Gulls good but not quite good enough
Warragul just failed in its bid to be in the driver’s seat to claim the 5th finals spot going down by just 10 points to Sale at Sale on Saturday.
The Magpies, sitting third on the ladder and still with an outside chance of grabbing top spot, prevailed 8-13 to 8-3 in a game that was tight throughout.
When Brayden Fowler kicked his third and Warragul’s final goal in the last quarter there was less than a kick between the sides.
It was a hard, tough battle in the last term, Sale’s only goal – the sealer – coming from star rover Kane Martin.
A strong swirling wind that forced most play to the eastern flank, the hard ground surface that produced unpredictable bounce of the ball and the odd shower was not a formula for pretty football.
Instead it was a battle between two sides not prepared to give ground.
An ounce of luck here and there might have been enough to get Warragul through.
However, Sale’s greater experience held it in good stead at crucial times.
The Gulls showed they were certainly up for the fight when they more than matched everything Sale could offer in an opening term that had Warragul with a 2-1 to 1-2 lead.
By half time the Magpies had edged ahead 3-5 to 3-1.
The game opened up a bit in the third term.
Each side kicked four goals, half of their eventual totals for the match, and it was still Sale with a slight advantage, 7-9 to 7-1.
The last quarter was an arm wrestle with the difficult conditions and tiring bodies.
Fowler’s goal for Warragul cut the gap to just a few points and although the ball was in the Gulls’ half of the ground plenty of the time couldn’t break through as Sale swept numbers into their defensive half.
Martin eventually broke clear to goal late when the Magpies pushed forward giving reward to coach Shane Fyfe playing his 250th senior game with the club.
The experience of players such as Martin, Fyfe, Jordan Dessent, Chris Laverty and ruckman Jack Lipman was evident in the tight contest.
Warragul brought in two thirds players among three changes to the side that toppled Maffra a week earlier.
The juniors Mason McGarrity and Sam Fennell did their bits kicking two and one goals respectively in a match in which goals were at a premium and never easy.
Also back in was Tyssen Morrow but he and captain Tom Muir both went into the game a bit below full fitness.
The “outs” were Michael Coombes (hamstring), Tom Kelly (at Frankston VFL side) and Matthew Ross unavailable.
Despite Sale’s edge in the ruck Warragul on-ballers Nate Paredes and Kim Drew were again great warriors for their side with the ball in dispute at ground level much of the time.
James Davidson, Sam Russell and Jake Hughes were resolute in restricting Sale’s strong forward lines and Luke Di Ciero (two goals) provided bite in the Gulls’ attack.