Moe overpowered by Wonthaggi
Moe find themselves with their season slipping away after losing their third match in four weeks, this time going down at home to Wonthaggi.
The Lions' recent issues in their forward half were on display for all to see as they were held to their lowest score for the season in the 4.7 (31) to 12.3 (75) loss.
Following on from their complete dismantling at the hands of Leongatha last week, the response by Moe could only be classified as disappointing, with this recent loss seeing them slip from second to fourth on the ladder.
Wonthaggi, for their part, were able to find more contributors on the scoreboard, as they had eight different players all join in on the scoring, while Moe could manage just four, all of whom kicked one goal each.
Moe's ability to score, which had already been an issue for weeks, was made all the more difficult given the loss of goal sneak Harry Pepper prior to the match.
Jordan Staley kicked three for the Power, while Tom Davey and Andrew Murray chipped in with three each.
Wonthaggi was never able to really blow Moe away, instead taking the early two goal lead they established in the first quarter and building on quarter by quarter.
The final margin probably didn't do Moe enough justice though, as Wonthaggi's incredible accuracy at goal meant that what was a fierce contest through the middle blew out to what appears on paper to be a one-sided affair.
Indeed, while Moe didn't have the firepower up forward to match the Power, the midfield battle between the likes of Riley Baldi, Harrison Sim and Jacob Wood on one side and Tim Knowles, Toma Huther and Ryan Sparkes on the other was still hotly contested and captivating.
Still, in the end the Power proved they are a more balanced side around the field, and despite some backline heroics from Lions player coach Declan Keilty, Wonthaggi had all the answers to win the game.
Thanks to some other results, they are now six points clear in fifth spot, and will be hoping to find some more consistency going into the second half of the season.
Moe, meanwhile, will be desperate to recapture their early season form that saw them win their first five games if they want to have any sort of impact at the pointy end of the year.
Declan Keilty, Trent Baldi, Riley Baldi, Harrison Sim, Lachlan McGrath and Jacob Wood were named as Moe's best.
Wonthaggi's strongest players were Tim Knowles, Ryan Sparkes, Toma Huther, Thomas Murray, Jack Hutchinson and Joshua Schulz.
Traralgon has moved into second spot after prevailing in a hard-fought contest against Maffra.
The Maroons were made to work for the win by the Eagles, who showed flashes of their best footy but just couldn't keep their momentum going for long enough whenever they found it.
Instead, it was Traralgon who more often capitalised on their chances, the final score being 12.8 (80) to 9.8 (62).
Maroon Harvey Neocleous, who has spent multiple weeks playing for the Casey Demons in the VFL competition, was the standout for the visitors, booting four goals in a best on ground performance as he caused headaches for the Maffra defence all day.
Brett Eddy also kicked three goals for Traralgon, while Tom Thatcher kicked three for the Eagles.
Disappointingly for Maffra, the forward line one-two punch of Daniel Bedggood and John Butcher failed to fire, with just one goal between them for the day.
From the first bounce it was Traralgon who appeared to be more switched on, holding Maffra goalless as they kicked three of their own to take an early lead.
The Eagles struck back in the second term, kicking three of their own to reduce the margin to eight points at the main break.
They call the third quarter the premiership quarter for a reason though, and Traralgon used it to perfection, putting four goals to one on the board to take an imposing 26-point lead into the final break.
The Eagles pushed hard in the final term, but each time they asked the question the Maroons were able to answer, doing enough to bank the four points.
Following their bye, Traralgon will next meet Leongatha at home as they look to be the first team to knock the Parrots off their perch and stake their premiership claims.
Maffra, meanwhile, are now a win and a half outside the top five and will be looking at an uphill battle to make finals. Given the great side they've been for years, it's tough to entirely write them off.
Traralgon's best were Harvey Neocleous, Tye Hourigan, Mark Collison, Luke Johnson, Brett Eddy and Tate Marsh.
For Maffra, Hudson Holmes, Ed Carr, Danny Butcher, Alex Carr, Thomas Jolly and James Huts all played well.
Sale did exactly what was required of them to keep a grip on their top five spot, brushing aside Morwell to bring their young opponents crashing back down to Earth.
The Magpies kept Morwell goalless for the entire first half, while putting on seven goals of their own to ensure the result was put to bed early.
In the end, they would blow the margin out even further to win in commanding fashion, 17.16 (118) to 6.7 (43).
Brad Dessent and Kane Martin formed a formidable pairing up forward, kicking four goals each.
The height and intercepting ability of the Sale backline caused consistent issues for the young Tigers, who were unable to find any easy marks in their forward half.
Having won their last two matches, it was a disappointingly flat performance from Morwell who, unlike in previous weeks, struggled to match the intensity of their opponents both aerially and when the ball hit the deck.
Four goals in the last quarter, well past the point of the game being alive, allowed their final score to be more flattering than it otherwise could have been. But make no mistake, the Tigers were thoroughly outplayed.
Sale now find themselves as one of three teams on 24 points on the ladder, along with Moe and Traralgon, as they jostle for position under the ladder leading Leongatha.
Morwell, meanwhile, are now six points outside of the top five and though they have shown significant improvement this season, finals may just be a bridge too far for them at this point in their rebuild.
Ryan Pendlebury, Shannen Lange, Kane Martin, Thomas Glenn, Mitch Bown and Jesse Collins were Sale's finest players, while Tyler Brown, Cody Macdonald, Archie Grant, Ryan Hearn, Nathan Noblett and Tyler Hillier were all strong for Morwell.