FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
Yarragon proved they are a side better than their ladder position suggests with a comfortable 70-point victory over Boolarra in round 12 Mid Gippsland league action on Saturday, 12.12 (84) to 2.2 (14).
Opportunities for success have been few and far between for Boolarra over the past couple of seasons, but there was no question the Demons had this one earmarked as a possibility.
However, the Panthers had the home side beat by quarter-time with a 34-point lead.
By half-time the margin was out to more than eight goals and the match was effectively over.
Yarragon were best served by Michael Whyte, Andrew Budge, Brad Wolfe, Paul Carmody, Shane Smith and Brock Neve.
For the Demons, Matt Windsor, James Holmes, Sam Mazou, Jesse Giardina, Thomas Beamish and Daniel Wilson did their best but it was not enough to beat a side that had too many stand-out contributors.
Newborough v Yinnar
In the biggest upset of the 2018 Mid Gippsland league season, Newborough grinded to a two-goal victory over Yinnar on Saturday, 3.6 (24) to 1.6 (12)
The match against one of the most respected sides in the competition in Yinnar was the Dogs’ last glimmer of hope in keeping touch with the top five.
In testing conditions goals were hard to come by for the Magpies and their five scoring shots in the first quarter went through for behinds.
Newborough were also finding it tough and were unable to register even a behind for the first quarter.
The Bulldogs went in at the main break a goal behind and had not managed to register a score.
By three-quarter-time the Bulldogs had added one goal and five behinds to trail by a solitary point at the last break.
In the last quarter Newborough did what not many sides have not been able to do against Yinnar – kept them scoreless and added a couple of goals themselves. The Bulldogs finished with three individual goalscorers to seal the win.
Better players for the Bulldogs included Jared Risol, JB Faustin, Matt Sawyer, Damon Hansen, Joshua Bland and Liam Charles.
“Yinnar had their chances in the first quarter, but after that it was ours,” Newborough coach Tom Hallinan said.
“We threw ourselves into the contest, we competed hard and to be fair, the conditions suited us.”
Mirboo North v Morwell East
Mirboo North did the job they had to do and did it in comfortable fashion to seal a win over Morwell East, 11.12 (78) to 3.9 (27).
It was D-Day for the Hawks and a win would have them replace Mirboo North in fifth position on the Mid Gippsland league senior ladder.
The Tigers came into the clash with Morwell East on the back of a confidence-zapping loss to Trafalgar and were looking for an immediate response against a team that had beaten them in a heart-breaker earlier in the year.
It did not take long for the home side to assume control and they set a standard the Hawks would not be able to reach for most of the day.
“After last week, we went in ready to go and with a plan and it paid off well and the response we got from the boys was very pleasing,” Mirboo North coach Josh Taylor said.
“We were happy and we are hopefully only going to get better [and] a couple of high profile players that will join us means we are capable of improving even more, as long as we don’t keep waiting until our backs are to the wall until we respond.”
Trafalgar v Thorpdale
It may not have been pretty, but it was a win nonetheless for Trafalgar who edged out Thorpdale late in the match by nine points on Saturday, 6.8 (44) to 5.5 (35).
The show was always expected to roll on for the Bloods who have just the one blemish to their name for the year and were welcoming a side to their home ground who were starting to feel the effects of a growing injury list.
Trafalgar had set the standard in the Anzac Day clash against the Blues and were out to repeat history.
The Bloods jumped out to an early lead with a 13-point buffer at quarter-time.
Thorpdale managed to bridge the gap back to 11 points at half-time and were starting to come at the Bloods in a big way.
The efforts of the Blues Gavin Low, Jake and Brad Atkinson, Luke Collie, Phillip Bennett and Kane Saliba had the visitors up and about in the third quarter and locked scores at 29 points apiece heading into the final term.
Trafalgar responded and did what they had to do to get over the line by nine points.
“The score may not have been an accurate reflection of the game,” Trafalgar coach Clint Einsiedel said.
“We were in front, but it was more of making the most of limited opportunities while Thorpdale were dominating in many areas of the game.”
YYN v Hill End
It was business as usual for the Bombers who rolled over Hill End on Saturday, 11.8 (74) to 2.2 (14).
Yallourn-Yallourn North got themselves off to a great start and the game was effectively over by half-time.
What makes the Bombers such a force is the amount of contributors they have each and every week.
There is enough talent in the team for others to step up and not only do their bit but also fill a gap that might be opening up in another area.
This week the better players included Lachlan Little, Luke Webber, Tyler Brown, Connor Hughes, Elliot De Carli and Stephen Pearson.
“We were against the wind the first quarter and did the job well and then with the wind we really opened up and got the result we wanted,” Bombers coach Barrie Burnett said.
“I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got and now we have a big challenge next week against Yinnar, so that’s our focus.”
