FOOTBALL

NORTH GIPPSLAND

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

STRAP yourselves in, it all comes down to the last six weeks of North Gippsland football that will shape who’s destined for more in 2025.

Round 12 displayed some great performances, which have shifted the order of the food chain ever so slightly as we march on towards a gripping last month of the home-and-away season.

 

TTU 12.10 (82) def Woodside 6.11 (47)

TYERS reign.

Could Traralgon Tyers United be in for their second undefeated season in three years?

Well, the Bombers are in pole position to do so after taking down their closest rivals Woodside, 12.10 (82) to 6.11 (47).

Onlookers arrived to Tyers Recreational Reserve ready for a grand showcase, and while hotly contested and heated for two clubs playing in their ninth bout since Round 2, 2023 (including two grand final matchups), the game was played in close quarters and low-scoring throughout the first half.

While that was the case, even considering perfect conditions, it was primarily due to simply how well drilled and structured both sides remain as the two previous premiers of North Gippsland.

Woodside quickly entered a favourable period five minutes in as TTU’s Justin Savige took the head of Tom King, giving Savige a yellow card, and thus playing out a 17v18 contest for the next 15 minutes of the first term.

The Wildcats would certainly have liked to pour on more damage during this time, but both sides entered the first break with Woodside holding a 1.4 (10) to 0.2 (2), with the sole goal coming from skipper Ryan Foat.

After a break during the second quarter to tend to Caleb Michie, whom suffered a serious leg injury, the Bombers returned, a man short, and landed their first punch through a Flynn Shields snap.

Frazar Brouns gave the Bombers a lead shortly after, as TTU began to gain despite the challenges they’d faced early on in the piece, before Riley Denovan added to their efforts to extend the Bombers’ lead to 10 points.

Despite TTU appearing to get the game on their terms, Woodside answered emphatically, first through a brilliant left foot snap from Cameron Whiteoak, and then an equally impressive finish from Josh Kennedy pushed the Wildcats back in front.

Both sides continued to be given little room to work with, almost everytime all players were under extreme pressure, which made skill errors more common than usual between the two best teams in the competition.

However, the Bombers managed to hold onto a lead before halftime arrived, moving the ball as cleanly as seen in the opening stand through the middle of the ground, catching Woodside off guard as three TTU players got out the back, with Denovan finishing it off.

In returning after the main break, holding a six-point lead, the Bombers appeared to be the side hunting even more viscously than their opponent, pressing at all corners of the ground.

TTU locked in their forward 50 early on in the third quarter, and found success quickly from Brouns for his second.

The desire from the Bombers was perhaps best evident from Zach Kilgower, who made up over 10 metres of ground to smack the ball across the boundary line, with Woodside key forward Michael O’Sullivan flying for the mark.

Will Curtain added more for TTU, pushing them ahead by three goals, looking as though the class of the Bombers would outshine the reigning premier.

The Wildcats weren’t about simply hand the Bombers the win, O’Sullivan took one of his first marks inside range, before sending the ball in and letting teammate Foat take a contested mark closer to home for his second major.

O’Sullivan then got his own on the next trip down for Woodside, bringing the margin back to seven points.

The Bombers gave themselves a little bit more of a cushion after the ball landed into Hayden Willaton’s hands after a smart switch from Kilgower and Liam Michie – Willaton finished and moved the Bombers back to a two-goal lead.

Despite back within striking distance for the Wildcats only minutes ago, TTU’s Shields and Sam Curtain then rose equally to push the margin out to 26 points with one quarter spare.

The patch that Woodside displayed midway through the third term was all the fight they could exert on this occasion, as TTU entered the final moments with utter relentlessness, extending the lead to over 40 points with three straight majors.

Jake Albanese was best-on-ground for the Bombers, followed by Guy Sinclair producing a impressive game deep in defence, Shields (two goals), Sam Curtain (two), Brounds (two), and Kade Duncan.

The victory now moves TTU to an 11-0 start to the season, with a two-game cushion over the Wildcats, setting themselves up greatly for another deep finals campaign.

TTU’s depth continues to be their strong suit, getting through without captain Jye Neilson on the day, and saw periods without equal players on the field.

Luke Johnson, Michael Stockdale, Adam Janssen, Ethan Stephens, King, and Whiteoeak got the nod for Woodside.

The Wildcats will move past this loss quickly, preparing for a battle against risers Rosedale this weekend at home.

The way things are playing out, it won’t be surprising at all if TTU and Woodside see each other again on the last day in September, for what would be the third year in a row.

 

Cowwarr 19.5 (119) def Yarram 8.12 (60)

WHILE still a long ways away, Cowwarr are beginning to impress.

The Saints got the better of Yarram, 19.5 (119) to 8.12 (60), at Yarram Recreation Reserve, giving themselves a third salute on the year in perhaps their best overall performance in recent seasons.

Despite getting it done in a 10-goal blitz, Cowwarr were still made to work for the result, with the Demons holding a three-point lead at haltime, due to the Saints blowing a five goals to one start out of the gate.

What was perhaps most noteworthy from the match came from Cowwarr’s accuracy in front of goal.

