Tigers stage upset of year to blow finals race open
The race for the finals has been blown wide open, courtesy of the Morwell Football Club.
In what is the upset of the year so far this season, the Tigers launched an incredible second half comeback to defeat Wonthaggi by one point over the weekend.
Trailing by 22 points at the main break against one of pre-season flag fancies, one would not have blamed the Tigers for going into their shells.
But evidently, the young Morwell side had other ideas, kicking seven goals in the second half while keeping the Power to just two to snatch a famous win 10.7 (67) to 9.12 (66).
Brandon McDonald kicked three for the home team, backing up his four-goal performance last week against Maffra.
Tristen Waack and Brandon Mcauliffe were highly influential in the middle for the Tigers in what was a highly contested match-up against the highly experienced Wonthaggi midfield.
Having kicked six goals to one in the third quarter and reclaiming the lead, Morwell went into the final term six points up.
Wonthaggi responded in the last term, dominating territory and generating multiple forward half entries.
The Power were left to rue their accuracy, however, as they kicked 1.5 for the quarter, missing many opportunities to reclaim the lead.
The Tigers defended grimly, and ultimately one more goal in the final term was enough to see them hold on and move to within one win of the top five.
Wonthaggi, meanwhile, have now lost two in a row and find themselves just two points inside the top five.
They will be hoping for a strong performance next week against Bairnsdale as they try to get their once highly promising season back on track.
Morwell’s best players were Tristen Waack, Brandon Mcauliffe, Tyler Hillier, Cody Macdonald and Tyler Brown.
Noah Anderson, Tim Knowles, Aiden Lindsay, Jack Hutchinson, Ryan Sparkes and Toma Huther were Wonthaggi’s better players.
Leongatha’s perfect record remains intact after a solid 20-point win over bitter rival Maffra.
In what was the latest chapter of the Gippsland League’s most famous recent rivalry, the Parrots burst out of the blocks early and held steady in a hotly contested game.
Tom Marriott continued his excellent form in the midfield and Jack Ginnane kicked three goals for the second week in a row, while the inclusion of Aaron Heppell paid dividends for the Parrots as they won 13.11 (89) to 9.15 (69).
A five goal to one first term gave Leongatha a quick buffer, and though the Eagles threatened at various times to chase down the margin, the Parrots responded under pressure each and every time.
Mitchell Bennett kicked three goals for the home side, who pushed the visitors hard but don’t appear to be the fierce opponent they once were in some of their more legendary recent battles against Leongatha.
The loss leaves Maffra two points outside the top five, though Wonthaggi’s loss has kept them closer than they could be.
Leongatha will now prepare for a top of the table blockbuster with Moe next week.
The Parrots’ top performers were Tom Marriott, Aaron Heppell, Josh Hopkins, Jackson Harry, Matt Willcocks and Jack Ginnane, while Ryan Auld, Alex Carr, Kade Renooy, Thomas Jolly, Lachlan Channing and Hudson Holmes played well for Maffra.
A blistering second half from Traralgon held them in good stead against Bairnsdale, allowing them to run out 71-point winners.
Not everything went the Maroons’ way though. After keeping Bairnsdale goalless in the first term, the Redlegs struck back with a six-goal second term to lead by two points at half time.
Incredibly, those six second quarter goals would be the only ones Bairnsdale kicked for the game, as they failed to kick another in the second half while Traralgon booted 12 of their own.
Brett Eddy kicked six goals and Harvey Neocleous kicked four, while Luis D’Angelo and Adam Jaensch put in their own strong performances.
The Maroons now sit fourth on the ladder, and their match next week against Sale promises to be a strong indicator for just how good both teams really are.
Bairnsdale’s better players were Randall Stewart, Kieran Vickery, Cooper Vickery, Simon Deery, Ethan East and Brayden McCarrey.
Luis D’Angelo Adam Jaensch, Brett Eddy, Luke Johnson, Tate Marsh and Tom Schneider were all named as Traralgon’s best.