FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
By TOM HAYES
SOME big hitters are on the board after Round 2 of the North Gippsland Football-Netball League.
Round 1 threw some questions out there, and for the most part, a lot of those seem to have found an answer.
The question of Traralgon Tyers United and their premiership defence was under fire after their Round 1 collapse to Woodside, while Churchill appeared to find their feet following defeat in the opening round.
Yallourn Yallourn North were yet to be tested, but their season is well and truly underway, starting their season off with four points in a game full of meaning.
I’m sure many more chapters will unfold as the season unravels, but for now, some normality has been restored in the NGFNL.
Rosedale 9.5 (59) def by TTU 19.16 (130)
THE Bombers are off the mark.
Much was said about TTU and their performance against Woodside in Round 1, amidst their change up top and the departure of key players.
TTU was out to right their wrongs when they travelled to Rosedale Recreational Reserve to take on the Blues at the weekend.
As they warmed into their grove, TTU quickly found their feet as they pushed out to a dominant 19.16 (130) to 9.5 (59) win over the Blues.
The Blues were notorious for their strong starts last season, and had a few teams searching for answers in the early parts.
Hosting the Bombers, the Blues kept within reaching distance in the opening quarter, only a kick behind, going five points down into the fist change.
But, much like last year, Rosedale found themselves chasing the better side, as TTU put them to the sword.
With the flick of a switch, the Bombers piled on the pressure, stretching out to a five-goal halftime lead.
And soon after the main break, Rosedale quickly realised what they were truly up against – an animal of a team.
Perhaps more defensive-minded, the Blues kept TTU to three third-quarter goals, but they could only register one major themselves as the margin soared over 40 points.
TTU broke the shackles in the final term, and perhaps became a little patchy defensively. Nonetheless, TTU kicked seven goals to three to see themselves onto the winner’s list by 71 points.
Captain Jye Nielson led the charge alongside Caleb Michie on the scoreboard with four majors each for the Bombers. Rosedale was left to depend on young gun, Lachlan Speairs, who kicked four goals as well.
Riley Atlee, Blake Safstrom, Speairs, Jake Pawley, James Edney and Riley Boyle were admirable in defeat for the hosts.
Michael and James Jacobsen were highlights for the Bombers, as were Nielson, Frazar Brouns, Flynn Shields and Guy Sinclair.
Despite the large margin, there were some lasting positives for the Blues.
Last year, TTU annihilated Rosedale in both of their meetings. First was a 182-point win in Round 4, when Rosedale were mostly still building their season.
Later in the season, they met again in Rosedale, and TTU still managed a convincing 82-point win. If anything, the Blues have shaken off their early-season woes.
Cowwarr 10.7 (67) def by YYN 16.12 (108)
THERE was a bit riding on this match.
YYN started their season on the right track with a comfortable 41-point win over Cowwarr, 16.12 (108) to 10.7 (67).
The Jets started the season with the bye, enabling them to have another weeks preparation.
Although the win appeared comfortable by the final siren, the Saints put up a fight on their home deck.
Only five points separated the two sides at quarter time, yet the Jets had majority of the opportunities in front of goal, kicking 3.5 (23) to three-straight.
In a high-scoring second stanza, Cowwarr gave YYN a fright, outscoring them to win the term, yet they still trailed by a point at the main break, despite having more goals on the board.
But that was all she wrote for the Saints, as the tenacity of YYN kicked on in the second half, and it was too much for Cowwarr to keep up with.
A six-goal to one third term put the Jets up by five goals, still within reaching distance, yet it was going to be a hard ask from there.
Valiant in defeat, Cowwarr remained competitive, kicked two majors in the final term, but the Jets managed four to blow the lead out past 40 points at the final siren.
Ex-YYN lad Keenan Hughes kicked four goals against his old mob, and was well-assisted by Cowwarr vice-captain Kyle Stamers, who kicked four goals himself.
But for the victors, Dean MacDonald kicked six.
Haydn Hector, Ben Coffrey, Hughes, Stamers, Alex Saunders and the young Rhys Luxford were best for the Saints.
Dylan Bath, MacDonald, Darcy Shellcot, Jai Massese, Lucas Fry and Ben Morrow got YYN over the line.
Against a top opponent, Cowwarr don’t seem to have the resources to take them all the way, but this may hold them in good stead against the bottom half teams.
Glengarry 10.4 (64) def by Heyfield 22.19 (151)
JUST what was expected.
