MORE BIG GAMES COMING UP
Another crucial round next weekend, the third last of the home and away season, won’t decide Gippsland league’s final “:five”.
But it could be a good pointer.
There are two games Drouin versus Wonthaggi Power at Drouin and Sale at home to Warragul - where the winners could set themselves up and strengthen their claims.
Wonthaggi and Warragul were solid winners when the respective games were held earlier in the season.
A lot has changed since then.
The winners of those two games played at home, both will be away this week.
Since the loss at Wonthaggi Drouin has won six of eight games, lowering its colours to only Leongatha and Traralgon.
Wonthaggi has added a bit more depth but its form has been a bit up and down and its five wins since beating Drouin have all been hard-earned; by 21, 11, seven, seven and two points.
The condition of the Drouin oval may come into play on Saturday.
It was a bog just a fortnight ago and still sloppy late last week, a vastly different surface to Wonthaggi’s sand based ground.
The Hawks have shown an ability to fight games out and have come from behind in a couple of key wins.
They’ll need all of that resolve against Wonthaggi as well as influential games again from its onballers.
Warragul can bring down the curtain on Sale’s season if it wins at Sale.
Defeat wouldn’t be the end for the Gulls but it would make it extremely tough for them to make up ground over the final two rounds with Traralgon and Maffra to come.
Warragul’s round eight win against Sale, along with two over Wonthaggi, are probably its best performances of the year.
However, they’ll face a much improved, better structured and more confident Sale this time.
The importance of the Drouin-Wonthaggi and Warragul-Sale contests has relegated the status of what would usually be match of the round - 2nd placed Maffra against 3rd placed Traralgon at Maffra.
The teams seems destined to meet in the qualifying final and some confidence for that game will be the main benefit for Saturday’s winner.
Maffra got home by 14 points when the sides met at Traralgon back in May.
Form suggests Moe’s remote hope of staying in finals contention will end at Leongatha.
At Bairnsdale, the wooden spoon will be at stake when the Redlegs host Morwell.
Round 16 matches on Saturday at grounds of first named clubs are:Drouin v. Wonthaggi Power. Sale v. Warragul. Maffra v. Traralgon. Bairnsdale v. Morwell. Leongatha v. Moe.