Bombers remain undefeated
Yallourn-Yallourn North did the job many expected they would to keep their unbeaten record intact defeating Mirboo North 12-1284 to 7-5-47.
This clash was about as important as a home and away match could be, given that both sides remained unbeaten as they hit the half way mark of the 2019 season.
The winner to be regarded as this year’s premiership favourite, the loser to have some work to do before their next clash - scheduled to be on the eve of the finals, later in August.
The first 30 minutes was a testing time for the Bombers, with the visitors showing some good form, hitting contests hard and moving and spreading well when they had the ball leading the home side at the first break, a rare position for the top of the table side.
Yallourn coach Barrie Burnett said they got the challenge they needed with Mirboo’s mids proving very good.
But get on top they did, leading at half time, leading at half time while the Tigers problems started to mount.
Those horrors set a scary scene as the match unfolded, with the usual suspects of YallournYallourn North, Dean MacDonald and Keenan Hughes kicking four goals apiece and breaking the game open, putting a margin between the two, and making it very clear that they are without question the best side in the MGFL.
“We didn’t take our opportunities early, which kept Mirboo in it till the last, so goal kicking needs work, it was a good win but there is plenty to work on, we are looking forward to the week off,” Burnett said.
For the Tigers, they now move forward with the realisation there is still some work to do for them as well.
Newborough v Trafalgar
Newborough had hoped they could steal their second win of the season when they took on an out of sorts Trafalgar at home but in the end, they fell a long way short losing to the Bloods 5-4-34 to 18-17-125.
There had been an air of confidence around the Bulldogs camp in the week leading into their match with the reigning premiers.
Coach Dean Caldow sensed it was his team’s turn to strike, while the Bloods were still a little from their very best football.
Trafalgar a dominant force of 2018, had managed just two wins in the seven weeks prior to their arrival at Newborough, but they made their intentions very clear, very early, and the home side no match for much improved Trafalgar.
Bulldogs coach Dean Caldow said “another tough day at the office, three of my boys, only teenagers, who don’t have hardened bodies yet, were given a lesson by Tyson Leys, who showed what a strong aggressive player can do when you hit the footy and body hard.”
Newborough were hit hard all day, beaten by an average of four goals a quarter, the visitors lead quickly building as they searched for the sort of form that would keep them in touch with the top five.
Trafalgar coach Clint Eisendel said “our goal kicking and forward 50 entry are the main areas for us to work on, very happy with our intent and pressure applied. Newborough never stopped trying, for a young side their contested footy physicality would be a positive mowing forward, but they desperately need some big blokes.”
Yinnar v Morwell East
In a match that could inevitably shape a season, it was Morwell East that led Yinnar as the final siren sounded winning 15-7-97 to 14-7-91.
The Magpies had started to slowly produce a more organised style of football over the past fortnight or so, first choice players were now available and time spent on the field together seemed to be assisting the side produce the sort of football we had become accustomed to over many years.
Morwell East prepared as best they could for a contest that would go someway toward a finals berth later in the season.
With most of the play early, the Hawks led at the first break, even though they may not have made the most of the chances they had, an eight point lead gave them the belief they needed to know they were well and truly worthy of the finals talk that has surrounded them since very early in the season.
There was just a single kick between the two sides at half time, and there was little more than that for most of the game.
Every kick, every mark, every tackle, every decision was absolutely crucial, as anyone was capable of having an impact on the outcome of the game, and in a season where very little separates a handful of sides the pressure was on.
Morwell East managed to find themselves with a 13 point lead at the final break and given the way the game had been played it was a handy advantage to have with less than 30 minutes to play.
It was goal for goal for most of the day and the result may have gone either way, but the fact it went the way of the Hawks, now has them well placed.
Hill End v Boolarra
Hill End did what good sides do, once they had the knife in Boolarra, they gave it a twist on their way to an impressive 18-16-124 to 4-1-25 victory.
After more then a decade without a finals appearance, the Rovers now find themselves somewhat in control of their own destiny, and they were not prepared to allow Boolarra stand in their way.
In fact Hill End had already shown they could mix it with the very best, their clash with the Demons, expected to be more about the home side improving even further on what they had already displayed this season.
Hill End coach Mike Santo said “the feeling in the group is incredible at the moment, we are starting to believe in ourselves.”
“Our entries to forwards was first class, Chase Saunders was great against his old club, and Uliando is the most underrated player in the league and again he couldn’t be tackled and fed our runners from stoppages all day.”
That run was hard to stop for Boolarra, the Demons even in losses had earned respect for their efforts.
The Rovers were good for about eight scoring shots a quarter and finished with 18 goals from their 34 shots despite some umpiring decisions interrupting the flow of the game.
At the end of the day, Hill End got the points, improved further and for the first time since the eighties the Rovers hold the Hambone trophy together with a couple of others they have picked up during the year.