Not only did the Saints complete 19 of their 24 scoring shots majorly, but they also booted 12.2 in the second half, which gave Yarram little hope of keeping close.

The Demons were more than likely stunned by what was unfolding on their own turf, as Yarram only managed one goal in the second half themselves.

No surprises that Keenan Hughes was at the front of that goal-kicking effort, finishing with nine for a best-on-ground performance – this was Hughes’ best haul since Round 14, 2023 against Rosedale (10 goals) when he was still playing for Yallourn Yallourn North.

Even more impressive than all things mentioned, it was Cowwarr’s first win at Yarram Recreation Reserve since the Demons joined North Gippsland in 2014 (previously in East Gippsland).

Ben Coffey with three goals, Jai Foulkes, Brett Grieve, Robbie Franham (three), and Shane Morgan were other to standout in the Saints historic performance.

Daniel Vardy, Kayleb Pearce (three goals), Griffin Underwood, Cody Harrison (three), Lochie Roberts, and Jake McFarland were Yarram’s best.

 

Heyfield 22.18 (150) def Churchill 2.3 (15)

HEYFIELD weren’t going to take Churchill lightly.

They also weren’t going to take it easy on them either, belting the Cougars by 135 points at Gaskin Park.

The Kangaroos are destined for special things this season, and given how decimated Churchill have been all year, it was already a foregone conclusion what was to play out.

Heyfield opened the floodgates early, mounting eight goals to nothing in the first quarter.

While only managing three majors in the second term, halftime still arrived with a 67-point lead in the hands of the Kangaroos.

The scoreline perhaps could have been worse than what it was, as Heyfield butchered some of their opportunities, booting 11.10 in the last half.

Finn Stephens (five goals), Thomas Marchesi, Kyle Graham (six), Miller Eastham, Harper Fraser, and Will Kelly stood tall for the Kangaroos.

Despite a null contest, the win does bring Heyfield equal for Woodside for second on the ladder, if only for the Wildcats percentage lead, bringing further intrigue to the top-placed sides in the backend of the regular season.

Joe Whykes, Jordan Fenech, Hayden Weir, Christopher Gardiner, Rory Peter, and Jordan Answerth were named in the best for Churchill.

 

Sale City 20.16 (136) def Gormandale 2.1 (13)

THE Bulldogs have climbed back into the finals race.

After a slow start to the season, Sale City have sang the song in their last four matches, and jumped into fifth on the ladder after a 123-point victory over Gormandale.

On a mission to reach finals for the second straight year in a row, the Bulldogs were giving nothing in their matchup against the Tigers at Stephenson Park.

Sale City held Gormandale goalless until the third quarter, compiling a 96-point lead before the Tigers grabbed their first major from Isaac Copland.

The Bulldogs then finished off with six goals in the final quarter to compile a nice little percentage boost, which is needed with them amongst a cluster of sides duking it out for the final two spots in the top five.

Kaden McChulloch, Hudson Tollner, Daine McGuiness, Declan Carstairs, Chad Evans, and Mason Benson were amongst the best for Sale City.

Cairstairs led the way with a five-goal haul, followed by a further four players booting three majors on the day.

Copland, Campbell Peavey, Flyn Roscoe, Hayden Richards, Jesse Siddle, and Cooper Jeffries were admirable for Gormandale.

 

Rosedale 20.9 (129) def Glengarry 5.3 (53)

BLUES tunes.

Rosedale have risen to their highest place on the ladder this deep into a season in quite some time.

The Blues currently sit fourth on the ladder after a 20.9 (129) to 5.3 (53) takedown of Glengarry at Rosedale Recreational Reserve.

The surprise side of 2025 were made to work for their victory, especially in the first half, however.

While Rosedale nailed the first two goals of the match on their home deck, they might’ve expected a struggling Magpies outfit to just roll over early on, but Glengarry quickly responded with three majors unanswered, as the opening stanza ended 20-all.

The Magpies continued to pursue, with the game going back-and-forth, ending in a nine-goal quarter all up.

Thanks to the final two majors of the first half, Rosedale held a seven-point lead heading into the main break.

The match continued to be played closely contested, but the Blues began to gain a bit more of an edge, booting the only two goals for the third quarter, giving them a 20-point lead moving into the final term.

Glengarry seemed to have pushed Rosedale as far as they possibly could for three quarters, with the Blues mounting a 10-goal stand towards the final siren, blowing the game out of the water.

This was a real turn of events, as Round 1 this year saw the two sides draw to begin each of their campaigns.

Rosedale playing coach Michael Driscoll led from the front with nine goals, with Harper Fox, Lachlan Speairs, Jay Diamond, James Edney, and Blake Safstrom all peforming at their best.

The Blues hold a little bit of percentage over Sale City, but due to Yallourn Yallourn North not playing this round, those two have featured in an additional match to date as it currently stands (YYN percentage at 160.78 compared to Rosedale’s 136.42)

Alex Bermingham, Kyle and Hudson Whateley, Jordan Thomas, Tom Harris, and Seth Healy were among Glengarry’s best.

 

YYN had the bye.