FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT and ROB POPPLESTONE
FINALS got underway in the Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League at the weekend.
Top-two sides Fish Creek and Yinnar took stock with a week off, and watched Foster, Meeniyan Dumbalk United, Newborough and Morwell East play in a set of eliminators.
Morwell East 7.16 (58) def by Newborough 8.11 (59)
A FINISH for the ages.
Newborough came from the depths to defeat Morwell East by one point in Sunday’s Mid Gippsland Football-Netball League Elimination Final.
The Bulldogs rallied from two goals down in a notable low-scoring affair through the first three quarters, and were saved by an after the siren score from junior footballer Max Edebohls.
As Edebohls became the hero, the scoreboard read Newborough 8.11 (59) to Morwell East 7.16 (58), sending the Hawks out of the MGFNL finals series in the most extraordinary way imaginable.
Newborough managed the first two goals fighting through the wind, but were then challenged by Morwell East who nailed the next nine scoring shots of the first quarter, as the ball carried an extra 10 to 20 metres at the scoreboard end of Willow Grove Recreation Reserve.
It seemed it was destined that anyone who was heading that way would win the quarter, which ended up exactly the case. The Bulldogs held the Hawks to just two points in the second term.
Newborough also added goals from veteran Peter Ainsworth and star Nathan Wheildon to jump ahead by halftime, 4.5 (29) to 3.8 (26).
While not an overly appealing game to watch, both teams attack on the ball couldn’t be denied, with the next hour of play determining if one’s season was entirely worth it or not, at least for one more week.
Returning after the main break, themes remained vastly similar.
This is where Morwell East should have seriously delivered damage.
The Hawks did see plenty of it, returning to the favoured side of the ground and demolished the Bulldogs in terms of possession in their attacking end, nailing six scoring shots for the third quarter, but only converting majorly on one.
All of these misses at the wind-assisted end were exemplified by the tons of shots seen from both sides, with the ball sailing with the breeze out of bounds on the full on numerous occasions. Morwell East would have had an extra three or four shots at goal finishing with that result during the third quarter.
Newborough, to their credit, maintained through a trialling period and fought tooth-and-nail to get the ball into their forward line.
In one of their only looks at goal for the term, Jack Robinson exited from the pack heading towards the boundary in the left pocket and snap truly to keep the Bulldogs within two points in time for the final term.
If people were deterred by the quality through the first three quarters, they’d be lifted by what the finale offered.
Goal-scoring at both ends picked up, but more notably, Newborough hit the front after another distant major from Wheildon and an additional check-side goal from Robinson while being tackled.
Ahead by seven points, Morwell East had to turn the tide.
They linked impressively through the middle of the ground, finishing in a Nik Kyriacou goal.
Controversy arose in the next few minutes, as momentum began to shift and Newborough supporters were up in arms.
Newborough recruit Darnell Grech was issued by coach Craig Skinner to man league-leading goal kicker Chris Wangman. Grech bested Wangman ahead of the ball to pick off a forward lead before jogging back behind the mark and giving the standard shove to the chest, attempting to get under his skin.
The nearby umpire ordering the mark reversed the decision, handing the ball to Wangman, who didn’t convert but ended only moments later with a Hawks goal putting them back in front.
Heading back to the centre, the ball had truly been placed in Morwell East’s court, keeping possession in their forward half under the guidance of ruckman Isaac Abas patrolling the ground and the Hawks working the wings well.
A few decisions went Morwell East’s way, and the ball travelled into the goal square high, falling to the ground and before Michael Diaz toe-poked the ball past a Newborough defender goal keeping on the goal line.
The Hawks now held a two-goal lead with minimum time remaining.
The worst began to sink in, was Newborough’s season really going to end this soon? With this heartache again?
The Bulldogs weren’t about to let it happen. Wheildon, inserted into the midfield, burst out of the centre bounce with no one defending goal side, giving him time to beeline straight for the big sticks and add his third for the day.
The final minutes played out much the same how the game began – back-and-forth along the wings with little space for attackers to work.
Not long remained, and as the clock ticked near 25 minutes, Newborough maintained possession along their half forward line after a minor score tied the game back up.
Wade Anderson took an impressive mark along the 50-metre arch and pushed back.
Anderson unselfishly passed off the shot to a shorter option, however, on a tighter angle.
Edebohls, in front of the scoreboard that read 58-all, heard the final siren roar as he began his walk-in.
Faced with the biggest kick of his short career, and needing only to score to win, the ball kept left but was enough to see it through for a minor score. Newborough had done it.
Teammates mauled Edebohls, only 17-years-old, who returned to the senior side in Round 17, ironically against Morwell East, with bench players and coaches sprinting in his direction.
