Gulls fourths win thriller
Warragul's fourths captured a thrilling win over the weekend, holding off Sale by just two points.
Caleb McIntosh was the hero for the Gulls, booting four of his side's five goals in the 5.4 (34) to 4.8 (32) win.
The Gulls burst out of the blocks early, kicking four goals to one in the first term to take an early lead.
From there the match became a grind for both sides, as a gritty Magpies team worked their way back into the game.
The visitors booted three goals to none through the middle two quarters to take a slender three-point lead into the final change of ends.
With both teams needing a goal, it was Warragul who found the major they needed, sealing a famous win.
Outside of McIntosh, Callum Jenkins and Xavier Olsson were immense, while Darcy Paul continued his excellent season.
The win was Warragul's second of the season, leaving them with plenty of confidence going forward.
Drouin's fourths weren't so lucky, going down to Moe.
The Hawks were in the fight early, trailing by just seven points at half time.
But from there the Lions' class shone through, kicking the only five goals of the second half to leave the Hawks with a 2.5 (17) to 8.7 (55) loss.
Thomas Mapleson, Rylie Baker and Kaiden Walmsley were among the Hawks' better players.
In other fourths results, Maffra defeated Leongatha 7.4 (46) to 4.9 (33), Bairnsdale thumped Morwell 13.18 (96) to 3.2 (20) and Traralgon obliterated Morwell 20.18 (138) to 1.1 (7).
Warragul scored a vital win over Sale in the thirds as they try to maintain their place in the top five.
The Gulls overcame some early goalkicking yips to register the win, booting nine goals to one in the second half to claim victory 11.13 (79) to 6.6 (42).
Things certainly didn't look to be going that way early, however, when the Gulls' halftime score had them 10 points down having kicked a scarcely believable 2.10. They were trailing despite having registered five more scoring shots. Whatever messages were relayed to them at the break clearly worked though as they reversed their fortunes to kick 9.3 in the second half and claim a solid win.
Matthew Cahill was fantastic in his return game, as were Jaxon De La Haye and Harrison Cant, while big man Liam Finnegan wasn't afraid to outmuscle his Magpie opponents.
The Gulls are now in fourth, four points clear of Moe in sixth spot.
Next week's match against fifth-placed Bairnsdale looms as a monster clash.
Drouin's thirds couldn't quite get the job done, losing to Moe by 13 points.
The Hawks were in the match for practically the whole day, and went into the last quarter just a goal down.
But when the whips were cracking they couldn't find the scores they needed to claw their way in front.
Kaden Gregg found his third three-goal haul of the season, while Brock Walsh and Fletcher Lockwood were also strong on an 'almost' day for the team.
Elsewhere in the thirds Maffra thumped Leongatha 7.13 (55) to 2.3 (15), Bairnsdale destroyed Morwell 19.9 (123) to 1.2 (8) and Traralgon had the bye.
Drouin's reserves had a better day on the scoreboard than last week but were still beaten handily.
The Hawks were held scoreless against Maffra, but were able to kick three goals during their 3.0 (18) to 12.18 (90) loss to Moe.
Some inaccuracy from the Lions, as well as some solid defending, kept them from a larger loss but they were unable to make inroads for most of the day.
Jackson Clerks had his best performance yet in Drouin colours, while Kaleb Hermansen kicked two of the team's three goals.
Warragul's reserves were held goalless in their loss to Sale.
The undermanned Gulls were no match for the size and strength of their opponents, losing 0.2 (2) to 18.18 (126).
The home side's two behinds both came in the first quarter, as they couldn't hit the scoreboard for the rest of the match.
Xavier La Frantz, Tim Davine and Jordan Orlicki were among the Gulls' better players for the day.