FOOTBALL

NORTH GIPPSLAND

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

UPON results in Round 11 of the North Gippsland Football-Netball League, the ladder has begun to shape into a far more competitive race with just over a month to go in the home-and-away season.

While Traralgon Tyers United, Woodside and Heyfield sit healthy at the top, the last seven rounds remain crucial for the mid-tier sides desperately trying to secure the last two slots for finals contention.

 

Sale City 15.14 (104) def YYN 14.5 (89)

HUNTING their opportunities, the Doggies are still alive.

After a slow start to the year, Sale City are right back in the mix for back-to-back finals appearances after victory over Yallourn Yallourn North, 15.14 (104) to 14.5 (89) at Stephenson Park.

Bulldogs playing-coach Jacob Schuback connected with Kaden Mcculloch for the first strike of the day, but the Jets worked against a pressing Sale City to respond quickly off the hands of YYN playing-coach Dean MacDonald in his 150th game for the club.

Play continued to be hot between the two sides throughout the opening quarter, with the Jets leading by a point (20-19), only for the Bulldogs to pounce.

Sale City ended the first term with the final three goals, including two from Flynn Read, to see the home side ahead by 19 points at quarter time.

As play returned, it picked up exactly where it left off, with Kane Martin finding Mcculloch for his third goal early in the piece, extending the Bulldogs lead to 25 points.

Just before Sale City added yet another, YYN was forced to flip the magnets around after losing key defender Darcy Shellcot with a lower leg injury.

The Bulldogs made the most of it, catching the Jets on their toes, with three of the four goals to halftime, including a ridiculous fling from Joel Gray that was marked perfectly through the big sticks. Sale City moved into the main break holding a 58-27 lead.

With results to play out on the day, Sale City knew they were in prime position to sit in the best spot on the ladder all season, and returned to the ground in full force.

The Jets had barely anytime to touch the ball in the first five minutes of the second half, with the Bulldogs quickly shooting out three goals to extend the margin beyond 50 points in a flash.

The desire from Sale City was perhaps most evident when Jaxsyn Whitehill was found in a centre ground contest, striding into their forward line with one bounce in between, connecting with Cameron Johnson before receiving the ball back and sending it through for a clear goal of the day.

YYN finally answered with back-to-back majors from MacDonald and Dylan Bath to bring the margin back to a six goals.

While the latter stages of the third quarter evened and mellowed out, Sale City still ceased when the tide looked to be turning back, with two of the final three goals of the term to see the Jets facing a 47-point deficit into the last turn.

What supported Sale City’s success throughout the first three quarters was limiting YYN’s chances going forward, setting up smartly behind the ball with free men taking up space.

The Jets took their time and precariously worked the ball closer to home on their first drive, and Dylan Keyhoe shot YYN some hope with a crazy goal that graced his boot despite his only intention being to mark the ball on the goal line.

Nevertheless, that was all that was needed to light the spark, as the Jets began to show signs of life for the first time all day with the following four goals, including a bomb from Lachlan Rees to cut the margin back to 19 points.

Despite the added pressure that Sale City hadn’t really seen at all during the day, the Bulldogs connected nicely for a few short chips, before Schuback sent through the sealer.

While the Jets added the final two goals, time wasn’t on their side, as YYN worsened their opportunities at a double chance in the finals by catching up with Heyfield.

Sale City climbed to sixth on the ladder, only out of the top five on percentage, with all the belief in their corner.

Ruckman Daine McGuiness was awarded best-on-ground for the Bulldogs, followed by Schuback, Mcculloch, Whitehill, Martin and Declan Carstairs.

Jai Massese, Lachlan Little, Rees, Campbell MacInnes, Tyler Brown and Rohan Reid made out YYN’s best.

 

Rosedale 12.6 (78) def Cowwarr 8.5 (53)

FIGHTING through the noise.

Last quarter heroics saved Rosedale from what would have been a disappointing defeat at the hands of Cowwarr.

The Blues secured their fifth win for the year, 12.6 (78) to 8.5 (53) at Rosedale Recreation Reserve.

Something must have gotten into the water, because the Saints jumped out away from home with a 3.1 (19) to 1.1 (7) opening quarter.

Despite Cowwarr nailing the first goal of the second term, the Blues responded with four of the last five of the first half to see the game all tied up heading into the main break.

Neither side was preparing to give in, knowing what was at stake.

After a great month for Rosedale, they were still at risk of dropping out of finals, while Cowwarr was still alive to jump within two games of the top five with victory.

That intensity was brought to the third term, with each side virtually going goal-for-goal, before Rosedale etched perhaps the most important one, as they moved ahead entering the final term up by just four points.

Adding the last two goals of the third quarter, the Blues finished with six of the last seven of the game to see out a critical win.

Jake Pawley stood out for Rosedale, followed by Harper Fox, Jay and Rohan Diamond, Declan Barnett (three goals) and Blake Safstrom.

Shane Morgan gave his all with four goals for Cowwarr, while Ben Coffey, Lachlan Sykes, Braden Paulet, Jake Brown and Patrick Tainsh also played well.

 

TTU 24.15 (159) def Glengarry 1.1 (7)

AN utter teardown by the Bombers.

TTU showed no remorse for the neighbouring club down the road, as they battered Glengarry to the tune of 152 points, 24.15 (159) to 1.1 (7), at Tyers.

While the Magpies may have laid the first punch for the day for playing-coach Alex Bermingham, that would be their only tangible reward – and it happened in the first five minutes.

The Bombers then proceeded to shutout the visiting side every way they were capable of, not even allowing a point to sail through their defending goal line until the final quarter.

A little bit after Bermingham’s major, TTU’s James Jacobsen replied, which then led to 23 unanswered goals.

The Bombers featured five multiple goal scorers, including Riley Denovan and Flynn Shields each with a bag of five.

Shields was names best afield, followed by Michael Jacobsen, William Curtain, James Jacobsen, Hayden Willaton and Denovan.

TTU has now completed the fixture circuit with an undefeated 10-win stand, with no one coming within 40 points of them since the opening round against Woodside – whom they play this weekend.

Callum Mitchell, Michael Ryan, Declan Masaro, Austin Blackford, Henry Bishop and Jai Moloney were named in the best for Glengarry.

After securing premiership points in three of their first six games, the Magpies have floundered, with their only respectable outing recently coming in a 26-point loss to Heyfield.

 

Heyfield 11.9 (75) def Yarram 7.8 (50)

HEYFIELD did all they had to in the final quarter to keep themselves ahead of the pack.

After swinging by Rosedale narrowly the week before, the Kangaroos were again presented a tough task travelling to Yarram.

Heyfield still got it done, 11.9 (75) to 7.8 (50), but not without a fight.

It opened well enough each way, but the Demons had the extra edge at home to be ahead marginally by two points at halftime.

The Kangaroos switched into focus as play returned however, mounting plenty of forward pressure to add four goals to two, going ahead by nine points entering the final turn.

Heyfield practically stopped Yarram when it mattered most, who added one major late, but other than that, it was all the Kangaroos.

Max Van Der Zwart was focal for the winners, followed by Tyson Graham, Thomas Marchesi, Robert McMillan, Billy Linaker and Finn Stephenson.

Yarram moved a game back off fifth spot after the result, but with games against Cowwarr and Glengarry in the next fortnight, momentum can switch quickly.

Liam Bentley, Kiefer Sutherland, Daniel Vardy, Thomas Mattern, Shem Rendell and Ben Mattern made up the Demons’ best players.

WOODSIDE had the bye.