FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Yinnar has held on to second position on the Mid Gippsland ladder after it got home in a thriller against Mirboo North by two points.
Luckily for the Tigers, Newborough also lost meaning both teams kept the same positions.
This was a match Mirboo North had to win, but it was Yinnar’s strength which pulled it through in another heart-stopping finish.
James Dowling was again the forward mover for Yinnar as he continually drove the Magpies in for scoring chances.
Tim Aitken, back from injury, scored three goals in the heavy conditions.
There was never much between the two sides with Yinnar gaining the early break.
Mirboo North then fought back but was still behind.
A big third term gave the Tigers a slender lead at three-quarter-time, but in the final term Yinnar was just too good, scoring two goals from three shots while Mirboo North only managed one goal from five attempts.
Morwell East v Boolarra
Boolarra won its second consecutive match, but it was a hard-earned win against Morwell East.
The Demons controlled the forward line in the first half, thanks to Troy Tobin, and built a 23-point lead by half-time.
Morwell East fought strongly in the third quarter, restricting Boolarra to two behinds, and took a one-point lead into the last change.
Hawks’ Brad Gibson goaled early in the fourth to stretch the lead out to seven points, but Tobin marked strongly and converted to put Boolarra back into the loop.
It was goal for goal as Morwell East hit the front again with another goal through Ben Marks.
With nothing but pride at stake, Boolarra threw everything into the final 10 minutes scoring two goals through Tobin and Daniel Metcalfe to regain the lead.
The East had their chances but were blown away after Matt Windsor took two strong defensive marks to keep the Hawks at bay.
Sam Mazou then goaled for Boolarra which signalled the end of Morwell East as the Demons ran out winners 11.8 (74) to 9.8 (62).
Tobin again showed remarkable skill with a tally of six goals (and a further six in the thirds).
For Morwell East, Gibson scored three.
Windsor played well, with Tobin, Kyle Sleep and Mazou also featuring among the best.
For the East, Tyler Scott, Brendan Evans, Harleigh Aarons and Dean Brooks played well.
Thorpdale v Newborough
Thorpdale relived its dreams of a finals berth with a courageous nine-point win against Newborough in tough weather conditions.
The win was vital for the Blues as a loss would have seen them tumbling down to sixth with no way back.
With Trafalgar only two points behind, the next two matches are very important for both teams.
Thorpdale led all day in the bad conditions, which kept the game close, but Newborough’s three-goal final term brought shudders to the Blues camp.
However, Thorpdale hung on to record a 6.10 (40) to 5.7 (37) victory.
The lack of a dedicated full-forward could have been Newborough’s downfall as five players shared the goals.
Jack Yelland produced his best for Thorpdale with Nick Brown, Kris Bedford and Trent Gibson in great support.
For Newborough, Jarrod Bennetts, Jake Bowden, Chris Hancock and Stuart Robertson were in the mix.
Yallourn Yallourn North v Hill End
Despite playing below its best, league leader Yallourn Yallourn North did enough to record a comfortable victory against Hill End.
Against stronger opposition YYN’s final score of 8.18 may not have been a winner, but against the bottom-placed club it was enough to secure the four points.
It was the second time this season Hill End had kept the league leaders to eight goals.
Conditions made it impossible to play attractive football and Hill End fought hard without too much success, bending to the more powerful YYN side.
Adam Bailey would not have been too pleased with the last quarter effort by his Bombers as they splattered away chances to score 1.7 (13) to 1.0 (6), but eventually had enough to win 8.18 (66) to 2.1 (13).
Yarragon v Trafalgar
Trafalgar’s dream of a final berth was all but lost with fifth-placed Thorpdale getting over the line against Newborough.
And Yarragon’s dreams of retaining the Waterloo Cup were shattered in the first quarter when the Bloods ran all over the Panthers.
Players struggled in the heavy conditions, but Trafalgar used the ball to its advantage.
Yarragon’s defence was under pressure as Trafalgar drifted the ball around its forward line scoring goals with ease.
By quarter-time the Bloods had skipped out to a 25-point lead.
The second term was mostly in Trafalgar’s half of the ground as the Bloods continually drove the ball forward.
However, Trafalgar could only manage 1.5 (11) while Yarragon struggled to get the ball past centre and failed to score.
By the long break Trafalgar held a handy 36-point lead and continued strongly in the second half.
The Bloods scored 2.4 (16) to nil in the third and the final quarter was a goal fest, with 10 goals scored – six from Trafalgar and four from Yarragon.
Trafalgar ran out victors 14.15 (99) to Yarragon’s 5.5 (35).
