FOOTBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
Traralgon 6.6 (42) def Wonthaggi 3.5 (23)
IF you keep playing Russian Roulette, you are going to shoot yourself eventually.
Wonthaggi’s winning streak and season came to an abrupt and relatively tame end on Sunday, after losing the Gippsland League First Semi Final.
A defensive masterclass from Traralgon restricted the Power to just one goal after halftime, in a final scoreboard reading 6.6 (42) to 3.5 (23).
The Maroons controlled the game after quarter time, on what was the second week of high winds making conditions tricky for finals footy.
Traralgon came into the match under some pressure, after narrowly losing the Qualifying Final to Moe, and facing a Wonthaggi outfit that had won nine of its previous 10 games.
The Power’s form appeared undeniable, and there was some suggestion the young Maroons were set to depart the finals scene in straight sets.
Pressure creates diamonds though, and Traralgon had a few jewels on full display.
Not much got past Tristen Waack, Tye Hourigan and Mitch Membrey down back, while some lesser types also had pivotal moments.
Tom McMahon didn’t get in the best, nor has he at any stage in the seniors this season, but he played just about the game of his life.
The young midfielder laid some strong tackles preventing certain Wonthaggi scores, and performed a few acts that might have gone unnoticed on the stat sheet, but were vitally important nonetheless, such as getting a hand in when the ball was bobbing around at ground level.
Conversely, naming the top six players for the Power proved a difficult task.
While Jarryd Blair, Ryan Sparkes, Fergus O’Connor, Josh Bates and Tom Murray were officially selected, there was really only one worth noting.
Isaac Chugg was the only player who kept Wonthaggi in the game.
Had he not played, Traralgon would have walked into the Preliminary Final.
Chugg’s poise from defensive 50 repealed many forward entries, while his sure disposal by foot saved the day on numerous occasions.
The former Collingwood player may have been sweating underneath his long sleeve jumper after the amount of times he was called upon to do the heavy lifting.
None more so than in a frantic final term when he sprinted from the wing to the goal square to lay a tackle and win the ball back.
Such an act would have looked out of place in the first quarter, as the Power started the better of the two sides.
Kicking with the breeze to the Can Bar end at Ted Summerton Reserve, Wonthaggi enjoyed a fast start by way of inside 50s in the first 10 minutes.
Signs appeared ominous for Traralgon, although for all of the Power’s dominance, they only managed 1.2 (8) to 0.1 (1) by quarter time.
A scrappy opening was a precursor to how the second term unfolded, with the ball spending most of the first 10 minutes parked on the wing opposite the clubrooms.
Traralgon got up and running on the approach to halftime, kicking three goals to take a handy seven point lead into the sheds.
Goals to Luis D’Angelo and Jackson McMahon from in front of the bar provided a spark, while around the ground, ruckman Max Jacobsen was clunking most high balls that came his way.
With stakes and emotions high, players naturally questioned a few decisions, although the umpires should be commended for seeing that nothing ever boiled over. The performance of the young female umpire was especially noteworthy, particularly for how strong she was in her decision-making. Whenever a query came her way, she needed just one word to defuse the situation – “enough”.
Traralgon re-entered the arena down one rotation, after dashing defender Joel Scholtes dislocated his shoulder.
The left-footer had come back into the team following a two week layoff, and judging by the knee brace strapped to his right leg, was clearly still under an injury cloud.
The Maroons played Hourigan as a spare in defence kicking into the breeze, and Wonthaggi must have thought he was playing for them judging by the amount of times they kicked it to him.
At the other end, Dylan Loprese pulled out the trick bag, taking two separate one-handed contested marks in succession on either side of his body.
Loprese kicked Traralgon’s only goal for the quarter, but importantly, they had kicked a major into the breeze, and extended the margin to 15 points.
The first real signs of things starting to unravel for Wonthaggi came at the 25-minute mark, when Jordan Cunico accepted a pass right in front of goal with no Power player within 10 metres of him.
A subsequent miss was their only saving grace, and while the three quarter time margin was just seven points, the toll of playing virtual elimination finals for more than two months was starting to show.
Wonthaggi looked tired, their skill level dropped, and players went missing.
Aiden Lindsay is a seven-time best-and-fairest winner for the Power – he would have been lucky to touch the ball that many times this game.
Hourigan was moved into the centre for the last quarter, as coach Troy Hamilton delivered the final instructions.
“They are a proud club, they will come,” he said.
“Talk to defend, you can feel our run is coming – keep it coming.”
Traralgon kicked the first of the last following a 10-minute arm wrestling period, which in the context of the game, gave them some reassuring breathing space.
Wonthaggi did not die wondering, and threw themselves in manically trying to find an avenue forward, but it was all to no avail.
Some hectic moments played out, none more so than when O’Connor was awarded a free kick, and called to play on without realising, and was then pinned for holding the ball himself.
