FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
By TOM HAYES
MOST results in North Gippsland football went as expected at the weekend, as a number of tasty fixtures went the ways of the favourites.
The rich got richer, as a gap formed between fifth and sixth, making it difficult to make an impression on the top five.
Some work is still to be done for a number of teams who find themselves in a position unknown to the norm, while some are only beginning to put the foot down.
YYN 13.12 (90) def Churchill 10.5 (65)
THE Jets got revenge.
Eight months after their Elimination Final exit at the hands of Churchill, Yallourn Yallourn North made amends, winning 13.12 (90) to 10.5 (65).
In another account which saw YYN take an early lead, this time the Cougars remained within close proximity of their hosts.
A back-and-forth opening term had both sides load up, and with Jets kicking toward what was thought to be the ‘scoring end’ toward the scoreboard, Churchill would have been pleased to trail by just five points.
At the same time, Churchill had displayed that it certainly was possible to score at the other end, which could, and would, be used against them.
The Jets did just that to start the second term, putting Churchill to the sword, kicking 4.5 (29) to 1.2 (8), leaving the Cougars without an answer, trailing by 26 points at half time.
YYN were doing a superb job of putting scores on the board, all while minimising the amount of looks at the big sticks Churchill was getting.
Even when the Cougars found themselves inside their forward 50, it was never a chance that would be favoured, with Churchill’s forwards often opting to centre the ball, turning it over in the process to which the Jets would capitalise on.
The Cougars kicked the first three goals of the third quarter, trimming the Jets’ advantage down to eight points, which was sure to give them a scare.
But, with the determination to avoid last year’s disappointment, YYN rallied. Despite Churchill finding another major throughout the quarter, the Jets found three more of their own and remained ahead, this time by 20 points going into the crucial final term.
It was one way traffic in the final quarter, although the scoreboard might suggest otherwise.
The final margin only grew by six more points, but the home side had five more scoring shots, and if they had of capitalised, the margin could have challenged close to 10 goals.
As the final siren sounded, both sides had added one more goal, but the Jets kicked another five minor scores to stretch their lead to 25 points.
For the home side, Mitch Luck was among the best, alongside Dylan Brooks, Lucas Fry, Dean Macdonald (six goals), Lachlan Little and Anthony Young (three goals).
For the visitors, ruckman Nathan McRae was the best. Also highlighted was veteran Brendan Holt (five goals), Bailey Flanigan, Patrick Kearns, Chris Williams and Luke Di Ciero. Kurt Holt, son of Brendan, also kicked three goals for Churchill.
Both sides now have contrasting outlooks on the season. As it stands, the Jets move to 4-1, sliding into the top four, while Churchill remain in unseen territory in the bottom four with a 1-4 record.
YYN will be put to task to face Yarram this weekend, while Churchill will aim to move out of the bottom four when they travel to Cowwarr.
Sale City 7.13 (55) def by Yarram 11.6 (72)
IT was a tale of two halves at Stephenson Park.
Coming into the match, Yarram had just tasted their first defeat of the season, and were eager to get back onto the winner’s list, doing so 11.6 (72) to Sale City’s 7.13 (55).
Unlike the week before, the Demons allowed their opponents to get the better start, forcing themselves to strike a comeback.
But Sale City weren’t messing around, shooting out to a 17-point lead at quarter time, keeping Yarram to just two points in the opening term.
While the margin stayed within striking distance, the Bulldogs continued to extend their lead, keeping Yarram to minor scores for an entire half.
At halftime, the visitors were still yet to register a major, while Sale City was making the most of their opportunities, kicking 5.5 (35) in reply to Yarram’s five behinds.
But before you knew it, the game flipped on it’s head.
Yarram turned into a beast which was not yet seen on the day, kicking eight third-quarter goals to take the lead by 15 points.
To make matters worse for the Bulldogs, it was their turn to remain goalless for the quarter, only managing four behinds for the quarter, which could have proved to be vital at the end of the day’s play.
A true battle played out in the final term, with both teams able to get on the scoreboard during the same quarter for the first time.
Sale City would register twice, but also saw chances go begging with four minor scores, while the Demons kicked three-straight to close out the win by 17 points.
Yarram’s vice-captain Kayleb Pearce, along with Josh Swift single handedly got the Demons back into the bout, kicking 10 goals between them (five each) – ultimately equating to 10 of Yarram’s 11 goals.
They were named in the best, as was Chris Bruns, Liam Bentley, Matt Clavarino and Tate Chisholm.
For Sale City, Kaden McCulloch, Chad Evans, Jayden Allison and Daine McGuiness were highlighted in defeat. Mitchell Evans kicked three goals for the hosts.
Yarram put daylight between fifth and sixth, now eight points clear of Sale City who sit just outside the finals positions.
Glengarry 10.4 (64) def by Cowwarr 11.15 (81)
COWWARR are on the board.
