TOP FIVE SIDES ALL WINNERS
The top five Gippsland League teams all won on Saturday as the home-and-away season reached the halfway point.
Leongatha’s strong win at home against Bairnsdale now has it in a clear fifth position with five wins from the nine rounds, with Bairnsdale dropping a game behind.
Encouraging for the Parrots as well as the 62-point victory was that talls Ben Willis and James Lloyd returned after lengthy injury breaks along with Chris Dunne, Pat McGrath and Josh Schelling, who didn’t play the previous week, among seven changes on Saturday.
Cade Maskell missed the match against Bairnsdale and last year’s Trood Award and Rodda Medallist Tom Marriott is getting closer to playing his first game for the year.
Sale maintained its two-game lead at the top of the ladder having suffered only one defeat for the season.
It got over Morwell at Morwell on Saturday but by no means had it all its own way.
The Tigers even led by two points at half time giving them hope of causing another upset and although they finished with one more scoring shot lost 8-11 to 13-5.
Morwell kicked 3-7 after half time, Sale 8-3.
Maffra, Moe and Drouin hold 2nd to 4th places on the ladder, each with six wins.
Moe did it quite easily in the end at Western Park downing Warragul 21-14 to 109.
But Maffra and Drouin had to pull out all stops in the second halves of their matches to get the points.
Up and against a Traralgon side that had won its past two and was desperate to push a bit closer to the “five” Maffra got a shock in the first half and went into the dressing rooms at the long break trailing by 13 points.
But the Eagles were able to restrict Traralgon to 1-8 for the rest of the match to run out 13-7 to 812 winners.
At Wonthaggi, Drouin led Power by three points at half time but could well have been behind.
The third term was the Hawks’ matchwinner extending the lead to 30 points on the way to an eventual 12-6 to 7-11 win.
Wonthaggi probably won’t figure in finals but on its days could make life uncomfortable for those fighting for spots in the “five”.
The homeward draw takes some funny twists over the next six rounds with a mix of byes and a split round.
Next weekend Sale and Bairnsdale will have byes.
But there are some big games among the other four.
None moreso than Maffra at home to Leongatha and the visit by Drouin to Traralgon.
Drouin has an opportunity to make big inroads into consolidating its place in the “five” if it can repeat its round one victory over the Maroons.
It won’t be easy against a proud club that has shown its best form for the season over the past three weeks and will not have given up hope of making a late charge for finals.
A defeat could end any of Traralgon’s hopes.
Maffra won the season opener at Leongatha in a grand final replay by 12 points.
There is a lot at stake for both next Saturday.
Maffra will be aiming to shore up a top three spot while for Leongatha it will be a chance to take a firmer grip on 5th before also looking to mount a charge to finish in a double chance position.
Wonthaggi, like Traralgon, is two games from fifth position.
Power can stay in touch with the top group if it can get over Warragul at Warragul.
The Gulls have been a frustration this year.
They are well capable of an upset but will need to hold their game together across four quarters.
Moe will start a nominal favourite at home against Morwell.
The Lions can look premiership material at times while Morwell is one of the sides out of the “five,” and unlikely to get there, that can throw a spanner in the works of those higher up the ladder.
Games at grounds of first named clubs on Saturday are:Traralgon v. Drouin. Warragul v. Wonthaggi. Moe v. Morwell. Maffra v. Leongatha. Bairnsdale and Sale have byes.