The result from that play led the ball to find its way to Loprese, who nursed home a set shot from close range to put the result beyond doubt.
Loprese was among the best players in the win, along with Waack, Hourigan, D’Angelo, Jacobsen and Membrey.
How dour the match was may have been best summed up by the fact Wonthaggi’s final score was the lowest in league history for a first semi-final, while Traralgon’s was only three points off entering the top three.
Not that the Maroons will care in the slightest, they are now only one win away from a Grand Final.
Leongatha 13.17 (95) def Moe 5.7 (37)
ALL you can do is admire Leongatha.
Eight Grand Finals in a row.
This is in a major league too don’t forget. It’s not like they are a big town playing in a farmer’s league.
If anything, they are the farmers showing everyone else up.
To paraphrase Ricky Bobby, they are the best there is, plain and simple.
This has to be the greatest dynasty the Gippsland League has ever seen.
No one has done what the Parrots have now done.
Traralgon held the previous record with seven Grand Final appearances in a row (1960-66).
Leongatha would probably be even further past that mark had it not been for events at the turn of the last decade.
We are witnessing greatness.
It’s Roger spending 237 consecutive weeks at Number 1.
It’s the Australian Test cricket team in the late 90s/early 2000s.
It’s The Beatles with 20 No. 1 hits.
Among the crowd at Leongatha Recreation Reserve last Saturday was Leigh Poholke.
Poholke had been announced as Moe’s new senior coach as the Lion’s entered their second semi-final clash with the Parrots.
The announcement coincided with an overall morale boost following Moe’s gritty win in the Qualifying Final against Traralgon.
Poholke, who has ties to Moe, had previously coached Sorrento in the high standard, high money, Mornington-Peninsula league.
What he witnessed Leongatha do might not have looked out of place at that level.
The Parrots were at their merciless best, and brushed Moe aside in a sheer display of dominance, 13.17 (95) to 5.7 (37).
The final margin was 58 points, but only because Leongatha missed a number of more than gettable shots in the 17 behinds they registered, while three of the Lions’ five goals came in junk time.
At one stage, the Parrots had kicked more behinds than Moe had total score.
The Lions did not even score a goal until the six minute mark of the third quarter.
Moe was possibly saved an even greater quarter time deficit after the first two Leongatha’s forward 50 entries saw marks not paid to Jack Ginnane and Cameron Olden.
There was danger signs for Moe only 10 minutes into the game, as Leongatha made all the headway kicking toward the entrance of their home ground.
The Parrots kicked the first three goals of the game, while it took until the 17-minute mark for the Lions to even register an inside 50 at the other end.
While Moe was fighting hard in the contest, they simply couldn’t catch Leongatha once the ball got on the outside.
The Lions appeared relatively composed at quarter time despite the scoreboard, as injured playing-coach Declan Keilty told his troops to “not let them bully us”.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the second quarter went even worse than the first.
Leongatha made a mockery of the so-called scoring end, again keeping Moe to just two behinds.
Their pressure was such that the Lions made a number of basic skill errors by foot, with some of their best distributor’s even falling victim.
Leongatha were incredible, but it was equally train wreck stuff the number of 20 metre targets Moe missed.
“It isn’t raining is it?” one frustrated Moe supporter quipped as another errant pass went astray.
Lion’s midfielder Trent Baldi laid a huge tackle on opposite number Kim Drew, showing some strong resolve, but unfortunately for some wearing the maroon and blue, you could have counted on one hand their number of possessions.
The Parrots by contrast had contributors on every line.
Drew, Tom Marriott, Luke Bowman, Tim Sauvarin, Travis Nash and Jack Hume were named in the best, but in actuality, you could have honestly named just about every player.
They all just did what they had to do when it was their turn to do it.
A spoil by Guy Dickson into the carpark was celebrated as every bit as good as a goal, while a pass from Tallin Brill to Olden inside 50 after the former had taken a mark and looked certain of having a set shot summed up the different wavelengths the two teams were operating on.
Brill’s dash between the arcs stood out, as did the Parrots’ willingness to keep the ball alive by any means possible, be it via knock-ons or quick hands in close.
The halftime break couldn’t come quick enough for the Lions, yet it took only 90 seconds upon the resumption for Leongatha to register another goal.
Marriott found himself with acres of space breaking free from a stoppage, kicking his first for the afternoon, before kicking a long range set shot in the last quarter that brought nearly all teammates to him in celebration as the Parrots booked themselves another Grand Final ticket.
Never one to rest on their laurels, the professionalism of the two-time reigning premier was plain to see.
Yelling from halfback, veteran Cade Maskell urged those further up the field to “finish our work”, as the Parrots kicked 4.6 (30) in the third term.
By three quarter time, Moe was confined to the fact it would be playing in the Preliminary Final next week.
