In what turned out to be their last game of footy before lockdown,
Warragul’s Bailey Stephens just gets his kick away in time as Drouin’s Jack Fraser shows his strong determination to affect the kick in what was a scintillating under 18s clash between the two rivals on Saturday afternoon.
The under 18 clash proved to be the game of the round and it was Drouin though who got away to the fast start, kicking three straight goals thanks to a couple of Warragul turnovers. The Gulls didn’t drop their heads however and once they settled into the contest, claimed one back on the stroke of quarter time, a much needed one to stem the flow of the home side.
During the second quarter, both sides traded blows and the physicality of the match was on show. Trent Kearney was in fine form, constantly breaking tackles and looking to surge his team forward, while Bailey Paul rose to the occasion, his raking left foot the saviour on a few occasions for the Gulls in defence. Despite having much of the play, Drouin couldn’t get away and could only extend their lead at the main change to 19 points.
Warragul coach Dean Alger urged his troops to be hard at the contest and work for one another and it seemed to galvanise his team, especially Brodie Tutton, with his two superb tackling efforts on the wing winning the ball back for his side in a game that was starting to see no love lost between the rivals.
The match opened up in the second half and Warragul looked the better side, but they weren’t able to convert on the scoreboard. It wasn’t until the final term that the Gulls saw reward for their effort. A superb tackle from Brayden Hefford led to a long running Alex Henshall goal that saw the margin cut to just five points with minutes remaining.
The Drouin side weren’t to be outdone however and despite being held scoreless in the final term, held on after withstanding the constant pressure dealt out by Warragul.
Coach Nick Fogarty said he was extremely proud of his club and the way they fought out the game.
“We always knew it was going to be a massive contest, we came out fired up and we finished it off with a lot of heart and a lot of ticker,” Fogarty said.
“Warragul put an extra man on the ball during the second and third quarter, but we wanted to stick to our structures and we backed our guys in to be physical on the inside and it showed late,” Fogarty added.
Fogarty also praised the game of Jahmain Harrison, who in the final quarter had some important moments for side.
“Jahmain was the match winner for us. His second half was sensational, we put him behind the ball and his smartness and physical side shone through, he was a real winner for us in the end,” Fogarty said.
For Drouin, Luke Kinder was named best on ground, with Fletcher Robertson-Edgar and
Jahmain Harrison also finding themselves among the best, with Kinder and Sage Tapner the multiple goal kickers for the Hawks with two each.
Angus Adamiak toiled hard all day for the Gulls to be named best for his side, with Alex Henshall and Cooper Alger also putting together quality games for Warragul in the loss.
Warragul coach Dean Alger lamented a few missed opportunities in the first quarter, but said he was proud of the way his side fought back.
“I think we probably cost ourselves a little bit going forward in the first half. We didn’t kick to our forwards advantage. It was a really good four quarter effort from everyone, we were winning the ball in the centre, but we probably just didn’t make the right decisions going forward,” Alger said.
Alger also touched on the growth he’s seen in the under 18 side since the first round.
“Definitely, week one we were outplayed by the Wonthaggi side, but the last two weeks I’ve seen a huge improvement, from my point of view, I’m really happy with the way they are going.
The win puts Drouin into the top four, however, it may not mean much now with regional Victoria set to go back into stage three restrictions on Wednesday night, effectively cancelling what is left of the Gippsland season.
Earlier in the day, Drouin got off to the perfect start in the under 16s match between the two undefeated sides, leading by nine at quarter time.
Ben Braiser was beginning to become a handful for the Warragul defenders, while Jacob Konstanty continued his fine start to the year for the Hawks.
It was Warragul however who took control of the match in the third term. They booted back to back goals and held the Hawks scoreless to lead by nine points going into the final break, seemingly in control.
This game had another twist in it however, and with the home ground urging them on, Drouin stunned the Gulls side with a surge, kicking the final two goals of the game to snatch victory at home.
Jacob Konstanty was a threat throughout the game for the Hawks and with his two majors, was named best on ground, while Ben Braiser finished with four of the teams seven goals in a dominant display to sink the Warragul side.
Luke Garner managed to kick two for Warragul as well as finding plenty of the ball, the best for Warragul, with Ethan Bongiorno and the ever-consistent Vinnie Caia also named in the best players.
Drouin end the under 16 season undefeated, sitting second on the ladder only behind Traralgon on percentage, leaving them to wonder what might have been in 2020.