Gulls youth flying high after Moe mauling
Warragul's thirds claimed a vital win in the context of their year through a complete dismantling of Moe on Saturday.
The Gulls were a relentless defensive unit as they kept their opponents to a single goal in their 10.16 (76) to 1.3 (9) win.
Kyle Baker kicked three goals for Warragul, while Todd Gowans and Luke Garner made strong impressions to overwhelm the Moe midfield.
The only issues the Gulls really experienced were with accuracy, as with some straighter kicking they could have had even more success.
The first term was a stalemate that saw both sides kick just the one goal each. Unfortunately for Moe, that would be their only goal of the day as the Gulls ran over the top of them over the next three quarters to move above the Lions into fourth spot.
The win now has Warragul two wins clear inside the top five as they look to push for a finals berth.
In other thirds results, Maffra won a low scoring thriller over Drouin 4.5 (29) to 3.4 (22), Wonthaggi defeated Sale 9.6 (60) to 7.6 (48), Traralgon thumped Leongatha 15.15 (105) to 6.7 (43) and Bairnsdale thrashed Sale 17.3 (105) to 7.7 (49).
Drouin's fourths fell short in a thriller against Maffra to leave their top five spot somewhat vulnerable.
In what was an odd game of football, the Hawks had just three goalkickers as they lost a heartbreaker 6.6 (42) to 7.5 (47).
Blake Bibby, Regan Caddy and Zachary McMillan all kicked two goals for Drouin, while Rylie Baker and Brodie Atkins were strong as the game swung wildly between the two teams.
Neither side was able to get much flow in their game style, but in the first half it looked as if Maffra had the ascendancy, taking a 12-point lead into half time.
The Hawks fought back though, kicking three goals to one in the third quarter to lead the contest by one point going into the final quarter.
There were some true heart-in-mouth moments in the fourth, and though the Hawks fought hard they were simply on the wrong side of the scoreline when the siren went.
The loss means that while Drouin remains in fifth, they have missed a golden opportunity to solidify their position in the top five.
Elsewhere in the fourths, Warragul retained second spot with an 8.6 (54) to 2.4 (16) win, Bairnsdale defeated Morwell 8.20 (68) to 3.3 (21), Traralgon obliterated Leongatha 16.23 (119) to 1.2 (8) and Sale had the bye.
It was a dirty day for both Warragul and Drouin in the reserves, as they were both thoroughly outplayed in their respective matches.
Warragul were held goalless for the first half of their game as they fell to Moe 6.5 (41) to 12.9 (81).
A more even second half saw both sides scoring six goals each, providing some highlights for the home fans as Jamie Somers kicked four goals.
Lachlan Wilson and Sam Dennis were also solid, though the result had been just about decided by half time.
It was an important win in the context of Moe's season, as they are now one of three sides all sitting on five wins and looking for finals action.
Drouin, meanwhile, had to deal with a heavily depleted side as they were held completely scoreless against Maffra.
With personnel issues being prevalent for the Hawks reserves side they were totally outmatched by the Eagles, losing 0.0 (0) to 22.18 (150).
Solid performances from Mitch Diston and Michael Boyles gave some positive takeaways, but it was a match that they would clearly rather forget.
In other reserves results, Wonthaggi handled Sale 6.9 (45) to 3.4 (22), Bairnsdale pulled away late to beat Morwell 12.15 (87) to 8.6 (54) and Leongatha maintained their perfect record to demolish Traralgon 18.4 (112) to 4.11 (35).