Skinner said he was both relieved and proud of his troops.
“I’ve been watching Vikings so I feel when you win by one point you have the footy gods on your side,” he said.
“To win like we did on the weekend has made us dangerous, because we now believe we are good enough.
“To have a shot on goal after the siren and have our 17-year-old Maxy Edebohls take the kick is every footballer’s dream.”
A finish like that with their backs against the wall could do wonders for their season, who are still chasing that flag after two near-misses.
For Morwell East, it will be a tough pill to swallow, a majority of the season seen as a true contender for the flag, failed on the last stretch, losers of their last four games including twice to the Bulldogs by a point in the span of a month.
Newborough’s Jarryd Movchan was awarded best-on-ground, followed by Robinson, Nathan Curtis, Wheildon, Grech (who held Wangman, 78 goals for the season, goalless) and Josh Hecker.
Morwell East had Lucas Towns, Brad Kimberley, Abas, Robert Michaelides, Tanner Higgins and Diaz noted.
Newborough’s finals campaign continues this Sunday (September 1) against Foster at Yinnar Recreation Reserve in the (elimination) Semi Final.
Foster 10.10 (70) def MDU 9.4 (58)
THE Tigers were just a ‘blink’ away from finishing in the top-two, however, Foster prepared as well as they could have to play the cards they were dealt, coming up against an MDU side they had beaten just seven days prior.
On a perfectly presented Toora oval, it was Foster who pounced early with a nine-point quarter time lead, quickly extending to 23 at the main break.
The Demons kept in touch going into the final quarter. With their season on the line, they fought with all they had, only to go down by a couple of kicks, 10.10 (70) to 9.4 (58).
The Tigers were deserving 12-point winners, and their season took another step forward to this Sunday’s do-or-die semi-final against Newborough.
Foster coach Sam Davies said he was pleased to overcome the first finals hurdle, after losing at the same stage last year.
“Really tough battle again all day – MDU have some elite mids that run and use the footy really well,” he said.
“They copped a few injuries early so to be able to battle it out all day is a credit to them.
“Our processes really stood up and we will take a lot out of today going forward. We will get the recovery in and be ready for the next challenge.”
Foster’s best included Dylan Williams, Jack Rathjen, Jake Thornell, Todd Bastion and James Morris, the handful of players instrumental in the Tigers getting the upper hand despite the best efforts of MDU’s Steve Forrester, Tim Harris, Jarrod Hoy, Thomas Corry and Jess Hickey.
The Demons did everything they could and showed the same honesty at every contest as they have done all year, and despite their best efforts, the disappointment of bowing out at the first hurdle hit hard.
“Tough loss, the boys gave it their all and just fell short,” MDU coach Nathan Allen said.
“A couple of injuries early, putting us down to one rotation hurt us in the long run.
“Foster were really well drilled. Made it very hard for us to move the footy all day and were very strong at the contest. Good luck to all teams still in the hunt!”
Qualifying Final – Fish Creek vs Yinnar
FISH Creek will start the Qualifying Final as warm favourites.
The reigning premier has managed to do what was needed in order to give themselves the best chance of a shortcut to the 2024 Grand Final.
Their opponents, Yinnar, have shown outstanding form at various times of the season, interrupted by a couple of concerning ‘flat’ spots that could have cost them dearly given the closeness of the competition.
However, the Magpies hung tough, their early and midseason group of wins was enough to give themselves a shot at this years title.
While Yinnar surprisingly lost to Stony Creek in the last round, they have defeated Fish Creek this season.
Back in Round 3, the Magpies beat the Kangaroos 11.7 (73) to 7.10 (52).
Yinnar coach Sam McCulloch said all was in readiness for a big clash.
“We really let ourselves down in a number of areas in our last home-and-away match, we identified these after the game, and will make sure we sharpen up this week and prepare ourselves to be ready for Fish Creek,” he said.
Semi Final – Foster vs Newborough
THIS one is worth the entry price.
Two both in-form teams, both deserving of moving a step closer to their ultimate goal.
In Round 10 of the home-and-away season it was Foster that were comfortable victors, accounting for the Bulldogs by better than five goals.
Newborough was never in the hunt on that day, but didn’t give up either, as their coach Craig Skinner highlighted.
“Got beaten in a lot of areas by a better team. We brought effort but couldn’t execute,” he said.
A new day brings new opportunities, and for the Tigers, an extra days break and a strong block of games has them ready to go.
With respected coach Skinner announcing he will be stepping down at season’s end, his players are daring to dream about the possibilities of a perfect send off.
There is already a tense feeling between these two teams, and the game is deserving of a very large finals crowd from both communities and the footballing public.
