Another forgettable performance by Traf
Mirboo North might well have been forgiven if they chose to let another game slip, but to their credit they responded when challenged by Trafalgar, eventually winning 11-6-72 to 8-8-56.
In a year of forgettable performances the Bloods were confronted with a team far from their best, but still with plenty to play for in Mirboo North.
The Tigers are still planning to welcome back first choice players in each of the weeks leading into finals, but for now they were desperate to claim the premiership points that would also confirm them as a top three side with a double chance at the business end of the year.
Trafalgar got off to the start they planned for and showcased the sort of football that we hadn’t seen since their premiership year of 2018. They managed one of their best 30 minutes of the year which gave them an impressive 27 quarter time lead.
The second quarter was more of an arm wrestle. It wasn’t the prettiest of football, but it served its purpose for the visitors as they edged just a point closer and started to swing the momentum back their way. It was going to take a special effort by Mirboo North, and it wouldn’t happen unless it had total buy in by the team, and that’s what it seemed to have, with the side sensing the importance of the occasion.
In the final 30 minutes, the Tigers finally shook off the Bloods, scoring more than they had in the three quarters prior.
Brayden Wilson managed five goals for the day, while Mitchell Wightman was prominent for most of the day. Importantly, the win almost certainly secured a top three spot for Mirboo North and with more first choice players on their way back, the Tigers can only get even better.
Thorpdale V Yinnar It may have taken most of the season, but Yinnar finally showed what they are capable of, albeit against inferior opponents in Thorpdale, when they cruised to their most comfortable victory of the year, 22-18-150 to 3-5-23.
A win by Yinnar was always expected. With the Blues missing their coach Ray Pickering through illness, the task to match it with a top five side was always going to be tough.
Just how tough it was to be, was highlighted within 30 minutes when the Magpies peppered the goals on 14 occasions, scoring just six goals, but that constant attack continued for the entire match, with five more goals before half time.
With the premiership points assured and percentage irrelevant, it was important that the Magpies “systems” were improved not only in this match but in the fortnight ahead.
Maybe with that pressure off, we witnessed even further improvement by Yinnar in terms of accuracy, with the visitors backing up their 11 goals from 24 shots in the first half, with a further 11 goals from just 16 shots in the second.
The final five is settled, and Yinnar are very much a part of the that conversation, but with two weeks of the home and away season before finals, there is still work to be done or risk it all ending very quickly.
Boolarra V Newborough Newborough finally strung a couple of wins together when they took early control of their clash with Boolarra, to win 9-14-68 to 6-10-46. For the Bulldogs, securing a win on the back of last week’s victory over Thorpdale would achieve two feats at once, putting together two wins in a row, and at the same time climbing one spot further up the MGFL ladder.
The Demons however, had pencilled this one in as a potential win as well and were never going to give it up without a fight. With getting a good start the key, the first quarter scoreline would be an indicator of which team had prepared best for the contest, and although Newborough held a 10 point lead, it was obvious that both sides had very much come to play.
Accuracy was proving to be a problem for the Bulldogs, their six goals from thirteen shots at halftime had them leading by 21 points. But it wasn’t enough to shake off the Demons.
Both teams had battled manfully throughout the season, and both are matter of fact about just where their respective clubs sit, and the amount of work that still needs to be done.
Newborough now sit in seventh place with just three wins from 14 games.
Yallourn- Yallourn North v Morwell
East They were challenged, but they responded as good sides do, Yallourn-Yallourn North with a comprehensive victory over Morwell East 17-12-114 to 10-7-67.
In what may well have been a dress rehearsal for a finals clash in a few weeks time, this contest was always going to give an indication as to the amount and type of work when there would be no second chances.
The Hawks were given an old fashioned, footballing lesson in their early encounter this year and were desperate to test their self-proclaimed improvements against the best in the competition.
The early signs were good for the home side, with their structure and use of ball. Their efforts around stoppages made it difficult for the unbeaten Bombers to get any fluid movement.
It was an intriguing contest in so many ways, given there was always an expectation that Yallourn-Yallourn North could open the game up at any time, but Morwell East had earned their 13 point quarter time lead and it was obvious that the Hawks had come to play.
The quarter time break was an opportunity for Barrie Burnett to settle his boys and prepare them for what was the inevitable four-quarter effort required if they were to continue their winning streak.
By three quarter time, the Bombers had clawed their way back into the game and certainly the one-point margin with thirty minutes to play gave every indication that the supporters of both teams were in for something special.
Something special is what we got as well, but it may not have been as expected.
The Bombers opened up the game, with eight fourth-quarter goals that quickly put a margin between the two sides.
Keenan Hughes and Dean Macdonald kicked better than half the teams score and finished with five goals apiece,
Hughes looking towards a 100 goal season, currently sits on 75 and he is just one of a handful of players in this unbeaten side enjoying their best season for a long time.