The Lions set out to win the quarter, and were able to break even in terms of goals.
The Moe defence was kept busy, and Brock Smith and Ben Maslen were recognised for their efforts under duress.
Riley and Trent Baldi were also honest, as was Ben Daniher and Jacob Balfour.
Bowman might have to face the music for a dangerous tackle on Smith in the first quarter, which saw the Moe player lifted very high.
Given recent history, Bowman will likely leave ‘Kangaroo Court’ with a suspended sentence at most that will allow him to play in the Grand Final.
It’s been a good year to be a dairy farmer: Leongatha, Fish Creek, Woodside and Buln Buln are all in their respective league Grand Finals, while Boisdale-Briagolong has already won the flag in theirs.
There could be record sales of Kahlua for the month of September.
Gippsland League Preliminary Final Preview
THERE can only be one.
Latrobe Valley rivals Moe and Traralgon will clash in the Gippsland League Preliminary Final this Saturday.
The winner will advance to the Grand Final, to meet and try and dethrone the might of Leongatha.
While there are differing subplots attached to the narratives of both sides, there is at least one similarity: both clubs will feel as though it has been far too long between Grand Final appearances.
For a club so accustomed to winning premierships, holding the league record with 20, it has been the best part of a decade since the Maroons reached the big dance (2015).
Moe’s stretch goes back even further, more than two decades in fact (2000).
If numerology provides any surety, 2005 was the last time Traralgon and Moe played in a Preliminary Final.
The Maroons went on to win the premiership that season, rolling a Maffra side with a winning streak that would make Leongatha of today appear second-rate.
The Eagles had won 45 games in a row up until Grand Final day 2005, but were beaten in what could well live on as the greatest of all premiership heists.
That day will reach its 20-year anniversary next year, yet part of it is still celebrated daily. Of those 20 premierships, 2005 is the only one to have its own sign outside the Traralgon Showgrounds.
How much and yet how little has changed since then.
The Maroons’ coach that year was Tony Lane; Moe’s was Lachlan Sim.
Lane has a grandstand named after him at Traralgon. Anyone who has anything to do with Moe knows Sim.
History might well just be a romantic notion by the time this Saturday rolls around.
This is a new era, with relatively new teams on both sides.
Moe lost more than 500 senior games of experience in the offseason through the departures of Tom Long, Ben Morrow and James Blaser.
Not many were expecting Traralgon to cause much damage after saying goodbye to coach Jake Best, key forward Brett Eddy and midfield guns Tom Schneider and Mark Collison.
Time stops for no one however, and the next wave of players have now taken up the mantle.
Moe twins Riley and Trent Baldi have become two of the best midfielders in the competition, while Scott van Dyk, Ben Maslen and Brock Smith form part of a defence that is letting through just two-and-a-half goals on average per quarter.
Traralgon’s defence has also blossomed, in part due to the sudden emergence of Mitch Membrey. While Membrey has been around the scene for many years, he is now one of the more senior members of the Maroons, and in turn, is enjoying his best season to date, named in the best eight times from 18 games.
Membrey might be without fellow defender Joel Scholtes this weekend, after he injured his shoulder in the first semi-final. The situation looks like it will mean at least one change is needed for the Maroons, and same looks set for Moe.
The Lions have Gippsland Power livewire Tom Matthews available, owning to Power losing their final at the weekend.
Unfortunately, his Gippsland Power teammate Liam Masters looks likely to miss, after sustaining an injury for Moe during the second semi-final.
Moe players watched the first semi-final between Traralgon and Wonthaggi with intent last Sunday, from the upstairs comfort of their clubrooms at Ted Summerton Reserve.
Some big hits were laid in the final term, as the Power tried their best to overcome the deficit.
Whether or not there is any collateral damage remains to be seen, but the Lions will be looking to take any advantage that comes with an extra day’s rest.
The catch-22 will be the fact the Preliminary Final is in Traralgon, meaning the home ground advantage will have to count for something as far as the Maroons are concerned.
While it looks as though the red carpet has been rolled out for Traralgon, they can ill-afford to put too much emphasis on where the final is played. It didn’t work for Brisbane in 2020.
The Preliminary Final sets up a rematch of the Qualifying Final, which Moe won by four points.
The Lions showed plenty of grit a fortnight ago, getting up in shockingly windy conditions and with playing-coach Declan Keilty on crutches for the entire second half.
While the on-field rivalry between the two sides is sure to go on for all eternity, relationships remain relatively congenial.
The Express understands Traralgon forward Dylan Loprese sent a text to Keilty after the Qualifying Final, wishing him all the best in his recovery.
The Maroons held sway in the two regular season matches against Moe, the second of which resulted in a commanding 10 goal win.
Traralgon will be out to replicate how they were able to connect up forward that day, although the Lions will take solace knowing that in general play, they were able to match it in most areas.
