FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
By TOM HAYES
ONE step closer to finals.
With one more step comes one more twist.
Only three games remain on the run-in to finals, and two sides traded places in vital positions on the ladder, with one going in and one coming out.
The battle for first remains a tight one, as does the battle for third, with only a matter of percentage the difference. Of course, first place gets the first week off in finals, and the top three are granted a second chance.
Realistically, only six teams remain in the hunt for the finals (top five), and as we continue to progress, it becomes clearer and clearer as to who will be playing in those final four weeks of the season.
YYN 11.3 (69) def Rosedale 4.3 (27)
YYN maintained third place.
The Jets welcomed Rosedale to George Bates Reserve, taking care of business 11.3 (69) to 4.3 (27).
YYN began the more positive of the two, kicking out to an 11-point lead at quarter time. They continued to push further ahead in the second term as well, with 3.1 (19) to one goal.
With four goals up their sleeve going into the second half, YYN were confidently dispatching Rosedale, who’s finals hopes were all but ended the weekend before.
Two goals apiece in the third quarter made it difficult for any sort of Blues comeback, as the Jets maintained their four-goal lead.
They found another gear in the final quarter, kicking away just a little bit further, adding three goals to none to win by seven goals.
Dylan Bath had a day out for the Jets, leading the way earning best-on-ground honours. Also featuring was Jai Massese, James De Virgilio, Dean Macdonald, Darcy Shellcot, and Blake Dyson.
Five goals for Macdonald moved him nine goals clear of Yarram’s Josh Swift for the league goal kicking. With favourable fixtures upcoming in the final three weeks, it will be hard to see anyone else on top of Macdonald unless a freak sequence of events occurs.
For Rosedale, Luke Stuckey, Jay Diamond, Declan Barnett, Rohan Diamond, Thomas Northe, and captain Riley Atlee were named among their best.
YYN should be able to stave off the advances of Heyfield for third spot, and the Jets will be favourite going into their remaining three games.
As for Rosedale, if their finals hopes weren’t binned after last week, they certainly would be now. With the bye in Round 18, the Blues have just two games remaining, one winnable (against Cowwarr), one not so much (Woodside).
TTU 11.17 (83) def Churchill 6.6 (42)
TTU can’t be stopped.
They probably weren’t expecting to be stopped at the weekend either.
The Bombers hosted Churchill, and got over the line comfortably, 11.17 (83) to 6.6 (42).
Wet and wild conditions resumed throughout the game, making it difficult to break any sort of momentum that the Bombers created.
The home side set themselves up for victory in the first half, before letting off the accelerator in the second.
TTU charged out to a four-goal lead at quarter time, thanks to a dominant display before the rain ruined the surface.
The game became locked at ends when the rain continued to fall, making it difficult to forge any sort of comeback for the Cougars.
TTU added another 4.4 (28) to one behind in the second quarter, which pretty much put the game to bed.
Facing a 51-point deficit at halftime in the wet wouldn’t have been ideal for Churchill.
But they didn’t go down without a fight, and despite persistent weather, the Cougars didn’t let things get worse.
Churchill won the third and fourth quarters respectively but were nowhere near getting themselves a winning score.
The margin reduced to 47 points at three quarter time, before the Cougars took a one-goal chunk out of that as the final siren rang.
Mitchell Mustoe, Hayden Willaton, Flynn Shields, Justin Savige, Trent Hourigan, and Frazar Brouns were best for TTU.
Chris Williams, Ashley Di Ciero, Jordan Fenech, Nathan McRae, Tom Sevenson, and Joseph Whykes led the way for the visitors.
TTU remain on top with a game in hand over Woodside.
Just like Rosedale, if their season wasn’t over last week, it certainly is now for Churchill, who need a realistically impossible formula to make finals.
Sale City 14.19 (103) def Glengarry 3.6 (24)
SALE City are leaving no stone unturned on their hunt for a finals berth.
The Bulldogs have surged in the second half of the season, finally finding themselves within the top five.
They looked dangerous earlier in the season, getting close to Woodside, then eventually beating them the second time around. The Bulldogs have waited all season for their moment.
Sale City entered the top five after a 14.19 (103) to 3.6 (24) win over Glengarry at home.
Unfortunately, the Magpies weren’t given much of a chance in this fixture, as the dominance of Sale City recently had overpowered their ability to make any impact.
But knowing the finals equation, the Bulldogs weren’t going to let anything get in their way.
Sale City put any speculation of an upset to bed as early as possible, putting Glengarry to the sword in the opening term, having 10 scoring shots to two.
Although the Bulldogs only managed 4.6 (30), that would still be more than what the Magpies would eventually go on to score in the entire match.
Glengarry only managed 1.1 (7) themselves in the opening term, but up until halftime, it was all red, white and blue.
Sale City added 3.2 (20) in the second to Glengarry’s three behinds, blowing the lead out to 40 points.
The second half was scarily similar to the first, as the score just about doubled on either side.