Heyfield did it easy against Glengarry when they visited Fred King Oval at the weekend, never giving the Magpies a sniff throughout the two hours of play.
A statement 87-point win reminded the rest of the competition just how much of the threat the Kangaroos may be this season.
Heyfield went from strength to strength throughout the game, growing their lead at every change to dismantle the Magpies, bringing them back down to earth after their opening round victory.
A 20-point quarter time lead set the tone for the rest of the match, which only got more enjoyable for the boys in blue and white.
Despite a high-scoring second quarter, the majority of that scoring was done by the visitors, who piled on eight goals to Glengarry’s four to stretch their lead out to 47 points.
After the main break, it remained much the same, as Heyfield not only dictated the pace of the game, but also the scoreboard, to eventually win 22.19 (151) to 10.4 (64).
Another four goals in the third term put the game well beyond reach, even with a quarter to play, the Kangaroos were up by more than 10 goals.
It got ugly towards the end, but not for Heyfield, who will be pleased with another four-quarter effort, and another four points on the board as they start their season with a win-loss record of 2-0.
Jet Hodges and Spencer Poulton kicked seven goals between them for the Magpies, but it was evidently not enough.
Finn Stephenson kicked five for the Kangaroos, while Tyson Birss kicked four among the plethora of goalkickers.
Callum Mitchell, Poulton, Jack Burgess, Ben Truin, Jesse Lee and Thomas Harris did their best for the Magpies in defeat.
Nicholas Dinsdale, Stephenson, Liam Heasley, Kail Hole, Birss and James Conway stood out for the victors.
Churchill 23.22 (160) def Gormandale 2.1 (13)
BACK on track.
Churchill guided their season back on the right path after a steaming 147-point thrashing of Gormandale at Gaskin Park.
Some confidence was needed to be injected back into the Cougar side, who slipped up against Yarram in the opening week.
Gormandale was up to the task in the opening stages, keeping the margin below five goals at the first break, but that was just about all they could do.
Churchill were back to their best, blasting nine goals to one in the second term to put the game to bed. A 79-point halftime lead was just about enough to say the four points was theirs.
The scoring slowed down in the third term, but the margin continued to grow as the Cougars edged past the triple-digit margin by three quarter time.
A confident finish saw the Cougars finish strong, closing the game out in style to walk away 23.22 (160) to 2.1 (13) victors, disallowing the Tigers to score in the second half.
Ben Kearns was the standout in front of goal with 11 majors, but it was Chris ‘Squid’ Williams who earnt best-on-ground honours.
Vice captains Ryan Lowrie, Ben Skinner and Nick Celima were also in the best, alongside veteran Brendan Holt.
For Gormandale, Matt Anderson, Chris Potalej, Trent Baldwin, Jet Krimhand, Tristan Salerno and Tyler Capes were the best.
There is no doubt that Churchill will want to use this momentum as they head into a massive clash against Heyfield. While for the Tigers, they will continue to search for their first win of the season.
Woodside 10.13 (73) def Sale City 10.6 (66)
THIS came down to the wire.
Woodside kept their perfect record intact, only just, edging past Sale City at home 10.13 (73) to 10.6 (66).
Sale City simply did not let up, and despite an early deficit, climbed back into the match and nearly took it for themselves.
The Wildcats looked confident from the offing, up by 25 points at the first change. Despite scoring going the other way in the second term, they held onto a 15 point lead at the main break.
The game was then thrown up in the air, as Sale City hit the lead in the third quarter, kicking four goals to one.
Now up by a point with a quarter to play, the question begged if the Bulldogs were up to the task.
A momentum shift to that of the home team saved them in the final quarter however, as the Wildcats kicked three goals to two, to edge past the Bulldogs and win by seven points in a gritty affair.
Woodside was lifted by Thomas King, Ben Johnson, Adam Janssen, Jeremy and Josh Morgan, and Mark Collison.
Sale City were led by Jaxsyn Whitehill, Kane Martin, Flynn Read (three goals), Lachlan Carman, Abe Schuback and Troy Carstairs.
The Bulldogs showed plenty of promise, something not many teams have been able to do in defeat while travelling to Woodside in years of late.
Sale City’s new recruits have been a shining light for them, and if they can continue to have this type of success, even in a loss, they may go a long way.
It will be interesting to see whether this was a one-off performance, or if the Bulldogs can truly be a contender.
YARRAM had the bye.
