Gippsland League takes crown

TOM HAYES

FOOTBALL

INTERLEAGUE

By TOM HAYES

THERE was barely a clean jumper in sight when the Gippsland Junior Interleague Carnival took place at Morwell Recreation Reserve on Wednesday, June 28.

The best under 18 footballers from the Gippsland, North Gippsland, Mid Gippsland, West Gippsland and Ellinbank and District Football-Netball Leagues were on display for the round robin format.

Games were underway as early as 9am, stretching out until nearly 5pm, as each team was required to play four matches – one each against the other leagues.

Each game would see two 18-minute halves in order to get through them all within a day, meaning players could spend over two hours on the field – more than what most would be used to.

The Morwell Recreation Reserve was packed, cars were often found driving all the way around the oval, only to find out that they had to drive all of the way back around due to the lack of space left.

The weather simply didn’t have any effect on the turnout, as people continued to jump the fences at halftime for some kick-to-kick.

Cloud coverage was prominent, as was the occasional drizzle which came and went throughout the day.

In action was three leagues within our readership; the Gippsland League, North Gippsland Football-Netball League and the Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League.

After four games each, all were quite spread from each other on the finalised ladder, something that was perhaps expected within the five-team round robin.

RETURNING to regain the Gippsland Junior Interleague title was the Gippsland League, who won all four games, including a decider-like game against West Gippsland.

In their first game against Mid Gippsland, their opponents were able to keep things tight in the first half, trailing by two points, but the Gippsland League kicked away, scoring 3.6 (24) to 0.1 (1) in the second half to win their first game of the day by 25 points, 4.9 (33) to 1.2 (8).

Gippsland League’s best were Moe’s Liam Masters, Warragul’s Riley Senini, Leongatha’s Will Brown, Traralgon’s Baxter Kennedy, Drouin’s Brodie Atkins and Bairnsdale’s Tate Clay.

Following a one-game break, the Gippsland League returned to the field to face Ellinbank and District.

Once again their perseverance showed, after a highly contested first half saw them lead by a point at the break, the Gippsland League rallied into the second half, kicking away again with three second half goals to win by 19 points, 6.3 (39) to 3.2 (20).

Senini was best on, and was supported by Maffra’s Harry Stables, Traralgon’s Campbell Booth (two goals), Warragul’s Liam Finnegan, Drouin’s William Young and Clay.

Up next for the Gippsland League was North Gippsland, who appeared to be their toughest opponent yet.

Despite having four more scoring shots, the Gippsland League only went into halftime with a four-point advantage.

It was a hot footy in the second half, but just as the rain started to clear, the Gippsland League extended on their advantage, winning by 12 points, 5.7 (37) to 4.1 (25).

This then set up a Grand Final-like match against the also undefeated West Gippsland, meaning the winner would take all.

West Gippsland won the 2022 carnival, ending an eight-year Gippsland League under 18 supremacy.

West Gippsland were out of the gates quick, kicking four goals straight in the first half, stunning the Gippsland League to their 2.1 (13).

The 11-point buffer wasn’t going to be enough for West Gippsland, as they were peppered by the Gippsland League in the second half.

The Gippsland League created nine scoring shots to two in the second half, leaving it all out there in their final game of the day.

Things got off to a good start when Moe’s Thomas Matthews kicked a stunning running goal to bring the margin back to five points early, giving them plenty of time to complete the comeback.

Matthews backed up his own work with a second major to put the Gippsland League ahead with half of the half still to play.

Senini continued the run of goals for the Gippsland League with a major of his own, stretching the margin out to nine points at the time, but six minutes was still on the clock.

West Gippsland’s Max McDermott dragged the margin back to three points with four-and-a-half minutes remaining, meaning the game could have gone any which way.

But from here on out it was all Gippsland League, who had the chance to seal it on three occasions, but all were registered for behinds, enabling them to close out their final game as winners by a goal, 5.7 (37) to 5.1 (31).

In the final game, Brown, Matthews, Senini, Sale’s Tom Wrigglesworth, Maffra’s Jonathon Boyd and Masters were within the best.

The Gippsland League Player of the Carnival was awarded to Leongatha’s Will Brown, while the overall Player of the Carnival was his Gippsland League teammate, Warragul’s Riley Senini.

The Gippsland League are back, winning nine of the last 10 carnivals, taking the junior interleague crown from West Gippsland.

NORTH Gippsland finished the day in fourth on the ladder, with a record consisting of one win and three losses on a tough, wet day.

They went down by 11 points to Ellinbank and District, before a 14-point loss to eventual runner-up West Gippsland.

A tough two-goal loss to the Gippsland League was one of their better performances, before they got their first win in their final game against Mid Gippsland, trumping them by nine points.

MID Gippsland finished on the bottom of the pile with four losses on the day.

Proceedings began with that 25-point loss to the Gippsland League, which was followed by a disappointing 39-point loss to West Gippsland, who held them to no score.

Mid Gippsland was much more competitive in their final two games, yet went down to both opponents; North Gippsland by nine points and Ellinbank and District by 11 points, in a game where they were within a goal for most of the outing.

Newborough’s Mac Brosnan was named as Mid Gippsland’s Player of the Carnival, making the best in three out of four games.