Draw and tight matches shape footy
Ellinbank and District and Mid Gippsland leagues had a mid-season holiday for the Queen’s Birthday weekend with West Gippsland joining Gippsland league in playing a full round of matches.
Gippsland League neighbours Traralgon and Morwell moved their traditional Monday holiday rivalry to Saturday and produced a “thriller”. It was a 54-point all draw at the siren. Traralgon goaled with only a couple of minutes left in the game to lead by a point but a desperate Morwell forced the ball forward to score the behind that levelled the game.
There was only four points in the BairnsdaleSale match at the last change and Wonthaggi Power had the upper hand over Moe.
That was until Bairnsdale and Moe turned on stunning last quarters.
Seven of Moe’s 11 goals for the match were scored in that term to take it to an 11-16 to 117 win while Bairnsdale’s barn-storming ninegoal final quarter cast Sale aside. The Redlegs eventually won 18-13 to 10-14. In the other games Leongatha retained top place on the ladder accounting for Warragul while Maffra was too good for Drouin.
In the West Gippsland league matches went largely to script.
The only bit of a surprise was improving Nar Nar Goon’s comfortable 12-18 to 5-10 defeat of Phillip Island at Cowes.
The loss has cost the Islanders their place in the “five”. Cora Lynn was far too good for Bunyip winning 23-9 to 8-7 leaving Bunyip to look to the second half of the year for its first win.
Dalyston held off Koo wee rup 10-6 to 7-9 in the match of the round while leader Inverloch-Kongwak had too many guns for Garfield scoring 16-14 to 8-15.
On Sunday the strongly favoured KilcundaBass just fell over the line – by two points over Korumburra-Bena that had led for most of the game.