Irving leads Industrials to premiership
Another inspirational performance from Tyler Irving helped Warragul Industrials to the Ellinbank District Football League under 16 premiership.
The league best and fairest runner up relished the slippery conditions and was dominant from the outset on the way to winning the best on ground medal.
His performance helped the Industrials to a comfortable victory over Buln Buln in the decider, 5-5 (35) to 3-5 (23), with only consolation goals helping the Lyrebirds put some respectability back onto the scoreboard.
The Industrials made use of the better ground conditions early, racing out to a 19-point lead at quarter time.
With the start time pushed back by half an hour to allow Council workers and volunteers to remove much of the surface water from heavy overnight rain, the Industrials scored three goals in the first term to take control.
It was a real scrap to win the football on the slippery surface early.
Buln Buln went forward first but it would prove to be a rare entry for the term as the Industrials set the tone.
A mark to Ryley Green set up the first attack for Industrials, kicking inboard but the resultant kick sailed out on the full.
Darcy Porch intercepted the kick out to set up Irving to snap a goal.
Both sides traded forward entries before a strong pack mark to Lachlan Bambridge, but his shot missed.
Irving sent the Industrials forward again, but the kick drifted out of bounds.
Harrison Perry made good position in front to goal and establish a buffer for the Industrials.
Irving was having a dominant first term and capped it with his second goal to give the Industrials a handy 19-point lead at the first change.
Conditions then turned the next two terms into a real arm wrestle, with intermittent showers not helping the grounds cause.
Neither side were able to score a goal in a torrid second term.
The Industrials continued to control proceedings but could only manage minor scores, while two late misses saw the half time score at 3-4 (22) to 0-2 (2).
The arm wrestle continued in the third term, with a 50-metre penalty for not returning the ball properly proving costly for the Lyrebirds to gift the Industrials a goal.
With a 27-point lead at the final change, conditions meant the match was arguably in the Industrials keeping, although the Lyrebirds made a good effort to come back in the final term.
The Lyrebirds rolled through the first goal for the final term and created some momentum, scoring again before Jake Smith marked directly in front to kick truly.
A late goal to the Industrials arrested the momentum and staved off any hopes of a miraculous comeback.
Irving was by far the best player on the ground, with Bambridge, Henry Tyers, Darcy Whelan, Perry and Oliver Marek also helped the Industrials to the premiership.
Smith, Thomas Jessup, Jack Storey, Jaryd Kelly, Nelson Brew and Jack Chesterfield helped the Lyrebirds to a strong finish.