A first-quarter boost was enough for the Saints to hold on for the remainder of the match, as they defeated Glengarry 11.15 (81) to 10.4 (64).
The visiting Saints were off the mark from the get-go, as Cowwarr kicked five first-quarter majors to the Magpies’ three to take a 15-point lead at quarter time.
With a second win still in sights of the hosts, Glengarry was eager to get going, eventually winning the second term to drag the margin back down to nine points.
Cowwarr continued to tick along however, kicking two goals to Glengarry’s three, the hosts would find it troubling if they weren’t able to completely disable Cowwarr from the scoreboard.
As they played out the third quarter, the two sides pretty much played an identical quarter in terms of scoring, yet the scripts were flipped.
Cowwarr, this time kicking 3.1 (19), kept Glengarry to 2.1 (13), bringing their lead back out to a 15-point margin.
Glengarry could only muster two straight majors in the final term which wouldn’t be enough, even if Cowwarr didn’t score.
The visitors had the majority of chances, nine to be exact, but they would only register one goal, kicking eight behinds.
Cowwarr could have well and truly blown Glengarry out of the water, but they had to settle for a comfortable 17-point win as the game came to a close.
Braden Johnston, Robbie Farnham, Connor Cook, Alex Saunders (three goals), Keenan Hughes (five goals), and Ben Coffey were best for the Saints.
Thomas Harris, Jesse Lee, Michael Ryan (three goals), Cassidy Bartley, Jack Burgess and Alex Birmingham were admirable once again in defeat for the Magpies.
Cowwarr will be set with the task of Churchill at home this week, a battle which usually doesn’t have much on the line, although this time around, both teams sit with a win-loss record of 1-4.
Glengarry have it tough, travelling to Woodside.
Rosedale 4.9 (33) def by Woodside 17.9 (111)
WOODSIDE did it with ease.
The Wildcats visited Rosedale at the weekend, taking the four points back home with no difficulties, 17.9 (111) to 4.9 (33).
The Wildcats pushed out to a three-goal advantage at quarter time, kicking 5.1 (31) to 2.1 (13), but that was only the start, as Rosedale would have to defend an oncoming onslaught.
Woodside grew from strength-to-strength, all while the Blues could only muster three behinds.
During that time, the Wildcats kicked 6.4 (40), pushing the lead out to 55 points, where most would assume would be too much to ask for a comeback.
Woodside expertly put the game to bed in the second half, kicking three goals to one in the third quarter, which saw the margin pass 10 goals.
The visiting side added another three in the final term, and Rosedale only had 1.3 (9) in reply.
The win was only enough to keep Woodside in second, after TTU’s big win over Gormandale.
Matt Dyke was best-on-ground for the Wildcats, with Mark Collison, Daniel Farmer (nine goals), Lee Stockdale, Gavin Stevenson and Adam Janssen joining him in the best.
For Rosedale, Riley Boyle, Luke Stuckey, Jay Diamond, Will Logan, Harper Fox and Rohan Diamond were praised for their efforts.
TTU recorded their second 200+ point win.
Perhaps more praise should go the way of TTU, as it takes a complete four-quarter performance to even get close to 200 point in front of another team.
This game was over before it started, as the Bombers completed a successful trip to Gormandale, winning 33.19 (217) to 1.6 (12).
The Bombers kicked 11.6 (72) in the first quarter, equal to or more than six teams were able to score all weekend. Gormandale got on the scoreboard with a behind, as the margin stood at 71 points at the first break.
The margin surpassed 100 points by halftime, as TTU added 6.5 (41), to another Gormandale behind, with a 200-point margin well within the sights, as the margin stood at 111.
TTU just kept getting stronger, adding another 6.4 (40) in the third quarter, but this time around, Gormandale was able to see more shots in front of goal, kicking 1.3 (9) for the term, which highlighted the first signs that TTU may have been slowing down.
But in the final quarter, the visitors put the accelerator all the way down, almost passing their first quarter score, kicking 10.4 (64) to one behind.
In the final term the margin, and TTU’s score, passed 200, settling at 205.
It was a frenzy in front of goal for the Bombers, with 11 different goal scorers, eight of those registering multiples, and three of them scoring five or more.
James Jacobsen was in the thick of it, kicking seven, and was named in the best alongside Beau White (five goals), Hayden Willaton (five), Michael Jacobsen, Zach Kilgower (three) and Dechlan Morrison.
For Gormandale, Nicholas Millington, Chris Potalej, Flynn Roscoe, Blake Hearn, Jai Foulkes and William Flanigan were shining lights.
It doesn’t look like it will get any easier for Gormandale anytime soon, with Sale City up next at Stephenson Park, while for TTU, they will be tasked with a first versus third battle against Heyfield this weekend.
HEYFIELD had the bye.
