five when they were overrun by an undermanned Leongatha outfit but have three wins so far while Morwell suffered its fifth straight defeat at the hands of ladder leader Maffra.
Three goals was all the Tigers could manage in a paltry performance which does not bode well for their chances on Saturday against Moe who have no shortage of capable goal scorers up their sleeve.
Traralgon v Drouin
Traralgon and Drouin are both licking their wounds after round five and will be eager to return to the winner’s list this weekend when they meet on Saturday.
The Maroons trailed Warragul at every break and struggled to stop a flood of goals from Brayden Fowler (five).
Drouin were faced with a mighty task in their round five mismatch with Sale and were never up to it – managing just four goals on their way to a 119-point drubbing.
For Traralgon, the round six clash is a must-win if they are to stay in touch with the top five as they have Moe and Maffra to come in rounds seven and eight.
Bairnsdale v Maffra
Faced with the toughest task in the Gippsland league senior competition, Bairnsdale will host ladder leader Maffra in round six action.
The Eagles have proven an indomitable force so far in season 2018 and are the only team to remain undefeated after five rounds.
Their wins have been resounding ones and the flag fancies have conceded just 191 points for the season to date – 127 less than Sale in second, and have scored 564 – 117 more than Sale.
Bairnsdale are no easy beats and have proven their worth with three wins so far this season and stand as a real chance to cause an upset win on home turf this weekend.