Sale City managed one more point than they did in the first quarter, kicking 4.7 (31) in the third, while Glengarry did a little extra, kicking two goals.
Despite the improvement by the Magpies, they still found themselves at a deficit of 59 points with a quarter to play.
In the final term, Sale City entered the top five in style, adding 3.4 (22) to two behinds, to close out 79-point winners.
Helping them over the line was Cooper Whitehill, Brad McKay, Ostin Waugh (three goals), captain Daine McGuiness, Troy Carstairs, and Mitchell Evans (four goals).
For Glengarry, Jet Hodges, Michael Ryan, Callum Mitchell, Thomas Harris, Ben Truin, and Jesse Lee were in the best.
Cowwarr 4.3 (27) def by Woodside 15.13 (103)
WOODSIDE kept the minor premiership race alive.
On the road to Cowwarr, the Wildcats made sure they made no mistake, defeating the Saints 15.13 (103) to 4.3 (27).
The win brings Woodside closer to Traralgon Tyers United in the race for top of the ladder. TTU has a game in hand, and will probably snap up the minor premiership, but the more pressure that Woodside applies can’t be a bad thing.
Just like Sale City, Woodside did the heavy lifting early to disable any sort of upset from Cowwarr, starting with a dominant first quarter showing, kicking 4.3 (27) to one behind.
Although not knowing it at the time, Woodside registered Cowwarr’s four-quarter score in the opening term on their way to victory.
The visitors added another 3.4 (22) in the second term, while Cowwarr got on the board with 2.2 (14) for themselves, as Woodside led by 34 points at halftime.
Conditions appeared to help the visitors in the second half, at least enough for them to realise they were over the line.
Cowwarr kicked their final scores of the game during the third term, adding two goals, while Woodside went on a tear to add 7.3 (45), putting the game well out of the Saints’ reach.
The raining conditions in the region might’ve put a halt to scoring in the final quarter, as Woodside could only put one more goal on the board as they walked away 76-point winners.
Josh Hicks, Cameron Whiteoak, Joh Fythe, Jai Williams, Joshua Morgan, and Adam Janssen were positives in the win for Woodside.
Dan Farmer struck back with three goals, moving him to fourth on the goal kicking tally for the season.
For Cowwarr, Connor Cook, Jackson Davison, Kurt Henderson, Sean Alexander, Lee Bourke, and Brady Hood were highlights in defeat.
Woodside are now just 1.92 per cent shy of first place, with TTU ahead, both with 12 wins.
With the bye next week, Woodside may fall a game behind as TTU play their game in hand against Yarram away from home.
Heyfield 15.7 (97) def Yarram 5.3 (33)
THE outcome of Heyfield versus Yarram affected both sides at the weekend.
Despite there being a clear an obvious winner, this game could be the one that decides the top five.
Heyfield claimed the four points at home, defeating Yarram convincingly, 15.7 (97) to 5.3 (33).
It appeared that we had a game on our hands in the early stages, as Heyfield only took an 11-point lead into the first break.
The Kangaroos would soon see the benefits of their effort, launching a massive seven-goal to two second quarter, blowing the Demons out of the water, and out of the top five.
The 42-point deficit that the Demons faced was going to be too hard to come back from, especially as the conditions worsened around the region.
Heyfield had it all to play for, and needing more percentage for their own sake, they weren’t going to hold back on the visitors.
The lack of clear conditions potentially gave Yarram the upper hand, due to the fact it stopped such a blowout.
Both sides added one goal each in the third term, but Heyfield remained ahead by 44 points.
Heyfield broke the shackles again in the final term, finding time to kick four goals, leaking one to Yarram, on their way to a 64-point thrashing.
Thomas Marchesi was instrumental for the Kangaroos, as was Tyson Birss, Robert McMillan, Brayden Woodland, Max Van Der Zwart, and Kyle Graham (three goals).
For Yarram, coach Boadie Motton could hold his head high. Also in the best was Chris Bruns, Shem Rendell, Matt Clavarino, Jake McFarland, and Lachlan Earles.
Sitting second placed in the goal kicking for 2024, Josh Swift was kept goalless, and is now nine goals shy of top spot for the individual accolade.
It just wasn’t the result Yarram needed to remain confident for the rest of the season, falling out of the top five into sixth.
If they had lost by a matter of a few kicks, then maybe they wouldn’t feel so far off the pace, but unless they can regather and get back on the right track, it appears as though they will lose their last three games (TTU, Sale City, YYN), and badly too.
For Heyfield, the win holds them in good stead for a potential double chance. But the Kangaroos are in a similar position to that of Woodside, as third-placed YYN has a game in hand.
The Jets might just be expected to win their final three games (Glengarry, Churchill, Yarram), which would leave Heyfield a game short if they win their final two games (Gormandale, TTU). Nonetheless, Heyfield are just 3.03 per cent shy of third place at the moment.
GORMANDALE had the bye.
