Garfield and Bunyip fall short
by Keith Anderson
Garfield and Bunyip both fell just short of upset wins in the West Gippsland football competition on Saturday.
With both sides striving to stay in touch with the “five” they left nothing in the bank in trying to down higher ranked opposition.
Garfield, that led at both first half breaks against top of the ladder Cora Lynn, fell 14 points short at the finish with the Cobra’s Nathan Langley’s six goals the difference.
Bunyip lowered its colours by 15 points at the finish to Tooradin-Dalmore in a match that was close throughout.
The defeats leave Bunyip and Garfield two wins from fifth place on the ladder.
The closest match of the round – three points – was Koo wee rup’s win over Inverloch-Kongwak.
In other games Phillip Island, as expected, was far too good for Dalyston scoring by 121 points, Korumburra-Bena downed Kilcunda-Bass 15-7 to 11-10 and in a Sunday game at Warragul the search by Warragul Industrials for its first win in its new league remained unfulfilled.
It was one-way traffic from the start with Nar Nar Goon winning easily, 16-8 to 5-11.
In Gippsland League Drouin and Bairnsdale swapped fifth and sixth positions after Drouin won by three goals at Morwell and Bairnsdale failed to get over Wonthaggi on the long road trip to Wonthaggi.
Defending premier Leongatha lost its second home game, this time against Sale that retained top place on the ladder.
The Parrots have slipped to a four-three winloss record to be one of three teams between third and fifth on 16 points.
Maffra inflicted Moe’s third loss in a row to retain second spot with a workmanlike 33-point win and Traralgon jumped from the bottom of the ladder to seventh with a strong win over a heavily depleted Warragul.
Ellinbank and District League’s Buln Buln surrendered a 41-point half time lead and its place in the “five” when Catani kicked 12 goals to five in the second half to snatch a 15-7 to 15-4 victory at Buln Buln.
Results in the other games in the league were predictable.
Longwarry continued its undefeated season that has it a game clear at the top of the ladder when it disposed of Yarragon 15-10 to 5-6.
The Crows’ closest pursuer, Ellinbank, took charge of its game against Nyora after quarter time to run out 13-9 to 7-11 winners.
Buln Buln’s loss enabled Nyora to remain in the “five”.
Poowong (third) got over Lang Lang by 41 points and Neerim Neerim South moved into the top group and got an important percentage boost with its 18-19 to 8-6 win against Nilma-Darnum.
The Mid Gippsland League round emphasised the big gap between the top sides and the rest. The closest result was 68 points. That was the winning margin for Morwell East over Newborough.
Yinnar 19-13 downed Boolarra 6-6 by 85 points, Yallourn Yallourn North was a 107-point winner – 20-17 to 4-6 – over Trafalgar and Hill End trounced Thorpdale by a round high 109 points.
Mirboo North, that had the bye, and Yallourn Yallourn North will battle it out next week to decide which reaches the halfway point of the home-and-away season on top of the ladder.
Also in the “five” are Morwell East, Hill End and Yinnar with a two-game and percentage gap to the sixth side.